Gravity Assist: In Case of Space Station Emergency, with Sunny Panjwani (2)
Spacewalker Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) waves to the camera 261 miles above Western Sahara as he works to complete the installation of the second roll out solar array on the International Space Station's Port-6 truss structure on June 25, 2021. Flight controllers in Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center support activities such as this from Mission Control. Credits: NASA/ESAJim Green: Well, it sounds like you're prepared for a really high pressured situation, since you were just, you know, thrown right into the mixing bowl on your very first, first day as a as your co-pilot controller. Are these things really, that you learned -- can you apply them to your own life?
Sunny Panjwani: Yeah, and you know, preparing for high stress situations, I learned quickly after I became an EMT after high school and work that job for a little bit. I learned that I need those high-pressure situations a lot of us do because being in a high-pressure environment means that your performance your actions have consequences. And sometimes we need that to drive us forward and to always pay attention to things. So I learned that that's a great fit for me in a job and this job is perfect for that.
Sunny Panjwani: So your question on taking something away, I would have to say, the one thing that I really take away is, is to always play something out to the very end, it's not over until it's over. And especially when the deck is stacked against you. You know that that whole failure is not an option thing. Just keep that in your mind sometimes and keep going, things are gonna keep getting thrown at you, life is gonna put things in your way. But you have to keep going until it's the end, you don't call the ball game you play until the end?
Jim Green: Well, you know, it really sounds like there's always something to learn. And there's always things that could go wrong. And that every day is different. Is that Is that true? And do you really enjoy going into work looking for that next challenge?
Sunny Panjwani: Yeah, absolutely. I think that's one of the great parts of the job is, you know, we do have things in space that are procedural. But with it being a space environment, I wouldn't say that things are routine. There's always variation in things, there's always something that could go wrong. And, of course, we're trying to manage, you know, just basic hardware problems. But we're also trying to make sure that we're not wasting the crew’s time. The crew is up there for six months, usually, and their time is very precious. So we're making sure that they have all all that they need to perform science throughout the day, and that things aren't, you know, giving them hiccups throughout the day and holding them up in places. So we're always just trying to make sure we're in sync with the crew on those things.
Jim Green: Well, I'd be willing to bet most people don't realize how many people are actually in space station at any one time, and that it changes, what's the largest number of astronauts on orbit and in space station at a given time?
Sunny Panjwani: At a given time, you can bet that there are about seven people on the space station. Now, we've had more we've had less. But the six to seven is a the approximate crew complement for any given time. So you know, whenever that space station flies over your house, and it goes around the Earth 16 times a day, there are seven people zooming above your head. And the Space Station has been continuously inhabited for over 20 years. So we've always had at least a person up there and you know, more than one person up there, zipping around the earth for 20 years, which is incredible
Jim Green: Yeah.
Sunny Panjwani: and just a monumental achievement by all the partners.
Jim Green: Yeah, indeed, very much. So we know NASA is planning to send astronauts to the moon through the Artemis program, with a view of someday making it to Mars. Are you involved in any of those activities?
Sunny Panjwani: Well, okay, so I'm a newer flight controller. So I'm not directly involved in the ETHOS group when it comes to the Artemis program. And I love I would love to be in I hope to be one day. But let me let me answer that maybe an analogous way. So if if you think about the ISS as a testbed for taking us further, the ISS is kind of like our training field, right. This is where we plan train and fly to currently, and we're going to the ISS so we can learn about how we can go farther. So we've been to the Moon before, that's a ball game that we've won before. And we're trying to make the Moon the next practice field. And once that's our practice field, and we get good at that, then hopefully we can go to Mars, and that's the Superbowl right? So you know, everything we do day to day, is trying to help us get to that Super Bowl and make that a reality.
Jim Green 33:42
Well, of course, what NASA is doing over the next several years is building an infrastructure at the Moon. And the big infrastructure is called the Gateway.
Sunny Panjwani: That's right.
Jim Green: Of course, astronauts will be in the Gateway. And they'll be performing different types of experiments and all kinds of things in addition to living in the Gateway. And it's from the Gateway that they'll land on the surface of the moon, and then go back to the Gateway. And so you know, controllers are going to be involved in that perhaps that will be your next big step.
Sunny Panjwani: I can only hope so. That sounds incredible.
