CV: Engineering Support Manager

Summary of Qualifications

An energetic problem solver adept at efficiently applying theory to operations.

Demonstrated capability to plan, evaluate, supervise and execute complex projects and programs and to work within a larger program context.

Extensive experience in real-time spacecraft operations and support environments.

Supervised and conducted mission planning or orbit/attitude analysis activities for forty three spacecraft launches.

Extensive experience designing and constructing stand alone orbit analysis and planning software.

Supervised orbit analysis activities for geosynchronous, semi-synchronous, and sun-synchronous satellites.

Leadership

My demonstrated ability to lead and manage multifunctional teams has resulted in progressively increasing responsibilities. These have included supervising the efforts of thirteen engineers in the areas of software development, real-time flight software maintenance, technical documentation production, computer system accreditation, IT support, and IT system operations to manage all engineering support activity provided to the GPS IIR Flight Operations Group. In earlier efforts I supervised Mission Planning staffs conducting orbit operations for GPS early orbit and on orbit operations for Lockheed Martin and Rockwell International

Project Management

I have worked extensively developing and planning various projects for spacecraft operations, software development and support activities. This has included providing program planning products for proposal development and contract renewals including task definitions and justification, resource utilization (personnel and hours estimates), schedule development, material needs estimates. Regularly prepared and presented status, findings and project progress to upper program management and Air Force customer representatives and employed the principles of earned value management to project tracking, control and reporting

I ran all configuration control board processes for the GPS IIR Flight Operations Group, serving as the CCB chair.  Oversaw the production of vehicle technical support documentation; reviewed and approved all changes to spacecraft operations documentation. Employed Lean process development principles to develop and evaluate spacecraft operations and program management processes and procedures.

Technical Capabilities

My technical contributions and program support have lead to the development of extensive exposure to many engineering disciplines and the evolution of a broad systems engineering expertise. My primary contributions have been in the areas of flight mechanics and software engineering.  I have conducted studies and analyses involving real-time flight software, power systems, propulsion systems, ground system definition and integration and general systems analysis.  I have conducted operations support trade studies and evaluated ground system candidate systems for applicability to long term GPS operations concepts and technology evolution on the GPS IIR and GPS III programs.

I am an accomplished practitioner of astrodynamics principles, spacecraft propulsion system modeling, and orbit and attitude determination techniques. I have employed these principles to conduct capability definition and evaluation studies for Lockheed Martin, Rockwell and the Air Force leading to the development of new and expanded operational techniques resulting in expanded launch opportunities and unique spacecraft maneuvering algorithms. Regularly produced and presented training and material on astrodynamics and orbit operations to spacecraft operators, mission planning and orbit analysis staff.

I have been responsible for all aspects (design, coding, testing, validation, and documentation) of the development and maintenance of independent software tools used by the Lockheed Martin and Rockwell engineering staffs to plan and conduct orbit operations for the GPS satellite program. As the lead software engineer I designed algorithms and wrote the computer code (Pascal, C, and C++) used for all phases of GPS mission planning activity. Products produced include packages for: orbit and attitude determination, orbit integration and propagation; mission scheduling and visibility determination, in-plane and out-of-plane orbit maneuver planning, attitude maneuver planning, launch time and launch window determination.  Additionally, I have developed many support tools employing scripting languages for MS Office product integration and automation, database access and visual presentations.

I have developed concepts and designs for integrated database systems supporting GPS operations, data storage and data retrieval systems. This has led to the deployment of integrated process management tools for configuration management, change management, problem reporting, event reporting and data distribution.

I planned and executed launch and early orbit flight activities for the GPS program. Responsible for providing launch times and orbit and attitude maneuver plans required to place the GPS vehicle in its final orbit. Additionally, I participated as a team member providing mission planning and orbit and attitude determination support for 42 of the 47 GPS Block II/IIa/IIR early orbit missions to date and one DSP launch.

As an Air Force officer I was the lead technical orbit analyst for the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Defense Support Program (DSP) and the Defense Meteorological Support Program (DMSP).

Chronological Experience

1994 to 2008 -  Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company Colorado Springs, Colorado

      2007 to present

        Chief Engineer for Operations / Global Positioning System Block IIR Operations

      2000 to 2007

         Engineering Support Manager / Global Positioning System Block IIR Operations 

      1994 to 2000

          Lead - Mission Planning & Tools Development / Global Positioning System Blk IIR

1989 to 1994 -  Rockwell International  Colorado Springs Colorado

          Lead Mission Planner / Global Positioning System Block II/IIa

1985 to 1989 - 1st Satellite Control Squadron Air Force Space Command

          Orbital Analysis Officer 

1984 to 1985  - Vector Seismic;     Denver, Colorado ;   Geophysical Analyst

1984              - Strata Search  Denver Colorado;  Computer Operator

1981 to 1983-  Nuclear Physics Laboratory University of Colorado  Boulder, Colorado

            Laboratory Assistant

Academic and Training Background

Colorado Technical University, Colorado Springs Colorado

Doctor of Computer Science     September 1998

Dissertation Title: Process Migration Within a Satellite Constellation

University of Colorado  Colorado Springs, Colorado

Master of Engineering   Space Operations    December 1994

University of Colorado  Boulder, Colorado

Bachelor of Arts   Physics     May 1983

           Corporate Training in Earned Value Management and Lean Processes

Air Force Training and Certification in the Global Positioning System, Defense Support Program, and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program.

Military service and honors

1985 – 1989 United States Air Force - Orbital Analysis Officer

Clearance : TS, 2007

Publications

Examining Process Migration Within a Satellite Constellation, Vaughan, S H; AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Denver, CO; UNITED STATES; 14-17 Aug. 2000. pp. 379-389. 2000

Process Migration Within a Satellite Constellation, SH Vaughan - DCS thesis, Colorado Technical University, Colorado Springs, 1998

GPS IIR Joins the GPS Constellation, Kiser, Kevin, Vaughan, Scott H; ION GPS-98; Proceedings of the 11th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of the Institute of Navigation, Nashville, TN; UNITED STATES; 15-18 Sept. 1998. pp. 1915-1923. 1998

Longitudinal acceleration modeling for the GPS block IIR spacecraft ,Vaughan, S H , Taylor, J V; Spaceflight mechanics 1996; Proceedings of the 6th AAS/AIAA Spaceflight Mechanics Conference, Austin, TX; UNITED STATES; 12-15 Feb. 1996. pp. 325-334. 1996

Long term behavior of inactive satellites and debris near geosynchronous orbits
Vaughan, S H , Mullikin, T L; Spaceflight mechanics 1995; Proceedings of the 5th AAS/AIAA Spaceflight Mechanics Conference, Albuquerque, NM; UNITED STATES; 13-16 Feb. 1995. pp. 1571-1585. 1995

A conceptual design for interplanetary autonomous navigation, Mullikin, T L , Vaughan, S H ; Astrodynamics 1993; Proceedings of the AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Conference, Victoria, Canada; UNITED STATES; 16-19 Aug. 1993. pp. 923-933. 1994

Launch window extensions and launch opportunities for Navstar GPS, Vaughan, Scott H., Mullikin, Thomas L.; Spaceflight mechanics 1992; Proceedings of the 2nd AAS/AIAA Meeting, Colorado Springs, CO, Feb. 24-26, 1992. Pt. 2 (A93-48426 20-12), p. 859-876.

Autonomous orbit determination for earth-orbiting spacecraft utilizing a maximum likelihood filter; Mullikin, T. L.; Vaughan, S. H. AAS and AIAA, Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Durango, CO, Aug. 19-22, 1991. 22 p