Specialty: Aerospace Engineering
Major Contributions:
Team member of University of Calgary Solar Powered Car Project
Operations engineer on team designing the Next Generation Canadarm
Program Advisor for Cybermentor
Systems engineering hardware lead for the SPIDER mission
Image Courtesy of @nmpanek on Instagram
Natalie Panek had her sights set on being an astronaut since childhood, and while her work has built a skill set that would make an excellent candidate for space exploration, she is also a champion for women working in technology fields.
Growing up in the Canadian Rockies, where she backpacked and camped, Panek honed a sense of adventure and exploration. Working on her Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering at the University of Calgary, she was selected to lead the aeronautics team, co-manage the mechanical team, and was selected as one of four drivers for the school’s entry in the 2005 North America Solar Challenge – a ten-day race from Texas to Calgary.
Working as an intern at NASA’s Goddard Space Center while pursuing her master’s degree, Panek investigated transformer wire failure, which evaluated the risk of an electrically open circuit condition in an essential transformer. Completing her degree, with a thesis focused on how flames burn in microgravity, she was selected for the Space Studies Program at the International Space University held at NASA’s Ames Research Center. At Ames she worked with the ACCESS Mars project that looked at the future of the exploration of Mars by both humans and robots.
This work would carry over as she became a member of the technical staff at MDA Robotics and Automation. Her first project was working on the Next Generation Canadarm, with a goal of researching and developing technologies and techniques for the on-orbit servicing of satellites using robotic systems to help maintain, enhance and extend the life of commercial spacecraft to making a sustainable and affordable space infrastructure. While at MDA she has also worked on the company’s numerous satellite servicing initiatives and the ExoMars rover program.
In 2017 she was notified by the Canadian Space Agency that she was no longer in consideration as an astronaut candidate due to a potential immune system problem. While this was a setback for her, she still is focused on changing how things are done in space and taking the “leave no trace philosophy” from her Earthside adventuring into our explorations of the universe.
Written by Angela Goad
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See Also:
National Speakers Bureau: Natalie Panek, Rocket Scientist & Advocate for Women in Tech