Philip Lewis

Experience

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  General Dynamics

  Aug 1982 - Jun 1987

  Mechanical Engineer

  A few of the more challenging projects included developing a dynamic model of the F-16 leading edge, performing impact analysis of the F-16 asymmetry brake, fatigue analysis of the F-16 leading edge planetary gears, and redesign of the F-16 asymmetry brake to eliminate a design flaw identified by previous analysis. Leading Edge Model: The algorithms used were essentially a network of spring, mass, damper equations with rotational backlash accounted for. The model was fine turned using a spectrum analyzer and was coupled to flight dynamic equations and tables to determine flap loading. Flight controls were modeled as series of Laplace and Z transforms.Asymmetry Brake Analysis and Re-Design: Following a near catastrophic asymmetry brake incident involving the Thunderbirds, I was assigned to identify the phenomenon that caused the event. Using a test lab and developing a very detailed analytical model I discovered that backlash / free-play in the leading edge system was allowing a rotational jerk component to translate to linear resulting in sufficient plate separation to cause the brake to lock. I validated both the phenomenon (with developed analytical equations), and a simple redesign solution in that lab. I received a Technical Performance Award for "defining the physical phenomena causing a chronic asymmetry brake lock-up problem and developing new basic principles used in the development and redesign of a new brake."Planetary Gear Train Fatigue Analysis: F-16 logistics identified that the leading edge gears were wearing out orders of magnitude before predicted. I was assigned to perform a fatigue analysis of the planetary gears and was initially able to confirm the original predictions, which did not match real life data. Coupling the gear model with my leading edge model and adding a flexible wing structure, a potential binding phenomenon of the outer housing was identified that significantly increased gear loading. Show less

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  McDonnell Douglas

  Jul 1987 - Mar 1990

  Sr. Staff Engineer

  A few of my more interesting engineering tasks involved R&D activities (both IRAD and CRAD) I supported at MCAIR (many from proposal stage through implementation). Such activities included National Aero-Space Plane (NASP, X-33) flight control requirements (i.e. avionics and hydraulics), performance analysis of the thrust vectoring requirements for the Advanced Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing conceptual aircraft (ASTOVL), and various advanced weapons delivery systems for ATF and ATA (YF-23 and A-12) as well as other advanced aircraft. One of my primary specialties at the time was in the development and analysis of high pressure hydraulic systems, minimizing aircraft weight and maximizing performance. Below are a few project details involving my stay at MCAIR.Advanced Missile Eject Launcher Technology (AMELT): AMELT was a DoD project aimed at minimizing radar cross section by rapidly ejecting weapons from an internal bay. My primary function was to validate design feasibility by developing detailed math models of potential systems. Using the math models I helped select the system with the most potential for success and proceeded to design optimization using lab test results to increases the math model accuracy. The final system met all performance requirements, and the math model accuracy was within 1% of demonstrated performance. The most interesting aspect of this project, besides generating approximately 2000 horsepower in a 2 cubic foot space, was the unique aspect of storing energy in the primary structure to be released at a point when the system mechanical advantage was at its minimum.C-17 Tiger Team: During a corporate restructuring I was called in to assess the C-17 secondary power system design developed by a design team whose background was in the development of commercial aircraft. What I identified was a failure of the design team to understand the environment a military aircraft must survive. Show less

