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Hannah Daelemans Brings Creativity and Passion to Systems Engineering

Hannah Daelemans brings creativity, flexibility and passion to her role as a Hubble operations systems engineer.

Hannah Daelman, a woman with dark hair pulled back, smiles in a portrait. She wears a black tee, gray sweater, and glasses. An exhibit and black, galaxy-sprinkled backdrop are visible in the background.
“Aerospace is my passion,” said Hubble Operations Systems Engineer Hannah Daeleman. “I used to think that the hardest thing a person could do would be to design or operate vehicles in space. I’ve come to realize that it’s not the hardest thing, but it is the coolest thing. It’s not rocket science, but it sure is fun.”
u003cstrongu003eu003cemu003eCredits: Courtesy of Hannah Daelemansu003c/emu003eu003c/strongu003e

Name: Hannah Daelemans

Title: Hubble Space Telescope Operations Systems Engineer

Organization: Hubble Optical Telescope Assembly Team (Code 441)

What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard?

I work on the operations systems engineering team for Hubble. I have a background in mechanical engineering, so the role of a systems engineer was initially unfamiliar to me. It’s better than I imagined! I like being able to use my mechanical background in conjunction with the systems engineering I’ve learned on the job.

How would you describe systems engineering to someone outside your field?

A systems engineer is someone who uses the engineering principles of problem solving to design or maintain a system to achieve a desired function. That’s a little obtuse, though, so, I’ll try to make it more relatable. An engineer is a problem solver, and a system engineer is a problem solver in charge of a specific system. A system could be almost anything, from a way you like to organize your sock drawer to a space telescope orbiting the Earth. Managing or advancing the system is the job of the systems engineer!

What is your background?

I started working at Goddard in 2019 after graduating from the University of Houston with a degree in mechanical engineering. I always wanted to do aerospace engineering as a kid, but I grew up in a small-town in Nebraska, so working for NASA always seemed like a pipe dream for me.

What inspires you in systems engineering and how did you focus on this topic?

My favorite part of working here is by far the people. I work on a small team of three, and our team chemistry is important for the environment we are in. But ultimately, the telescope chooses what we focus on; we’re on call for what Hubble needs!

What is your work schedule like? Why do you enjoy systems engineering?

Work schedule is one of the most unpredictable parts of the job, since we can be up at any hour of the day or night responding to an anomaly, but we try to keep some things consistent. Generally we have three team meetings each week. Two are strictly Hubble related, and the third is strictly non-Hubble. Either we’re debriefing about our Hubble tasks or our outside lives.

Also, aerospace is my life’s passion! I used to think that the hardest thing a person could do would be to design or operate vehicles in space. I’ve come to realize that it’s maybe not the hardest thing, but it is the coolest thing. Aerospace offers the opportunity to work on truly unique problems.

A group of people sits at a long table with many computer monitors. Two men in the foreground point and look at a monitor facing away from the camera. Hannah Daelemans, a woman wearing a black tee and skirt, stands behind.
Engineers Hannah Daelemans, Dave Murphy, and Mojtaba Abedin (left to right), experts on the Hubble Space Telescope subsystem that turns the spacecraft from one target to the next and keeps it steady for taking images, discuss a future pointing maneuver, or slew.
u003cstrongu003eu003cemu003eCredits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Rebecca Rothu003c/emu003eu003c/strongu003e

What are some of the challenges you encounter?

Working odd hours is a big challenge. The telescope operates 24/7. If it encounters a problem at 3 a.m., we’ve got to get up and analyze what happened and what’s going to happen next. Making predictions and setting ourselves up for success in the next orbit is critical.

Decision making and planning is a fundamental part of systems engineering that can go unnoticed. Presenting a good plan is just as important (and just as challenging) as coming up with it in the first place.

What was your first impression of Goddard?

I was doing a summer internship program working on the engineering team for an ornithopter (i.e., robotic bird) at the University of Maryland. As part of a tour organized by the college, I got to see the Goddard campus in nearby Greenbelt, and I fell in love. I knew I wanted to work here one day, even it felt like a far-away fantasy at the time.

What type of work do you do day to day?

Day to day work involves monitoring what’s going with Hubble to see whether there’s a problem. The key for the Operations Systems Team is to identify and solve a problem before it affects science. To solve a problem, we often implement different strategies, like adjusting how we perform science or changing procedures to do what’s best for the health of the telescope.

Do you feel like engineering can be a creative process?

Absolutely. When discussing anomalies, things can start to get really spicy. Just like when creatively brainstorming, curating a “no bad ideas” type of atmosphere is critical. The solution for an engineering problem comes from a spark of creative brilliance as often as it comes from established procedure.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I love to play in my community orchestra. I recently picked up my trumpet again after playing in high school, and now I’m even learning the French horn! Our gimmick is that we play exclusively video game music. My favorite song to play is a medley from Outer Wilds, a game where you play as the newest recruit of a fledgling space program on an alien planet.

By Ranna P. Zahabi
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

A graphic with a collection of people's portraits grouped together in front of a soft blue galaxy background. The people come from various races, ethnicities, and genders. A soft yellow star shines in the upper left corner, and the stylized text u0022Conversations with Goddardu0022 is in white on the far right.

Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.