Interview with Zach Jacobs

Featured Engineer

Zach Jacobs

Zach Jacobs - Graduate Research Assistant, Space Systems Lab, University of Kentucky

How did you get into electronics/ engineering and when did you start?

I have always had a fascination with the way electronics and computers work. When my parents purchased our first computer in 1993, I can remember racing off the school bus so I could tinker around with it and write programs in QBasic. When I got to college, I was on the Computer Science track until I took the required digital logic course. Unlike the majority of my classmates, I loved it. So much so in fact, that I changed majors to Electrical Engineering and began my fascination with the interaction between hardware and software.

What are your favorite hardware tools that you use?

My favorite hardware tool that I’ve ever used was a plasma cutting torch that I used when fabricating the frame for the University of Kentucky Solar Car. Unfortunately, I have only had the privilege of using it once. Day-to-day tools include: multi-meter, oscilloscope, soldering station, hot air rework station.

What are your favorite software tools that you use?

Evernote, Dropbox (anything that can help me be productive with minimal interaction)

What is on your bookshelf?

Engineering textbooks, The Checklist Manifesto, Getting Things Done, Pale Blue Dot, and a lot of triathlon related books.

What has been your favorite project?

In the fall of 2009, my research lab at UK was approached by a commercial space company called NanoRacks. NanoRacks contracted us to develop a system which would facilitate small scale microgravity research on the International Space Station. Within 6 months, we designed, fabricated, tested at NASA MSFC, and handed over hardware to NASA Kennedy for delivery to the ISS aboard STS-131. This hardware included two CubeLab modules and NanoRacks Platform. The NanoRacks platform provides an electrical interface and data connectivity from existing ISS infrastructure to up to 16 CubeLab Modules.

Currently, we are working with NanoRacks customers to qualify their CubeLab payloads through NASA to fly on the ISS. We also work with NASA to write operational procedures for Astronauts and provide console support during real-time operations. To handle real-time ops, we have a NASA approved remote console station to the ISS which consists of 6 wide screen monitors, two computers, and one 32” TV, all controlled with one mouse and keyboard. We have 4 live video feeds of station, live health and status information of our payload, and access to numerous VoIP radio loops where we can hear Astronauts talking to ground controllers at NASA Johnson Space Center and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. It’s very rewarding to have that kind of access to the ISS in our lab. If I ever need a break during the day, I can just go over to our console station and watch the astronauts float around.

Do you have any note-worthy engineering experiences? (blowing up things, getting shocked, etc.)

In April 2010, I was fortunate enough to travel with a few members of my lab to NASA Kennedy Space Center to watch STS-131 launch with our NanoRacks hardware onboard. We were able to secure special access to the Banana Creek viewing area which was only 5 miles from the launch complex. In the final minutes before the dawn launch, we were treated with a view of the ISS passing overhead. As it faded into the distance, the countdown clock reached 00:00:00 and the main engines on shuttle ignited. I stood in awe as the Shuttle lifted off and carried our hard work to space. I saw the shuttle roll and turn towards the direction of the fading ISS. The feeling of accomplishment was indescribable.

What are you currently working on?

I am currently working on a standard bus system for use with generic CubeLab payloads. The CubeLab standard that we defined requires CubeLab modules to appear to appear to a laptop as a USB Mass storage device. This requires the implementation of a file system and a USB mass storage device stack which is beyond the capabilities of some researchers. In its simplest form, the CubeLab standard bus shall appear as a mass storage device to a laptop and provide an easy to use file system interface for the experiment. This will allow researchers with limited electrical design capabilities to interface with the NanoRacks system.

What challenges do you foresee in our industry?

With the ISS nearing completion and operations expected to extend until 2020, there are a lot of new capabilities for microgravity research in the next decade. Utilization of that capability will depend on how well NASA, ESA, RKA, JAXA and CSA meet the needs of researchers and how easily those researchers are able to get their payloads on the ISS.