I worked at Blue Origin for 3 years and 8 months, from May of 2020 to December of 2023. While I was there, I transitioned from Fluid Systems Engineer 1 all the way to Aerospace Systems Engineer 3. I worked on and led numerous initiatives all related to the New Glenn launch vehicle. I left the position to travel and pursue personal projects.
Systems Engineering Requirements Management
Throughout my time at Blue Origin, I helped and led the development of numerous requirements for the umbilicals system as well as the components within the system. I worked to trace system-level requirements down to components. I worked through compliance issues on topics like leakage and force overexertion. Furthermore, I applied Systems Engineering principles to form compliance with NASA as well as national environmental standards.
I gained a deep understanding of Systems Engineering in this role and the power that it has in many aspects of developing a system. For this, I continued my education outside of work and achieved the INCOSE Associate Systems Engineering Professional (ASEP) certification.
System Safety and Risk Management
For a period of roughly 1 year, I organized and developed all the system safety products for the subsystem team that I was a part of – namely the umbilicals. This included Fault Tree Analyses (FTAs), Fault Hazard Assessments (FHAs), Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Assessments (FMECAs), as well as other higher-level system safety documentation.
In addition to the above, for over 2 years (up until when I left the organization) I led risk management activities for the umbilicals team. This included presentations on risk, planning and documenting risk mitigation strategies, as well as, working with suppliers of various components to understand and confirm the risks and safety measures of their components.
System Operations
One of my final projects while at Blue Origin was to develop the operational requirements – and restrictions – of the umbilical system. This meant communicating and documenting how the umbilical components can be used in operation. This went further from simple requirements but was an effort to communicate the tested and proven capabilities of the components – as well as what happens when certain inputs are exceeded.
For this effort, I worked cross-functionally with personnel from different backgrounds and parts of the vehicle system. As umbilicals is the crossroads between ground and vehicle, this role was a key step in understanding how to navigate differing opinions and perspectives.
Umbilical Force Analysis Project – Matlab
One of the main projects I worked on throughout entire time at Blue Origin was the development and use of a Matlab program that could determine the forces and plots for each quick disconnect within the umbilicals. This was a major undertaking as there are numerous types of quick disconnects, different fluids and pressures, and different dynamics that were applied to the umbilical components after release.
Throughout this process, I developed strong Matlab (similar to python) coding skills and strategies that have been applicable in other aspects of my life. For this project, I developed a Graphical User Interface (GUI) as well as interacted with online documents and scratched the surface with APIs – a topic I explored more with personal projects.
Computational Analyst
As an engineer by school training, I came into this job with a solid understanding of how to model basic mechanical systems with CAD, Matlab, and Excel – among others. This skillset became helpful as I took on problems from FTAs to CAD component design.
My skillset with Excel improved greatly throughout my time at Blue Origin because many problems – at least at first – are done fastest and most accurately as hand calcs (using Excel). This includes simple statics problems as well as flow rate calculations.
Although I couldn’t be there in person to watch New Glenn launch in January 2025, it was incredibly rewarding to see the hard work of myself and so many friends succeed on the first attempt.