NASA is a recognizable name in many households. But have you ever met someone who works for them? Well, I had the amazing opportunity to interview Seth Harvey, a flight technician at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory during a vacation to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
What does a flight technician do, you ask? Well, Mr. Harvey said that he constructs the rovers that go into space. However, with the billion-dollar projects they work on, one dropped screw could lead to thousands of dollars down the drain.
Mr. Harvey, at one point, helped to build every rover that has been on Mars. He is one of two people in the world who has built both the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers. He built parts of the Insight, Perseverance, Psyche, and Curiosity rovers which had different missions to explore and learn more about Mars and its terrain.
Mr. Harvey specifically attached all of the cameras onto the Curiosity and constructed and attached the RTG (which is the nuclear device that is used to power the rover) onto the Perseverance. The RTG, or “nuclear trash can,” is the last that they need to put onto the rover since “they don’t want to put a nuclear device in and fly it around,” Mr. Harvey said. Meaning, he was one of the last people to touch the rover before its journey to space July 30, 2020.
Mr. Harvey also bolted the Ingenuity helicopter to the Perseverance and descent stage, which is what holds everything together as the “package” touches onto the surface. It is difficult to attach the special bolts, which are rigged to explode to allow the parts to separate, while not touching the delicate helicopter within.
Not every project is perfect, though. The Insight, Mr. Harvey explained, was his “six- month project that turned into two years.” They ran into multiple problems with this rover, including the solar panels being covered in dust, delayed launch time, and when the seismometer went into the ground, it would drive itself back out (which a mini scoop
attachment helped to pick back up). The lander was produced by a collaboration between France (who made the seismometer), Germany (who made the thermometer) and Belgium (who made the tracker/radio).
All of these impressive feats Mr. Harvey helped to accomplish are impressive, however, this job is not easily achieved.
In order to become a flight technician, you must be sought out by NASA’s head hunters. Mr. Harvey began his journey as an aircraft mechanic for the U.S. Air Force, then was offered the rare opportunity to be a NASA flight technician.
Mr. Harvey explains how his occupations came full circle since the first aircraft he helped build was a C17 plane, which is also what transported the Perseverance rover from the California Jet Propulsion Laboratory to the Cape Canaveral Air Force station in Florida.
Before transport, however, the flight technicians, who helped to build the rover, have a fun tradition of signing the inside of the rover, meaning that Mr. Harvey and his coworkers all have their names on Mars.
The new project, the Europa Clipper, is going to one of the ice moons of Jupiter to take pictures and possibly land on the surface. While it is launching in October, it will take approximately a year and a half to arrive at its destination. Mr. Harvey plans on assisting with the construction of yet another spacecraft.
“When you throw a football, the rotation of a football is what keeps it going straight. We do the same thing in spacecraft,” Mr. Harvey said.