Jim Green: Yeah, it sounds like fun to me too. Well, what advice would you offer a young person who wants to go into a job like yours?
Sunny Panjwani: Oh, man, I get this one so often. And I I'm never prepared for the answer because I feel like a young guy who just kind of lucked out being you know, here and living my dream day to day. I would say the one thing to take away is serendipity. And I mean, serendipity surrounds us day to day, just chance and you know, sometimes we think about things just falling into place. I would argue that, you know, you have to be the right person in the right place at the right time. And of course for the right thing.
Sunny Panjwani: The one thing that's always going to be in your control is being the right person. So do what it takes to be prepared when that opportunity shows up at your doorstep. So you know, get the degree that you need to make sure you have the experience that would help you be a good team member learn how to communicate professionally, things like that. So become the right person. And when the right place and the right time are there, you'll be the right person for those.
Jim Green: Yeah, that sounds like a good set of advice. Well, Sunny, I always like to ask my guests to tell me, what was the event or person place or thing that got them so excited about being the engineer and the flight controller they are today. And I call that event a gravity assist. So Sunny, what was your gravity assist?
Sunny Panjwani: I love that name. Jim, I knew you were going to ask you this question, because I've heard your podcast, which by the way, love the podcast.
Jim Green: Thank you.
Sunny Panjwani: And so I kind of thought about this question. And the best answer I can give is that my gravity assist has been my family, both the one that I was born into, and the one that I've been so lucky to cultivate through my life. You know, I told you, I changed my major to accounting, and then I switched back to biology. You know, I changed that back to biology three and a half years into college, I changed back to biology because I couldn't sleep at night, and I wanted to chase what kept me up. And before that, you know, I was like, well, if I go back to biology, I don't know what I can do with that degree, because medical school is still too expensive. And I didn't want to take the time away from my family after losing my father, and I would have to go home, once I switched my degree back to bio. And my mom would be there and she would ask me at night, you know, I'd come home from college, on those weekends. And she'd say, “Hey, so how are things going?” And then she would eventually ask, you know, “So do you know what you want to do yet?” And it would break my heart because I would have to look at her and say, “No, I, I still don't know what I want to do. “
Sunny Panjwani: And, you know, to her credit, being the person she is She took my hand every time and she said, you'll find it. You just keep going, you know, your dad and I are with you, and you'll find it. And before that when I was last that I was working, you know, a hotel job while I was in community college, before I'd even gone to a major university, I met a person named Sherry, who's part of my family now. And she was just a guest who was checking into the hotel during this big NASA conference. And, you know, I was a business major at the time. So I was very geeked out talking to all these people. And she struck a conversation up with me that week.
Sunny Panjwani: And she took an interest in me and she extended her hand and you know, a person she'd never known, never owed anything to, and told me to keep in contact. And she said, you know, don't give up on your dream so soon. You deserve to chase your dreams. And even when I showed up at NASA as an intern, after she convinced me to apply, and after I showed up as an intern, the team that I was working with saw that I had this crippling imposter syndrome that you know, a lot of us carry here at NASA. Working in one of the greatest places to be in the world kind of comes with that imposter syndrome sometimes, and they saw that I had that. And my mentors, Brian and David, they, they took my hand, a kid who had no research experience, who had no background for his degree, and they said, “We trust you, you know, keep pushing.” And they pushed me forward. And so my family has been my gravity assist. And every day I walk into work, and I see all those partner flags for the International Space Station, and I see that mission control patch, and the flight ops patch, I think of all those people, and without all those people, I wouldn't be where I am today.
Jim Green: Well, that's fantastic, Sunny, I really appreciate having the time talking to you about controlling Space Station. And I'm really delighted that you're behind the console. I would feel comfortable if I was an astronaut living in working on Space Station, and then having you work with me when I go to the Gateway and then to the Moon. All right? Let's do that.
Sunny Panjwani: Yeah. Well, I hope I hope we can send you there, Jim.
Jim Green: Well, join me next time as we continue our journey to look under the hood at NASA and see what we do and how we do it. I'm Jim Green, and this is your Gravity Assist.Credits
Lead producer: Elizabeth Landau
Audio engineer: Manny Cooper
Last Updated: Feb 18, 2022
Editor: Gary Daines
Source:
https://www.nasa.gov/mediacast/gravity-assist-in-case-of-space-station-emergency-with-sunny-panjwani