Dirk Latvala

Experience

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  GRS INC / Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

  Jan 1996 - Jan 2008

  Flight Director

  • Provided shift leadership of a mission control team during command and control of low orbit spacecraft as part of the JHUAPL Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX). • Directed satellite recovery from anomalous conditions; performed telemetry analysis, assessment, and evaluations to provide trending and anomaly resolution.• Collaborated with MIT/Lincoln Lab and Air Force to distribute science data and discuss satellite performance at weekly meetings with project managers and team leaders.• Evaluated short and long term spacecraft subsystem and instrument performance data using engineering dumps and plots.• Configured ground support equipment and coordinate requirements with mission tracking station establishing synchronization and uplink capability.• Implemented mission objectives through developing and loading real time/UT command plans verifying proper satellite reception.• Developed training manuals and provided training to all new controllers assigned to the project.• Created and updated new procedures and contingencies as the mission changes and evolves. Show less

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  Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies (SGT) /NOAA

  Mar 2008 - Dec 2010

  Flight Director, Scheduler

  • Flight director in charge of a 12 hour rotating satellite health and safety shift, contracting for NASA.• Head scheduler in charge of coordinating satellite ground stations around the world for telemetry and ranging data.• Developing Satellite products which include: Command scripts, contingency procedures and Anomaly reports. • Team leader, in charge of ground system as well as each specific subsystem activities. I.e. thermal, bus electronics, flight software etc. • Responsible for the health and safety of the entire ground system and the GOES N-P series in flight satellite system.• Training new employees on how the ground system interacts with on-board electronics and how to send and receive commanding from the on-station weather satellites. • Establishing milestones for the project, specifying which satellite procedures needed to be validated and established within very tight time constraint.• Running verification scripts, searching for inconsistencies which could jeopardize the overall ground system and the reliability of the downloaded data.• Writing anomaly reports to upper management, stakeholders and mission critical entities. • Leading cross functional teams, resolving critical issues, and coordinating the execution of flight operations readiness to ensure accurate and timely results.• Supporting the launch, 6 month on-orbit check out period and subsequent operational handover to the customer (N.O.A.A). Show less

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  Honeywell Aerospace /NASA

  Dec 2010 - Oct 2012

  Systems Engineering for LDCM for Honeywell

  • Currently the LDCM Lead Automation Engineer. DMS (Data Management Systems Engineer. • Performing LDCM real-time operations, taking the lead in management of real-time operations to ensure quality of operations, coordination of generation and up-link of stored command loads, management of on-board and ground anomalies, documentation of all MOC activities executed during assigned shift. • Troubleshooting anomalies, training fellow members, testing new functions or changing the existing ones, implementing new concepts, and serving as a representative of the FOT to external groups.Identifying, developing, testing, and validating spacecraft operations procedures (executable in the STOL language) as required to operate the LDCM MOC T/C system and the MOC external interfaces associated with real-time operations.Participates in mission-level and informal tests, simulations and rehearsals.• Supports Spacecraft integration and testing at the vendor's facility in Gilbert, AZ as directed by the FOT lead.• Reviews and evolves the LDCM T/C database to include discrete state definitions, high/low limit definitions, Engineering Unit conversions, and derived (pseudo) definitions as needed to support operations of the LDCM ground system. Show less

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  ASRC Federal NASA /NOAA

  Oct 2012 - May 2017

  Flight Director

  Provides satellite health and safety monitoring, engineering evaluations/analyses, problem resolution, development of on-orbit test sequences and methodologies, engineering telemetry gathering and analyses, engineering data trending, document preparation/review, and attendance at meetings and reviews. Support anomaly resolutions; development and review of operations procedures, on-orbit data analysis, and development of post-launch test documentation.As a member of Mission Operation Support Team (MOST), the GOES-R Operations Engineer will focus on operational aspects of validation of the GOES-R mission. This includes launch support, pre-launch and post launch testing of GOES-R subsystems with the main focus on satellite health and safety. Performing on-console support for all launch, orbit raising, and special operations activities. Duties also include: generation of procedures to be run against spacecraft simulators (HWIL, SWIL), development of Command Procedures, Telemetry Display Pages and Real-time plots; Development and maintenance of test and on-orbit scripts; performing spacecraft Telemetry and Command Database Validation. Show less

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  ASRC Federal /NASA

  May 2017 - Sept 2022

  Senior Engineering Manager / Network Readiness Manager

  • Supporting overall GDS Integration & Test efforts and meet with element managers as required for the development of test schedules, milestones, and anomaly identification and resolution.• Assisting in developing a comprehensive Mission Readiness Ground Data System Integration and Test Plan. Design, develop, coordinate and conduct initial interface testing through end-to-end mission unique GDS simulations and tests.• Evaluating/ensuring readiness of ground data systems resources to support flight mission and provide spacecraft test bed support.• Supporting/conducting on-line test and verification activities, analysis of test data and test results is support of communication upgrades and s/w acceptance testing.• Preparing presentation materials, and participate in mission readiness reviews, staff meetings and other mission network group meetings as required.• Periodically validate the connectivity of the communication circuits between program control centers.• Providing coordination of network support for all spacecraft end-to-end compatibility tests with the ground stations and control center.• Integrating/Interacting with supplemental ground network stations to establish requirements for LOR (Launch and Orbit Raising) support.• Providing detailed composite schedules and test briefing memos.• Providing launch site coordination between control centers participating in launch activities.• Supporting Post Launch Test activities through Launch+ 6 months. Show less

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  EMBEDDED FLIGHT SYSTEMS INC (EFSI)

  Oct 2022 - Oct 2022

  Network System Developer Senior-Principal

  Networking