Intern in the Mechanical Department, Materials Environment and Contamination Control Section

Our team and mission

The Structures, Mechanisms and Materials Division is responsible for all aspects related to all spacecraft structures, mechanisms (including tribology and pyrotechnic devices), materials (including related manufacturing and assembly processes, space environmental effects, cleanliness and contamination control) and associated computational and laboratory facilities.

In particular, the Division is in charge of:

• performing design, development and verification of spacecraft structures, mechanisms, materials and manufacturing processes by means of state-of-the-art expertise, tools and facilities;
• providing support to all ESA Projects including assisting with materials, structures, mechanisms, systems and sub-systems failure investigations;
• defining, coordinating, and executing technology development activities in the field of expertise;
• establishing and managing the necessary computing and internal/external laboratory facilities in conjunction with the TEC infrastructure function;
• supporting the establishment and implementation of standards for the development, qualification and procurement of structures, mechanisms and space grade materials, and manufacturing processes;
• supporting the Product Assurance and Safety Managers in the qualification and approval of all materials, mechanical parts, associated manufacturing processes, including cleanliness and contamination control aspects, for all ESA Projects/Programmes. For the provision of this support, TEC-MS Part Material Process (PMP) experts report functionally to the Product Assurance and Safety Managers;
• supporting the System Engineering Managers in the selection, design and characterisation of all materials and processes and in the selection, design, characterisation and qualification of all structures and mechanisms for all ESA Projects/Programmes.

The Materials, Environments and Contamination Control Section (TEC-MSE) provides expert engineering support to ESA projects, carries out technological research and implements laboratory testing activities focused on the environmental survivability of materials and cleanliness and contamination control engineering throughout all mission phases, from requirements definition in early project phases, instrument/satellite development, on-ground assembly integration and test, including launch campaign support and the in-orbit induced contamination environment. This includes expertise in areas such as atomic oxygen degradation, UV and laser induced contamination, planetary dust contamination, radiation and charging,  stray light and plume impingement effects, on-ground contamination, and other synergistic environmental and contamination effects. The section also provides materials and processes support for flight safety, including expertise related to habitable/pressurised environments, materials off gassing and toxicity analysis and purge gas analysis.  The experts in the section have a strong focus on space hardware, laboratory capabilities, development of innovative environmental testing facilities and non-standard testing techniques, including flight experiments/in-orbit demonstration, as well as associated modelling related to non-metallic materials, in-orbit contamination and environmental effects.

Candidates interested are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int  

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Materials characterisation and space environmental testing

Spacecraft materials must perform reliably in extreme environments, including cryogenic temperatures and vacuum conditions. Understanding the thermo-optical behaviour of these materials—and the uncertainties in those measurements—is essential for ensuring the performance of spacecraft surfaces such as radiators, coatings, and multilayer insulation systems. During this internship, you will have the opportunity to contribute to at least two highly relevant experimental topics aimed at improving the accuracy and applicability of our materials characterisation capabilities:

• Cryogenic Emissivity Measurements
You will work on the experimental characterization of a novel “emissiometer” prototype, aiming to characterize thermal emissivity of materials at cryogenic temperatures. Your tasks will involve hands-on lab work, adapting and optimising the available equipment (hardware and software, including LabVIEW controls), developing test methods, and assessing uncertainties and limitations in performance.

• Evaluation of Measurement Uncertainties in Thermo-Optical Characterisation
You will assess the measurement uncertainty in routine material properties characterizations, such as transmittance and reflectance, on commercially available systems (spectrophotometers, radiometers). Building on pre-existing knowledge and datasets, your work will help to complement and interpret the accuracy of the measurements in different modes, and lead to improvements in standard test procedures and improved characterizations of accuracy and traceability.

Your work will include:

• literature research and review of existing techniques and standards;
• definition of experimental test plans for both characterization methods;
• implementation of experimental test campaigns using ESA lab infrastructure;
• data analysis, uncertainty evaluation, documentation of results and recommendations.

You will gain experience working in an international team environment and you will use the world leading experimental facilities of the ESA/ESTEC Materials and Electrical Components Laboratory, in order to perform advanced testing and characterisation. This will include the use of a variety of different laboratory methods and equipment such as spectrophotometers, FTIR instruments, handheld devices, vacuum environmental testing facilities, and experimental prototypes.

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking

For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook

Education

You must be a university student, preferably studying at master’s level. In addition, you must be able to prove that you will be enrolled at your University for the entire duration of the internship.

Additional requirements

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another ESA Member State language is an asset.

During the interview, your motivation for applying to this role will be explored.

Knowledge and background in materials, physics and chemistry or vacuum technologies is an asset. All of the projects will have a significant experimental content, so a strong motivation to work in a laboratory environment is required.