Heather Franz
Atmospheric Experiment Laboratory, Code 699 Telephone: (301) 614-5463
Solar System Exploration Division FAX: (301) 614-6406
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Email: Heather.B.Franz@nasa.gov
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Biography:
Ms. Franz is a Research Analyst in the Atmospheric Experiment Laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. She is also enrolled as a graduate student at the University of Maryland, pursuing a Ph.D. in Geology. Her research at U of MD is focused on the isotopic composition of sulfur-bearing minerals in Martian meteorites and what they may reveal about the past or present sulfur cycle on Mars. Ms. Franz currently works with the science team developing the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) suite, a pyrolysis-gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer instrument that comprises a major component of the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover. She performs experiments with the prototype SAM instrument, which are used to refine the final design for the flight model and to develop protocols and data libraries to support operations on Mars.
Ms Franz joined the AEL and SAM team after working for 14 years as a flight dynamics analyst at NASA GSFC. She has performed mission design and navigation for numerous NASA missions, most notably designing the unique trajectory for the Wind spacecraft and guiding it through 38 lunar gravity assist flybys. Other missions on which Ms. Franz has worked include Polar, IMP-8, SOHO, ACE, Triana, WMAP, and the CGRO controlled reentry. Prior to joining the flight dynamics facility, Ms. Franz was a member of the ERBS Flight Operations Team.
Ms. Franz also earned a bachelor’s degree in dance while completing her engineering education. As much as she loves working for NASA, she still dreams of dancing with Doug Varone’s company in New York. (Doug, please note phone number above…)
Education:
M.S., Applied Physics - Johns Hopkins University
B.S., Aerospace Engineering - University of Maryland
B.A., Dance - University of Maryland
Selected Honors and Awards:
NASA Silver Snoopy Award, 2005 – in recognition of excellent work in planning and calibrating
the maneuvers that resulted in the highly successful controlled reentry of the Compton
Gamma Ray Observatory spacecraft.
NASA Contractor Excellence Award, 2000 – in recognition of exceptional performance in designing
and implementing unique, history-making orbits for the Wind spacecraft.
CSC Civil Group Technical Excellence Award, 2000 – in recognition of exceptional performance
in designing and implementing unique, history-making orbits for the Wind spacecraft.
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications:
Franz, H.B., Sharer, P., Ogilvie, K., and Desch, M. (2001) Wind Nominal Mission Performance and Extended Mission Design. J. Astronaut. Sci. 49 (1), 145-167.
Desch, M., Ogilvie, K., and Franz, H.B. (1999) The Wind Program: 1998 – 2000. Interball and the ISTP Program. D.G. Sibeck and K. Kudela (eds.). Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 29-40.
Selected Conference Papers:
Franz, H.B., Mahaffy, P.R., and Farquhar, J. (2007) Preliminary Estimate of Sulfur Isotope Ratio Precision Expected with the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument Suite of the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory. LPSC XXXVIII #1874.
Mahaffy, P.R. and Franz, H.B. (2006) Evolved Gas Analysis on the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory. LPI Workshop on Martian Sulfates #7014.
Franz. H.B., Wing, B.A., Farquhar, J., Masterson, A.L., and Lyons, J.R. (2006) Anomalous Isotopic Fractionation during Broadband SO2 Photochemistry: Comparative Systematics of 16O- and 18O-rich SO2, AbSciCon #241.
Muller, R., Franz, H.B., and Roberts, C.E. (2005) Proof-of-Concept Trajectory Designs for a Multi-Spacecraft, Low-thrust Heliocentric Solar Weather Buoy Mission. Flight Mechanics and Estimation Theory Symposium, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD.
Schatten, K. and Franz, H.B. (2005) A Forecast of Reduced Solar Activity and its Implications for NASA. Flight Mechanics and Estimation Theory Symposium, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD.
Franz, H.B. (2002) A Wind Trajectory Design Incorporating Multiple Transfers Between Libration Points. AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Monterey, CA.
Franz, H.B. (2002) Design of Earth Return Orbits for the Wind Mission. AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, San Antonio, TX.
Franz, H.B. (2001) Wind Lunar Backflip and Distant Prograde Orbit Implementation, AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, Santa Barbara, CA.
Sharer, P.J., Franz, H.B., and Folta, D. (1995) Wind Trajectory Design and Control, CNES International Symposium on Space Dynamics, Toulouse, France.
