Space Mission Lighting Simulation Engineer

This position will be within the Leidos Space Exploration and Mission Operations division, which supports the Human Health and Performance Contract at NASA Johnson Space Center. This is your opportunity to join the myriad of teams sustaining a human presence in space while working to return humans to the moon and beyond. 

With this specific position in the JSC Lighting Laboratory, the engineer will join others in the simulation of spaceflight environments (natural and artificial light sources) to inform the agency in the development, design, and verification of spaceflight systems and requirements. The team uses high-performance computer graphics workstations interfacing with commercial off-the-shelf tools, open source application, and in-house designed and developed tools to address illumination issues for space design and analyses.

The Lighting Lab also is concerned with physical testing of lamps and materials. This effort includes the investigation, measurement, and analysis of artificial lighting systems such as docking lights, portable lights and navigation lights; reflective characteristics of various materials; the effects of solar lighting, transmission characteristics of transparent materials used for visors, displays, and windows; along with camera performance over the operational illumination range. Physical testing is used to supplement, verify, and/or replace simulation analysis as necessary.

US Citizenship or US Permanent Residency and the ability to successfully obtain a Public Trust Security Clearance are required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Perform interior and exterior lighting analyses using CAD and lighting simulation software (Zemax and Radiance).
• Support ISS Operations for payload support, safety evaluations, and interior and exterior light replacement analyses and recommendations.
• Serve as a Lighting Subject Matter Expert (SME) for research, development, and verification of lighting systems for human-rated vehicles (ISS, Commercial Crew, Artemis, including Orion, Habitation and Logistics Outpost, Human Lander System, xEVA suits, and planetary surfaces).
• Perform physical testing of lamps and/or materials to determine key illumination parameters.
• Recommend modifications of lighting standards and requirements for architectural systems and end-item light products to be current with latest research and technology developments.
• Stay current with the newest lighting, lighting control systems, and modeling technologies available to use in spacecraft architectures.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree and 2+ years of relevant experience.
• Programming experience (e.g. C/C++) along with ability to script algorithms
• Prior computer simulation experience
• Excellent oral/written communication skills, and adept at interacting with stakeholders in all roles and levels of the organization
• Ability to work effectively both in small teams and independently
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work successfully in a multidisciplinary team
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Demonstrated ability to perform physical testing of materials in a lab or field setting

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a lighting-related field or with spaceflight systems
• Experience with simulation and modeling tools for technical application (e.g., Zemax, Radiance, ALFA, Rhino) and lighting testing instrumentation
• Experience with requirement development and verification of lighting technologies
• Prior experience supporting NASA Programs is a plus

Original Posting Date:

2024-12-19

While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $55,250.00 - $99,875.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.