Ms. Debbie Martinez is the Deputy Manager for the Flight Test Article (FTA) project at Langley. The LaRC FTA project supports a multi-year, multi-center and contractor integrated effort to conduct a series of flight tests to demonstrate the performance and function of the Orion Launch Abort System (LAS). The actual Orion crew exploration vehicle (CEV) will be capable of carrying crew and cargo to the space station.

She began working at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) in 1990. She is detailed to support the FTA project out of the Systems Engineering and Integration Office from the Systems Engineering Directorate.

• Project Chief Engineer/Technology Manager in the Space Operations Program Office supporting Space Shuttle, International Space Station and Space Communication projects. [Detail: 2006-08]
• Flight Ops Engineer in the Flight Operations Branch supporting research flight experiments aboard NASA LaRC's King Air B-200 and Cessna C-206 aircraft. [Detail: 2006-07]
  - Characterizing Attention Distribution in Aircraft Operation (CAnDAO) Experiment Flights onboard the C-206H
  - Optical Active-passive Remote Sensing Instrument Suite (OASIS) Flight Test mission deployment in Mexico City supporting MILAGRO/MIRAGE-Mex project onboard the King Air B-200 (Summer '06)
  - GoMACCS Flight Test mission deployment in Houston, Texas onboard the King Air B-200 (Fall '06)
• Software Manager for the Cockpit Motion Facility (CMF) Motion Base (MB) Digital Controller system. My work consisted in designing and implementing the digital control environment that drives the CMF MB. It has a payload capability of 9,091 kilograms (20,000 lbs.). This system will support motion capability for all of CMF simulator cabs.
• SDAB Simulation System Engineer (Software liaison) for Simulation-to-Flight General Aviation (GA) research aircraft software development on the C-206 Cessna Implementation Team (CIT)
  - I collaborate with the respective GA projects' principal investigators (PI) concerning their simulation software and hardware requirements that were supported on the actual GA aircraft. The CIT supported the Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) Equivalent Safety Experiment (ESE) 2005 flight test deployment efforts in Roanoke, VA for which I served as the lead GA Simulation System Engineer.
  - The SVS-ESE project's objective is to develop low-cost, SVS technology that will provide pilots with a virtual day Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) visual environment during periods of low visibility conditions which are currently a causal factor in civil aircraft accidents. The concepts emphasized the cost-effective use of synthetic and enhanced vision displays, worldwide navigation, terrain, obstruction, and airport databases, and Global Positioning System (GPS)-derived navigation to eliminate "visibility-induced" (lack of visibility) errors for all aircraft categories.
• Simulation System Engineer for the High-Speed Research (HSR) program studies conducted on Visual Motion Simulator (VMS)..
• Software Engineer for the S-61 Sikorsky helicopter program.

Educational Background

I always enjoyed math and science. I felt early on that I would pursue my career in some kind of science even though I was not always too sure what field that was going to be. Let’s see...my first interest was to become an archeologist, then veterinarian, marine biologist (sharks changed my mind!), computer scientist, engineer, astronomer, and even an astronaut.

Looking back I can not really say I was ever told I should not go into the science or engineering fields but then again I was never really encouraged either -- except for my mom. She wanted me to become a doctor. Although, she is quite proud of me being a NASA engineer. Being a female in a male dominated field has become second nature to me. I attribute this to my days in E-RAU where most often I was one of the few, sometimes the only, woman in my classes. Fortunately, more and more women are entering fields that once where filled by men only and that’s great! However, I realize that many women do encounter bias in the workplace and have difficulties dealing with their male colleagues. That realization led to my interest in the Federal Women’s Program.

Support of OEO & Educational Outreach Programs

Since 1996, I have been serving as the LaRCs Hispanic Advisory Group (HAG) chair (selected by the director of LaRC Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, OEOP) and the webmaster for the NASA Langley Hispanic Employment Program (HEP) web site. This group advises the NASA LaRC HEP Manager (HEPM) on information regarding training and self-development opportunities available, and local community problems which may affect our Hispanic employees at the Center. This program is also intended to promote contact with and exposure to Hispanic organizations, professional societies, and provides awareness of relevant issues and events in our local Hispanic community.

In addition to serving as HAG chair, I established and maintain four minority related web sites: Latina Women of NASA (LWON), WON LaRC, Hispanic Astronauts, and Hispanics@NASA LaRC, respectively. These web sites further serve as a vehicle to expose the general public, as well as the Hispanic community, to Hispanic on-line profiles in an effort to provide minority youth throughout the world with virtual mentors they can relate with during their educational growth. I have earned numerous awards and recognition for these sites. [Details at LWON]

Advice

Philosophy "Let every opportunity serve as a means for you to explore and learn!" and "Always treat others as you want them to treat you!"

Debbie Martinez's bio is also featured on Latina Women of NASA