07 Jun 2021 MSOC Excellence Award

Rod Miller and Paula Fradette, software engineers on All Points’ Mission Systems Operations Contract (MSOC) KBR subcontract, have been recognized with a 2021 MSOC Excellence Award.

Rod is being recognized for his contribution to the Core Operations, Mission Planning, and Analysis Spacecraft Simulation (COMPASS) team’s migration of their software to Python 3. Several factors are driving the need to move from Python 2 to Python 3, so this step-up was critical to our ability to run new versions of the Jet Propulsion Lab-provided COMPASS software and keep pace with supported versions of Python and Red Hat. With the COMPASS team being one of the first in the Johnson Space Center’s Mission Control Center (MCC) to make this transition, they have been pathfinders for other software subsystems that have Python software. Rod plays a leadership role in the COMPASS team. He mentors junior team members on a variety of technical topics. Rod’s expertise is called on often to review software developed by other team members in an effort to not only ensure the correctness of the material, but also enforce the team’s software development standards. In addition, Rod serves as the engineer responsible for developing the COMPASS Space Launch System (SLS) simulation. Rod spent considerable time working directly with the Artemis I Day Of Launch Team to ensure that the SLS simulation meets their evolving needs. Rod also has worked with the Public Entry Risk Assessment team to develop an update to the COMPASS steering model that provides improved control over the orientation of simulated reentering debris pieces. The success of these tasks is indicative of the high quality work Rod performs.

Paula Fradette is being recognized for her support of the Enhanced Ops Training initiative. In 2020, Paula was asked to take on the coordination role for Enhanced Ops Training for the Apps & Simulation Models section. This was in addition to her ongoing software development role in the Training Systems (TS) models area. Shortly thereafter, with the retirement of the POC in the Simulation Engineering section, Paula assumed coordination responsibility for both sections’ Enhanced Ops Training topics. In this role, Paula has brought her organization and communication skills to bear, working to understand the requested training topics and providing clear communication regarding upcoming Ops Training tasks. Paula’s willingness to take on this role and her skill in carrying it out have been a great benefit to the everyday operations of the Mission Control Center and the Mission Training Center by ensuring that the Ops Team is receiving the special training they need in order to support mission and training operations. Her work is much appreciated.

Congratulations, Rod and Paula for this recognition of the excellent work you do every day on this vital contract!