Success Stories

SSAI's engineering and IT teams spent the about one month between the onset of the COVID pandemic in February 2020 and issuance of the mandatory telework order in March 2020 preparing for a smooth transition to full-time remote operations for all SSAI employees.

Overview

Protocols governing proper procudre in the event of a mandatory telework order due to a global pandemic were not within any contingency plans. Moreover, adjusting to such circumstances becomes exponentially more complex when designing, building, testing, launching, and monitoring multi-million-dollar spacecraft operations is a primary responsibility. SSAI’s engineering and operations teams initiated a vigorous coordination program to ensure all needs to maintain standard operations when remote were in place. This program's purpose was to offset any potential risks should country leaders initiate a full-scale quarantine.

SSAI’s engineering, operations, and IT teams ensured everything required to maintain standard operations while remote was in place.

Thanks to the proactivity, foresight, and cooperation of SSAI’s management, science and engineering teams, and IT specialists, SSAI-led projects were prepared to make a smooth transition from on-site to telework when the time came.

Results

SSAI’s instrument support group provides 24/7 mission-critical support for several key NASA satellite instruments. They worked with the appropriate IT teams and held rehearsal exercises to ensure key data products from on-orbit calibration and critical instrument operations could successfully run from home without requiring access to work facilities and systems. The customer later lauded the team for their proactive approach, collaboration effort, and efficiency.

Less than a month into the pandemic, SSAI staff on the Goddard Earth Observing System (GOES) T team worked with Project Management, NASA Facilities Management, and other mission partners to establish a Remote Test Control Room (RTCR) that mirrored the primary TCR and synchronized the distributed test teams. The RTCR provided the engineering team remote access to the on-site, in-control test system, voice communication links with the test team, and the full complement of data analysis tools. The RTCR was as close to the TCR as possible given the circumstances and provided the team with a stable working environment. It helped simplify a widely-distributed support architecture and was developed and operational in less than a month. SSAI personnel helped to establish all of the IT interfaces necessary to use this distributed approach as well as developed user manuals for remote log-in capability and data analysis tools, managed the day-to-day voice system, and coordinated across the project’s varying schedule.

SSAI's Larry Twigg monitors the lidar trailers

Maryland leaders announced across lockdown orders in April 2020, during SSAI’s Lidar at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) lidar and satellite campaign, and while completing major modifications to several mobile trailers in to prepare for a deployment to New Zealand. SSAI's Larry Twigg, who was designated "mission critical" early in the pandemic, monitored environmental conditions in the lidar trailers and labs to prevent damage to sensitive equipment. Through teamwork and coordination, SSAI did not lose any lidar or surface data from ongoing projects and the team facilitated infrastructure work for automation projects while operating remotely, further preparing the trailers for future deployment when conditions improved.   

Secure NASA Space Network Facility

In another example, SSAI staff played a critical role in maintaining the Space Network’s cybersecurity Authorization to Operate (ATO) for cleared facilities supporting the Space Network Mission. The SSAI team was directly involved in developing Information Technology Security Evaluation Criteria (ITsec) compliant approaches to allow for remote mission support of the Space Network while adhering to COVID restrictions. This included defining ways to securely support testing and remote operations for the Space Test Program (STP) Sat-6 mission readiness tests. 

This is only a sample of our collective effort to safeguard the investments and best interests of our customers, colleagues, and employees — during the on-going pandemic and into the future as we continue to expand and enhance our already highly-developed IT teams.