| Jonathan Burroughs ‘05 has connections. Out of this world connections to be exact. In fact, his influence reaches beyond the stars. Literally.
There’s an asteroid that sits in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered in 2005. Since then, its name has been formally changed to 129185 Jonburroughs (2005 LO47) in Burroughs’ stead.
The asteroid was named after Burroughs in honor of the integral part he played in support of NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex Asteroid Sample Return mission, a spacecraft that successfully launched on Sept. 8, 2016. Its mission is to study Asteroid 101955 (Bennu) and return a sample to Earth in 2023 for detailed analysis.
The process is much more difficult than words seem to convey. The mission has required years of complex calculations and maneuvers and will ultimately require a precise collision of speed and time to make sure the mission is successfully fulfilled, uncompromised.
As the Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer for the Joint Polar Satellite System, the nation’s new generation polar-orbiting operational environmental satellite system, Burroughs’ work has been and will continue to be integral to the current and forthcoming missions.
“I lead the Mission Assurance Team for the JPSS Satellite and Instruments. Mission Assurance includes reliability, hardware quality assurance, software quality assurance, parts control, materials and process control, environmental verification, system safety and contamination control,” said Burroughs. Additionally, his responsibilities encompass design, fabrication, assembly, integration and test operations of the JPSS Satellite leading to a successful launch.
The honor was clearly well deserved, given the intricate work and knowledge required and Burroughs is more than honored and excited to have the noble and distinguishing honor, but for him it’s simply a part of the job and field he loves.
“I enjoy the process of coming up with unique solutions to difficult problems. In addition, I’ve always had a deep interest in science and technological advances gained from space exploration,” he said.
“Working on my current project allows for a direct impact on the day-to-day lives of people around the world. JPSS delivers key observations for the nation’s essential products and services including forecasting severe weather days in advance and assessing environmental hazards.”
For Burroughs, the sky is certainly not the limit. And why should it be when asteroids are way more cool and clearly accessible.
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