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I'm Melvin Ferebee, director of the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at Langley Research Center
SACD supports the futures of aeronautics, exploration, science and technology. We solve problems by developing and analyzing
advanced aerospace systems concepts
for NASA's decision makers and programs. Within the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate, we do collaborate among our branches. I'm in the aeronautics branch,
but there is a space branch that's kind of our sister branch and there's a vehicles branch as well and so in the aeronautics systems analysis branch, our job really is
to work on advanced concepts, to access advanced technologies, to try to estimate the potential for advanced technologies to improve, essentially, our life here in relation to aeronautics.
The space mission analysis branch looks at a number of the future space missions that
could be or will be in NASA's future.
I work in the vehicles analysis branch. We work designing vehicles and evaluating technologies and how they improve vehicles for space exploration.
SACD is the people who help shape the future of what NASA will eventually do.
One of the big projects that a lot of us in the space systems analysis branch or SMAB work on is the evolvable Mars campaign
It's understand what the path is from where we are right now through the development of the space launch system.
and Orion, through the design of the more advanced systems need to do, for example, the astroid robotic redirect mission
on the way to, eventually, going to exploring Mars with humans and building towards a future of pioneering Mars.
I'm working on the reusable Mars lander that takes crew or payload back and forth from Mars orbit to Mars surface.
That will be used when we get to the human Mars missions.
We're looking at concepts called personal air vehicles.
It's kind of been a dream for a long time that you can go out into your driveway, instead of getting in your car or getting on the interstates
sitting in a big traffic jam, wouldn't it be cool if you could get in your personal air vehicle and take off
and fly to your destination and there's no traffic jams and you get there very quickly.
and it's very safe and convenient.
The facilities that we have at Langley, help us understand how to get our design from paper to flight.
Every aircraft, in the past, every one you're flying in has had a Langley influence.
We work with many people outside of NASA.
We love collaboration, we are looking to industry to support us, we're looking to academia to support us, we're looking for research and engineering, our partners right here on the lab to support us,
and every other center in the agency.
I've worked with undergraduate students and I've worked with veterans that have been here for 50 years working at NASA.
I've worked with people from all around the country. I've worked with people who have background in engineering, backgrounds in science, backgrounds in non-technical fields.
and it's all of those perspectives that come together that really allow us to do the kind of work we do here.
I work on designing habitats, which are the vehicles that the astronauts would live in for long duration trips on the way to Mars and the Moon.
I work on concept aircraft and launch vehicles.
I do a lot of system architecture analysis.
distributed electric propulsion.
Low-boom supersonic aircraft.
We get a rich, you know, variety perspectives on problem and it really adds a lot of value.
Personale in SACD are excited to come to work everyday because we're motivated to serve the nation,
creating a legacy that our next generation can build on to solve the problems that they will experience.
It's a very exciting place to work due to the challenging nature of the work, the advanced technology
the very exciting activities to look at concepts and missions.
I've got the opportunity to be on the cutting-edge.
It's not just here are the requirements and come up with a engineering solution. We get to pick the requirements and pick several engineering solutions.
that can achieve those goals. In fact, we even get to pick the goals sometimes.
I love the people that I work with. They are just so intelligent and just so innovative and creative.
You get to work with medical doctors, with video game designers, you get to work with robotic engineers.
Make wonderful relationships with people all around the world
Getting into all the different fields and learning about a little bit of everything.
I work with different groups, meet new people, and I am constantly learning.
I get to work on building the future of humanity, every single day and I love it.
I've always been inspired by the organization. It's where we germinate new ideas and then we bring others on that trip and they contribute
and our end result is so much better with everyone that comes with us.
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