Three D-FW engineers play vital role in NASA Gateway project

Since astronauts first set foot on the moon 52 years ago, only 12 people have landed on the surface – all men and all white.

But that will change with the Artemis mission when nine male and nine female astronauts take off in 2024 at the earliest to explore more than ever from the surface of the moon.

NASA’s Gateway Project is a key component of the Artemis program, and three of Gateway’s senior engineers grew up in Dallas-Fort Worth: Devanshi Vani, Diane Davis, and Bill Othon.

Gateway, as the name suggests, will be an important stepping stone in sending more people to the moon and beyond. It will orbit the moon and, like the International Space Station, will be a fixture in space. But it’s a lot smaller than the ISS – if the ISS is a single family home, think of Gateway as a studio apartment. Gateway won’t always be manned as long as the ISS has a consistent team of astronauts on board.

NASA’s Orion crew and service module, hoisted into a thermal cage here on their way to the agency’s Plum Brook Station, will take astronauts to the gateway station.(NASA)

The spacecraft will support the long-term human presence on the moon and serve as a starting point for future space exploration. Gateway will allow astronauts to spend extended periods of time in space completing scientific research and will be a stopover for astronauts traveling to the moon and one day to space destinations like Mars.

The Artemis mission will be the first time humans step on the lunar surface since the Apollo missions of the 20th century. The astronauts will rely heavily on the work of local staff, including Vani, Davis and Othon.

Devanshi Vani: Safety first

Devanshi Vani, 41, is the Assistant Manager of Security and Mission Assurance for the Gateway program, which encompasses crew safety and the success of all of the program’s technologies.

Devanshi Vani is the Assistant Manager, Security and Mission Assurance for NASA’s Gateway Program.(NASA)

While she wouldn’t say she was “going straight to NASA”, Vani had many scientific and space-related influences as a child.

She credits the Richardson Independent School District with her interest in science. As part of the program to promote talented students, she gained practical experience with animals in their natural habitat at the environmental research center. “It really spoke for this love of science and just being out there and exploring,” Vani said. “And this is the first time that I am allowed to stroke a tarantula – you never forget that.”

Her family loves science fiction, and she and her brother went out at night catching fireflies and gazing at the stars. She even lived on Galaxie Road in Garland.

“I think it was just the environment, it was everything,” Vani said.

Vani said NASA’s Gateway and Artemis program mark great leaps in diversity in space travel. Not only will the Artemis program send a diverse crew of astronauts to the moon, the support team is just as diverse, Vani said.

“I think it speaks volumes about where we are going in terms of space exploration and that it is for everyone and that we are doing this together,” Vani said.

Although efforts to diversify the industry have increased significantly, according to the Aerospace Industry Association, by 2020 only 25% women, 8% blacks and 6% Latinos make up the workforce.

“I think the future holds so much in store for diversity and for bringing us all together, and I think Gateway embodies that. This is what it should be like as we go forward and explore,” said Vani.

Diane Davis: Setting a way

Diane Davis is the Mission Design Lead for Gateways Systems, Engineering and Integration. Your work focuses on the spacecraft’s orbit around the moon. You and your team will determine how the spaceship can be kept on its planned path, how much fuel it needs and how to ensure that other spaceships can safely join Gateway and start again on other destinations.

Diane Davis is the mission design director for the systems, engineering, and integration of NASA Gateway(Picasa)

The orbit they choose is known as the near rectilinear halo orbit and is influenced by the gravitational pull of the moon and earth. This method provides good communication with Earth and the South Pole, and makes certain functions such as controlling the orientation of the spacecraft less expensive.

44-year-old Davis grew up in Hurst. She attended LD Bell High School and credits her teacher, Chris Bruhn, for guiding her into science. Bruhn left a career in aerospace to teach physics at the Davis School.

“I went to his class in my senior year and it was just a lot of fun,” said Davis. “After school we built this hovercraft and sent it down the hallways.”

Davis said his class piqued her interest in physics, and she made it her major at the University of Texas at Austin. Her father also played a significant role in her passion for science. Before he had children, he worked as a biology and physics teacher in a high school.

“He only ever gave us science lessons. It was my favorite thing to do, “said Davis. “I used to wander around the back yard and he did gardening, I said, ‘Hey Dad, give me a science lesson’ so he can come up with something to tell me about. ”

William Othon: On-site laboratories

William Othon, Head of Test and Verification at Gateway, is responsible for testing all elements of the spacecraft to ensure that everything is working properly in orbit.

William Othon is the test and verification director for NASA’s gateway program.

(ROBERT MARKOWITZ)

Othon, 57, is coordinating verification with the program’s team as well as commercial and international partners.

“We have to build a lot of laboratories on site; We essentially need to ground the vehicle and inspect it before we can fly. And that’s my job, ”said Othon.

Othon was born in Dallas at St. Paul Hospital shortly after his parents immigrated to the area from Cuba. He grew up with the Spanish accent of his parents and the Texan accent of his friends, ie “everything lifted again” and he sounds more midwestern. But of course he still uses you.

He lived near the Forest and Marsh Lanes, and some of his favorite childhood memories include picnics at White Rock Lake, attending the State Fair of Texas, and watching the Dallas Cowboys in Tom Landry’s years with his father – both of which are huge fans . When he was 10 years old, his family moved to Houston.

Othon credits UT Austin with some of his success. He was also able to work with companies during his engineering degree and that hands-on experience helped him pursue a career at NASA.

He remembers returning to Dallas to visit his grandmother, who only spoke Spanish. “One thing that kept my Spanish good was going back to Dallas, going to the Cowboys game, and then going to see them,” said Othon. “It was a Spanish quiz every time I came back.”

NASA engineers are working with commercial and international partners on the gateway program. The Housing and Logistics Outpost, the first cabin for astronauts visiting Gateway, is being developed by Northrop Grumman. SpaceX will launch Gateway’s first two segments into lunar orbit. NASA is also working with the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on aspects of the project.

All three engineers say their jobs involve a lot of communication between teams and organizations.

“There are many happy, focused people who all want nothing more than to explore space,” said Othon. “It’s very international; Everyone works together to do their best to get people into space. “

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