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Start Here For Space: These Mechanics Avoid Satellite Smashups

Originally aired on: February 1, 2022

Ms. Kerstyn Auman provides an overview of foundational principles of orbital mechanics. She will give insight into her role as an aerospace engineer working in orbit determination and on-orbit collision avoidance. Ms. Auman will also connect her work to space policy issues. As the tracking of commercial space satellites moves from the Pentagon to the Department of Commerce, the role of civilian orbital mechanics experts is expected to grow.

Speaker

Kerstyn Auman is a Space Situational Awareness Analyst with the Mission Analysis and Operations Department of The Aerospace Corporation. In this role, she is both an analyst and developer, conducting modeling and simulation analyses related to space traffic management: namely collision avoidance, orbit determination, and covariance analysis. Since joining the corporation in 2019, Kerstyn has supported a number of government customers and projects, primarily in the civil sector. Of particular note is her work with NASA, performing validation-type efforts for both the Osiris-Rex mission and the Conjunction Assessment and Risk Analysis (CARA) program; her contributions include verifying the operational orbit of the Osiris-Rex spacecraft by means of independent orbit determination and developing a tool to assess the validity of commercial-operator orbit determination solutions for potential processing in conjunction assessment analyses. She also supports the Department of Commerce, performing exploratory analysis to help inform the space traffic management system of tomorrow. Kerstyn earned both her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Aerospace Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University in 2017 and 2019, respectively. Her graduate research topic was focused on the non-catalytic microwave ignition of “green” hydrazine replacements, with extensive coursework in propulsion and astrodynamics. In her free time, she serves as the east-coast social chair for the corporation’s Aerospace Career Development Club and enjoys several hobbies including skiing, traveling, hiking, baking, and crafting.

Kerstyn Auman

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