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  Eagle Engineering

  Apr 1990 - Jun 1994

  Sr. Systems Engineer

  SF activities included O2 delivery system performance and thermal analysis, Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) compatibility analysis, and hyperbaric fire detection and suppressant selection analysis (developed a computer model of the hyperbaric chamber with a fire model). Computer simulations were developed in FORTRAN and SINDA/FLUINT. Below are more specific details concerning a few of my projects.1) O2 System Design and Analysis: During this phase of what was to become today’s International Space Station, the O2 system utilized liquid O2 (LOX). My task was to size both the O2 storage and distribution system, taking into account the extreme environment of space, variability in O2 demand, and hazards associated with the flow of oxygen. I developed a SINDA/FLUINT model with custom modules written in FORTRAN. The model provided me the data to optimize the O2 storage, insulation, and heater (used for high demand applications). One of the more interesting results was the fact that the line sizes required to assure proper flow and distribution of O2, were actually so small they would be not only difficult to maintain on orbit, but would be very susceptible to inadvertent crew loads. Thus the dominate variable for this design was crew loads and not flow performance.2) Hyperbaric Chamber Fire Detection and Suppression: The initial design for the SSF hyperbaric chamber was to utilize CO2 for fire suppression. Working with data obtained from Southwest Research and NASA studies, I developed a detailed hyperbaric chamber model to simulate treating the “bends” in an astronaut returning from an EVA. Included in this model was a “fire model” based upon data obtained from detailed NASA studies. The model results identified that should a fire occur during a hyperbaric treatment and the fire suppression system was activated, all crewmembers within the chamber would immediately go “Code Blue” due to the massive carbolic acid buildup in their lungs. Show less

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  Zellweger Analytics

  Mar 1994 - Nov 1996

  Sr.Systems Engineer

  My systems/test engineering activities included developing and overseeing the development of both on-board and test software developed in C, C++, and assembly, including the development of test data drivers and firmware. Additionally, I oversaw the development of test equipment and associated test procedures; as well as perform testing to verify requirements and system performance.This particular assignment was an incredible learning experience; of particular interest was the application of Beer’s Law to analysis of a water stream to determine Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content, thus assuring the “recycled water” onboard ISS was certified for human consumption. Besides the basic mechanical engineering aspects of this project for which I was responsible for, such as structural, thermal (electronics boards proved most challenging), and fluid flow analysis, I was responsible for the algorithms used to translate the real-time data stream into TOC measurements. Basically the organic carbon was decomposed into CO2 (O2 injection, acidification, UV application) and using a hydrophobic membrane to provided a gas space with concentrations equal to the dissolved gasses in the fluid stream (another basic principle), the CO2 content was measured using Beer’s Law (tuned laser diodes, beam splitters, etc) and translated to TOC. One of my more interesting achievements resulted from my modifications to the integration algorithms I was using; essentially the analog to digital board I was capable of using had a much higher clock speed than the computer, so I modified the assembly code to perform time averaging at a much higher sample rate improving my signal to noise ratio in excess of 3dB. The improvement was so dramatic that Zellweger’s commercial line adopted the new technique as standard. The company was later purchased by a competitor, technologies transferred, then closed. Show less

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  SAIC

  Jan 1996 - Dec 2000

  As the Principal Engineer for SR&QA’s Flight Systems Integration Office, I was responsible for managing a group of ~96 Engineers overseeing the various Stages of the ISS from a Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) viewpoint; as well as, management of a small team of highly trained systems integration engineers. Technical reporting was accomplished at the NASA Director/Deputy Director level. Secondary responsibilities included identification of new business opportunities, overseeing and identifying technology related research projects, preparing department level technical and management performance reports outlined as contract deliverables, and technical support to advanced projects such as NASA’s Strategic Launch Initiative (SLI). Research duties include providing the Engineering for Complex Systems (ECS) research project at NASA Ames with systems engineering and software architecture/development support to the SimStation project. One of my more interesting projects was the design of a safe, O2 generation system, requiring no power, and using the Venturi effect for cooling flow. This design was based on solid fuel oxygen generators used on submarines with design changes to reduce flammability and allow 0g operation (received award). Show less As the Cognizant Subsystems Engineer for the International Space Station (ISS) SR&QA, responsible for leading subsystem engineers representing the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), Structures and Mechanisms (S&M), Thermal Control System (TCS), Propulsion, ExtraVehicular Robotics (EVR), Robotics, Electrical Power System (EPS), Communication and Tracking (C&T), Command and Data Handling (C&DH), and Software Systems. The subsystem engineering groups were responsible for approving Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), Critical Item Lists (CIL), Logistic Source Analysis Reports (LSAR), Flight Rules, Operations Procedures, Hazard Reports, and reviewing/approving the design of the ISS from a S&MA viewpoint Show less

