Padma Varanasi

· Manage Mission Operations for PREFIRE mission

· Primary interface between JPL instrument team, Spacecraft (S/C) team and Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT)

· Provide direction and leadership for concept of operations development, requirements and implementation of system operations plans for both flight and ground segments

· Manage planning, design, development, and implementation of technology and capability to support instrument operations

· Provide technical expertise to prepare for and support Project reviews for EUVST project

· Provide technical expertise to prepare for and support Project reviews

· Provide the technical expertise to perform and direct the test and integration of subsystems

· Determine test methodologies, specifying the instrumentation and test equipment necessary for testing, working with test conductors, directing the test, and subsequently analyzing the resulting data and preparing summary reports for project personnel

· Lead efforts in the design, build and operation of ground support equipment

· Design and lead the test sequences and generation of test plans, procedures, and reports

· Lead efforts in the performance and execution of space hardware environmental testing and the final requirement verification process

· Investigate discrepancies, provide technical assessment of anomalies, and drive issues to resolution

Lead Mission Operations Systems Engineer

· Manage Mission Operations for Nancy Grace Roman Telescope Coronagraph instrument

· Primary interface between JPL instrument team, Spacecraft (S/C) team at GSFC

· Provide direction and leadership for concept of operations development, requirements and implementation of system operations plans for both flight and ground segments

Manage planning, design, development, and implementation of technology and capability to support instrument operations

Technical Manager – Instrument Operations Engineering Group

· Technical Group Supervisor for the Instrument and Science Data System Operations Group of 25 members.

· Responsible for providing comprehensive, robust, cost-effective instrument and science data system operations systems & teams; requirements, design, implementation, documentation, test & integration, deployment, & operation.

· Accountable for schedule, resources, and technical performance of all assigned group activities.

· Responsible for recruitment and maintenance of a high-quality, high-performance engineering group and provide career path development and technical guidance to group members.

· Interface for internal and external customers to create partnerships for involvement in future JPL missions.

· Recruit early career hires from universities & Instrument Operations Systems Engineers (all levels) to support JPL missions

Lead Mission Operations Systems Engineer

• JPL instrument MAIA, support PI, Instrument Hardware team with requirements, mission planning
Mission Interface Manager (MIM), DSN (Deep Space Network)

· DSN representative and primary point of contact for multiple mission customers from other NASA Centers, and international space agencies (ESA, ISRO, JAXA)

· Interface Manager between DSN and Space Missions (NASA & International Space Agencies (ESA, ISRO, JAXA)

· Negotiated Support Agreements and Ground Systems Service Commitments for over 15 missions.

JPL Systems Engineering Consultant – NASA/Glenn Research Center

· Consultant to NASA Glenn Research Center under the NASA SCaN (Space Communication and Navigation) technology development program.

· Mentored the CoNNeCT flight team at Glenn, assisted with I&T and operations of the JPL-built SCaN Testbed, installed on the International Space Station.

Mission Operations Manager – Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)

· Managed the Mission Operations team on the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), a $43M payload launched aboard Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) spacecraft Chandrayaan-1

· Primary interface between JPL instrument team, PI, and S/C team at ISRO to support successful launch of India's first mission to the moon.

· Assisted principal investigator at Brown University with implementation of science plans.

· Provided direction and leadership for con ops, development, and implementation of system operations plans for both flight and ground segments

· Collaborated and gave advice regarding engineering principles and mission operations policies to affected organizations.

· Initiated investigations to find solutions to critical problems in areas of payload anomalies, ground systems, engineering operations

· Managed planning, design, development, and implementation of technology and capability to support instrument operations

· Was responsible for oversight/control of facilities utilized for instrument command and control, simulations, and training.

Mission Operations/Integration & Test Manager – Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES)

· Mission Operations and I&T Team Lead for the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) payload aboard the EOS Aura mission managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight center.

· Worked closely with TES principal investigator and instrument scientist at JPL to implement TES science goals.

· Provided direction and leadership for con ops, development, and implementation of system operations plans for both flight and ground segments

· Collaborated and gave advice regarding engineering principles and mission operations policies to affected organizations.

· Initiated investigations to find solutions to critical problems in areas of payload anomalies, ground systems, engineering operations

· Managed planning, design, development, and implementation of technology and capability to support instrument operations

· Was responsible for oversight/control of facilities used for instrument command and control, simulations, and training.

· Initiated programs, and projects dealing with the problems of instrument operations, integrated mission operations.

Mission Operations/Systems Engineer – Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer

· Mission operations and systems engineer for the Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MISR) aboard the EOS Terra mission managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight center.

· Primary interface between the MISR science team and GSFC to support launch and real-time operations at NASA controls center.

· Designed and supported development of Target Selection tool, based on FOV, priority scheme etc. organizations.

· Initiated investigations to find solutions to critical problems in areas of payload anomalies, ground systems, engineering operations

· Managed planning, design, development, and implementation of technology and capability to support instrument operations

· Was responsible for oversight/control of facilities used for instrument command and control, simulations, and training.

· Initiated programs, and projects dealing with the problems of instrument operations, integrated mission operations.

· Planned, conducted work in supporting NASA spacecraft and JPL instrument.

Software Design/Mission Operations – Cassini

• Designed and supported development of multi-mission ground system downlinks analysis software for Command and Data Handling (C&DH) subsystem of the Cassini spacecraft

Flight Software, Mission Operations – TOPEX

• Developed & tested flight software for the TOPEX spacecraft built by Orbital Sciences Corporation. Analyzed the Command & Data Handling (C&DH) subsystem data in real-time and off-line

Orbital Sciences Corporation (March 1988-March 1991)

Flight Software / Verification & Validation / I&T Engineer

· Implemented a real-time Robotics control system prototype.

· Developed flight software for the Attitude Control Software (ACS) subsystem on the Explorer Platform spacecraft.

· Supported TOPEX I&T to understand S/C better to fly it better.

· Designed, supported development and testing of Flight Software for ACS and C&DH subsystems of the S/C