Meet: Shonte Wright

Who I Am
I am a Thermal Systems Engineer in the Thermal and Propulsion Engineering Section at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I received my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). While at UCSD I found the heat transfer and thermodynamics portion of the curriculum to be particularly fascinating. This interest encouraged me to pursue an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering - with an emphasis in the thermal sciences, at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCAT).

What I Do
Presently, I am a Thermal Systems Engineer on the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Project. I am responsible for tracking thermal resources (heater switches, heater power, thermostat count and set-points, temperature sensor count, and subsystem mass) as well as functional requirements; regarding these matters I am the technical interface with systems engineering, all thermal elements, and project management. My systems engineering role has been extended to include heater design and thermal testing. In addition to my work on MER, I am a Technical Recruiter for the Mechanical Systems Engineering and Research Division.

Prior to becoming involved with the MER project, I was a member of the Europa Orbiter/Pluto Kuiper Thermal Team. My responsibilities included the design, implementation, and verification of the preliminary thermal designs of the Europa Orbiter propulsion module, main engine assembly, and thruster cluster assembly. I also worked with the Center for Space Mission Architecture and Design in a simulation of a concurrent formulation phase design process in which her thermal analysis of a Europa Orbiter Spacecraft design case was highlighted. In addition to my MER and Europa Orbiter/Pluto Kuiper work, I supported the solar thermal vacuum test of the Mars Odyssey Spacecraft at Lockeed Martin (Denver, CO).

Free Time!
In my free time I enjoy volunteering as an integration and test advisor to a local school for the FIRST Robotics competition, a NASA-sponsored nationwide robotics competition for high school students. I also really like giving science-based presentations to elementary school kids in the community, mentoring and tutoring high school students in the Pasadena, CA area, and leading tours and other JPL related outreach events for elementary and high school aged students.