Goddard Engineering and Technology Directorate

The PACE spacecraft undergoing a thermal vacuum test where it is subjected to extreme temperatures and pressures in a pressure chamber.

ETD Mission Engineering & System Analysis Division

MESA | Code 590

Revolutionizing Engineering

MESA’s vision is to revolutionize future Earth and space science and exploration missions through collaboration and teamwork across all levels of mission development to usher in the successful evolution of science and technology. We orchestrate the gathering of all disciplines to build technologies such as spacecraft and spaceborne GPS, autonomous rendezvous and docking, to nano satellite propulsion systems.

Understanding the needs and intricacies of each mission allows MESA to not only conceive, design-analyze, implement, verify and validate important scientific data to advance Earth and space science exploration missions, it brings the future to our doorstep.

Division Branches
Europa Clipper propulsion subsystem in B11.
Wanyi Ng is a propulsion engineer in Code 597 at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She is pictured in front of the Europa Clipper propulsion subsystem. The photo was taken in the building 11 clean room at the end of her team’s integration and test campaign at Goddard right before the subsystem’s delivery to the Applied Physics Laboratory for further integration. Photo Credit: NASA / Denny Henry
An image of the PACE technology in a MESA lab at Goddard.
PACE in integration testing in the Spacecraft Checkout Area of the cleanroom.

Mission

What makes the MESA unique is its strong partnership with the mission teams, research community, and digital engineering teams. The division’s discipline engineering/branches support encompasses attitude and orbit determination and control, spacecraft propulsion, trajectory design, mission architecture, and mission systems engineering for both in-house flight hardware development and oversight for out-of-house developed instruments and missions.

Together, MESA strives to build hardware and systems to answer compelling science questions in astrophysics, heliophysics, solar system exploration and Earth science. In addition, the division’s partnership with the space exploration, communication and navigation community seeks to develop, demonstrate and infuse revolutionary technologies in these areas.

Display background image of rocket launch stream in the air.

Exploration With No Boundaries

Division Leadership

Jessica Lounsbury, 590 Chief
Jessica Lounsbury
Chief
Lamar Dougherty, 590 Associate Chief.
Lamar Dougherty
Associate Chief
Space holder for staff photo
Nikesha Davis
Associate Chief (Acting)
Sharon Cooper, 590 Associate Chief (Acting)
Sharon Cooper
Associate Chief (Acting)
Dave Ward, 590 Chief Engineer.
Dave Ward
Chief Engineer
Space holder for staff photo
Umeshkumar Patel
Assistant Chief for Technology (Acting)

Contact Code 590

The members of the Mission Engineering & System Analysis Division welcome questions and comments. Please contact the Mission Engineering & System Analysis Division office at 301-286-8496.

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