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Online From Jupiter 97
Nancy Vandermey
Sequence Team - Systems Engineer
Hi, my name is Nancy Vandermey, I am a Systems Engineer for the Sequence
team on Galileo. I check the list of commands to be sent to the spacecraft
to make sure that nothing being sent could hurt the spacecraft or any
of the science instruments. I've worked at JPL for one year - I started
in February 1996. Before that I worked at Edwards Air Force Base doing
mission operations planning for a small spacecraft called MSTI. I've always
wanted to work in the space exploration field, ever since I started reading
science fiction books when I was about 8 years old. Ray Bradbury was the
first author that I loved, followed by Arthur C Clarke. Of course I'm
a huge fan of Star Wars, but I never really watched Star Trek until I
went to college. I majored in Mechanical Engineering, and quickly found
out that it's almost a requirement for mechanical engineers to watch Star
Trek! Although the show was already off the air when I was a kid - I was
born in 1967. Turning 30 this year didn't make me feel old, but realizing
that Star Wars is 20 years old made me feel old!
I didn't even know what an engineer was when I started college - I went
into it because I knew they worked with math and science a lot, which
I loved in school. Actually I wanted to be an astronaut, but my eyesight
is too bad to be a pilot, so I though maybe as an engineer I could be
an astronaut someday. But no, there's an eyesight requirement for civilians
too! Oh well, at least I finally got a job here at JPL, where I've always
wanted to work.
In my copious spare time (another phrase engineers are required to use)
I enjoy gardening at the house I bought last year, and I do volunteer
work with big cats like jaguars and leopards. In fact I am webmaster for
the Feline Conservation Center, or Cat House as we like to call it. (http://www.cathouse-fcc.org)
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