Elizabeth A. Frank

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Space and Sustainability: An Introduction to Their Four Key Intersections

October 26, 2021 by Elizabeth Frank in Sustainability, Space Exploration, Commercial Space

Is the current level of commercial space growth sustainable? What does sustainability even mean? As chief scientist at an engineering firm specializing in space and sustainability systems, and as a human who enjoys the serenity of the wilderness, I feel obligated to grapple with these questions.

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October 26, 2021 /Elizabeth Frank
spacecraft, commercial space, environmentalism, sustainability
Sustainability, Space Exploration, Commercial Space
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Five Steps to Go from Science to Product

July 10, 2019 by Elizabeth Frank in Space Exploration

After a few years of working with engineers, I look back on my MESSENGER experience with a fresh perspective and an appreciation for the engineers I never met who created and operated the spacecraft. Now at First Mode, I use this experience to bridge the communication gap between scientists and engineers.

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July 10, 2019 /Elizabeth Frank
NASA, spacecraft, commercial space
Space Exploration
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"Space is hard." But why?

April 16, 2019 by Elizabeth Frank in Space Exploration

Every time a spaceflight failure occurs, the phrase “space is hard” will invariably be uttered in response. What is it that makes space so hard?

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April 16, 2019 /Elizabeth Frank
NASA, planetary science, spacecraft, systems engineering
Space Exploration
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Questioning the status quo in pursuit of lowering planetary mission costs

March 18, 2019 by Elizabeth Frank in Space Exploration

The first step in effecting change is admitting that there is a problem. In order to disrupt the status quo, the planetary science community must first make changes in our culture and assumptions regarding missions.

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March 18, 2019 /Elizabeth Frank
NASA, spacecraft, systems engineering, planetary science
Space Exploration
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Faster, Better, Cheaper: A maligned era of NASA's history

January 28, 2019 by Elizabeth Frank in Space Exploration

With the advances in small satellite technology and the success of the MarCO CubeSats at Mars, it's time to revisit lessons from NASA's 1990s Faster, Better, Cheaper era.

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January 28, 2019 /Elizabeth Frank
NASA, engineering, spacecraft, missions
Space Exploration
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The positive tension between space scientists and engineers

January 03, 2019 by Elizabeth Frank in Space Exploration

One of the most critical elements of a successful space mission is effective communication between two species: scientists and engineers.

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January 03, 2019 /Elizabeth Frank
engineering, missions, spacecraft
Space Exploration
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