Scott Karn

About Scott Karn

Scott Karn is a Mission Design Engineer at NASA\'s Glenn Research Center. He currently…

Experience

1. Mission Design Engineer

   NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

   Jul 2023 — Present · Cleveland, OH, US

   Mission Design engineer in the Mission Architecture and Analysis Branch.Provide low-thrust trajectory design and systems engineering and integration support to the Gateway lunar space station program. In this role I leverage astrodynamics and integrated systems analysis skills to develop flight-fidelity spacecraft trajectories and validate those trajectories against requirements, constraints, and project-defined risk postures. This work requires close collaboration with cross-discipline engineering teams to ensure that the developed mission design is executable and robust against real-world constraints and uncertainties.Additionally I have significant experience developing purpose-built python tools for engineering and operations end-users. These tools extend and enhance the capabilities of existing mission design programs (such as Copernicus) as well as enable entirely new analyses via novel methodologies. Many of these development efforts focus on reducing the time required to complete analyses by incorporating performance computing packages such as JAX and XLA or by developing parametric representations of complex low-thrust trajectories and spacecraft. These methods have resulted in reductions in required run-time of multiple orders of magnitude without a significant loss in precision.My role bridges the gap between trajectory optimization, risk-informed decision-making, and system-level engineering integration while contributing directly to NASA’s broader cislunar exploration architecture and long-term human spaceflight goals.

Education

• Case Western Reserve University

  Master's degree, Aerospace Engineering

• Case Western Reserve University

  Bachelor's Degree, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

  2014 — 2018

Skills

• Aed
• Schlieren Imaging
• Solidworks
• Powerpoint
• Robotics
• Marching Percussion
• Teaching
• Leadership
• Teamwork
• First Aid
• Matlab
• Boy Scouts
• Cpr Certified
• Swimming
• Percussion
• Lifeguarding