  • Principal Engineer

    Jan 2000 - Dec 2000

  • Cognizant Subsystems Engineer

    Jan 1996 - Dec 2000
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  SAIC

  Jan 2003 - May 2006

  I was responsible for the technical viability of resources assigned to the various elements of the Space Shuttle Program from a Safety and Mission assurance viewpoint. Secondary responsibilities include acting as deputy department manager during his absence, acquisition of new business, identification of new business opportunities, overseeing and identifying technology related research projects, preparing department level technical and management performance reports outlined as contract deliverables, and technical support to advanced projects as requested. In addition to management duties such as hiring, task and duty assignments, and performance evaluation, I acted as the technical mentor and process coordinator to assure the groups meet and exceed customer needs from a technical perspective, this was a theme throughout my stay at SAIC. One of my more enduring accomplishments during return to flight activities was the initiation of what is called the Safety Problem Investigation Team (SPIT). I developed the SPIT processes to support real time Shuttle flight operations significantly increasing the technical depth of S&MA anomaly investigations, while decreasing their response time. On one occasion, I was performing as the "SPIT BOSS" on 3rd shift during an ISS assembly mission when an ISS anomaly occurred. Using knowledge I gained from my ISS support, and my SSP support, I was able to identify integrated issues that crossed the boundaries of the two vehicles and report out to the Shuttle Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) console in the mission control system.Awards:NASA’s Public Service Medal . Silver Snoopy Award (Astronaut Award) Show less As the Systems Engineering Manager for the Orbital Space Plane (OSP) Project, I was responsible for managing a group of ~20 Engineers overseeing the various systems engineering disciplines supporting the OSP development effort at JSC. Engineering disciplines included Human Engineering, Crew Survival and Escape, Operations Engineering, ISS Integration, Systems Engineering and Integration, and Vehicle Engineering. Primary focus of the systems engineering section was requirements definition and validation via trade studies and other methods of analyses. While supporting the OPS project I took on the responsibility of changing the legacy "Mass Margin" only reporting to include "Power, Thermal, and Computing Margin" reporting. This additional reporting not only helps the system mature, but also becomes a key component to systems operations and sustaining engineering. Show less

  • Principal Engineer

    Dec 2004 - May 2006

  • Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) Operations and Integration Manager

    Jan 2004 - Dec 2004

  • Systems Engineering Manager

    Jan 2003 - Dec 2004
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  J&P Technologies

  May 2006 - now

  Chief Engineer

  As Chief Engineer for J&P Technologies I am responsible for maintaining engineering technical excellence for the company, which I accomplish by acting as a technical mentor and process coordinator to assure each engineer meets and/or exceeds our customer's technical needs.As the Program Constellation Chief Engineer for NASA’a Flight Safety Office, my duties include being the single point of contact to NASA’s Level II Chief Safety Officer for all Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) issues related to the Constellation Program. I also integrate and consolidate all directorate inputs to form a comprehensive S&MA Technical Authority position, including the development and assessment of program risks, program milestones, and major design decisions. In addition, I ensure “technical requirements” allocated from NASA Headquarters’ via NASA Program Directives (NPD’s) and NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR’s) are adequately complied with and that the Program does not proceed down a path of “Unacceptable” Risk. Additional tasks include to review and recommend disposition of change requests affecting S&MA Technical Authority-owned requirements, serve as voting member of various program level control boards where such changes are accepted. provide technical oversight and guidance to all special assessments conducted under the authority of the Program Constellation Chief Safety Officer. My technical reporting is at the NASA JSC S&MA Director, NASA Constellation Program Manager, and NASA Associate Administrator levels.One of J&P’s more interesting tools is the System Effects and Capability Losses from Inserted Failures (SEaCLIF) toolset. SEaCLIF is a “quick look” analysis tool with an integrated logic network that captures the relationship between components within a system or vehicle. Show less