IV&V TQ&E Lead, Scott Thorn

What is your current role/position at IV&V?

I have a few! My longest running position at IV&V is the Lead of the Technical Quality and Excellence Team (TQ&E). I am also the Artemis IV&V Coordinator, (supporting the Artemis IV&V Program Manager), and currently the Interim Artemis Modeling and Test Lead.

Can you explain what you typically do for your current role/position?

For TQ&E, I lead the team in being a solution provider for the Program ensuring the delivery of high-quality IV&V services, which enable success and guide the IV&V Program forward. We strive for TQ&E to be the go-to source for answers. We want to help projects and personnel with infusing new initiatives and capabilities and to ensure the IV&V Program excels at providing value to our customers and stakeholders. TQ&E also ensures that best practices are shared between projects (and the inverse – that pitfalls are not shared) by facilitating knowledge sharing and other program oversight functions to ensure transparency of IV&V. Bottom line, TQ&E provides solutions – it does not enforce policy.

For the Artemis IV&V Coordinator role, I coordinate, prioritize, monitor, and implement actions across the six Artemis IV&V projects — (Orion, Space Launch System (SLS), Exploration Ground Systems (EGS), Mission Control Center (MCC), Gateway, and Human Landing System (HLS)) — and various Artemis IV&V special focus teams to assist in moving the Artemis IV&V Program forward toward its defined vision. One of those special focus teams is the Artemis Modeling and Test Team. For the time being, I help coordinate the final tests/AOs for Artemis I being run within ARRISTOTTLE, and support the model generation for Artemis II and beyond to be used as a technical reference and support model driven analysis for the IV&V Projects.

How long have you been working at IV&V and what did you do before?

I’ve been at IV&V for exactly seven years as of January 2022, and it’s been a great seven years so far. Before this, I worked at BE Aerospace as a design and manufacturing engineer for a few years.

What is your educational/experience background and what influenced you to choose it?

My undergrad is in Industrial and Management Systems Engineering. Funny story, I wanted to start in Aerospace, but my freshman advisor made a compelling case for IMSE. He told me I would still be able to work in the Aerospace industry, and he was right! I got my MBA specialized in project management a few years back as well. As an engineer, I wanted to round myself out with the business process and project management aspects of an organization. I can honestly say it has been very useful so far. System engineering in general has always interested me, and it’s no surprise by career trajectory has followed the path to where I am now.   

What do you find to be the most interesting and favorite part of your job?

By far the most interesting part of my job is interacting with all the complex mission systems across IV&V on a daily basis. One day I’m heads down working within the lower depths of Artemis, and the next I’m talking planning and scoping objectives of our newest science mission. My favorite part is interacting with all the intelligent folks here at IV&V who understand these systems!

What motivated you to want to work for NASA?  

It is probably cliché at this point, but I really did want to be an astronaut growing up. My earliest Lego sets were of Shuttles and Space Stations (and Star Wars, of course). NASA just represents so much for the advancement of the human race, and I’m just glad to be a part of it.

What do you like to do outside of work? Any hobbies or activities?

My hobbies have had to take a backseat a bit this past year since the birth of our first daughter, Mia, but I enjoy fly fishing across the beautiful Mountain State and playing rec league soccer.

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would it be to and why?

New Zealand for sure. Amazing place, amazing fishing.