Karsten Schindler Email and Phone Number

Supporting potential observatory improvements on SOFIA:- Design study of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor and reference camera system that allows optical characterization and optimization of the SOFIA telescope assembly- Design study of a second SWIR channel of the Focal Plane Imager (FPI+) to extend its sensitivity to 1.0 - 1.6 µm, providing operational benefits and enabling additional science cases- Supporting commissioning activities of the new Fine Field Imager (FFI+) and Wide Field Imager (WFI+)- Successful implementation of a robust and fail-safe autonomous "blind" star pattern recognition without a-priori knowledge of equatorial coordinates (based on astrometry.net) for faster telescope setup in-flight, resulting in more science time on target- Performance characterization of thermo-electrically cooled InGaAs near-infrared cameras- Curvature wavefront sensing with defocused star imagesSetup, commissioning, modification, optimization and maintenance of a remotely-operated 0.6 m telescope at Sierra Remote Observatories (SRO), supporting engineering and science activities on SOFIA and training of students at the University of Stuttgart.Participation in and planning of science campaigns to observe stellar occultations of solar system bodies, and subsequent data analysis to determine size, shape and albedo of the target body.Time awarded and observations carried out at NASA IRTF, SOFIA, CAHA 2.2m, NOT, WIYN, Gemini North, Liverpool Telescope, Aristarchos Telesocope, and numerous other meter-class telescopes.

Setup of a new infrared detector test bench and upgrade of an existing detector dewar with the aim to charaterize HgCdTe detectors up to 3.5 µm (i.e. Teledyne HAWAII-2RG array with SIDECAR ASIC). Design study of the Focal Plane Assembly (FPA) for the shortwave infrared channel (0.4 - 2.1 µm) of the "Moon and Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer" (MAJIS) for ESA's JUICE mission.

Iterative design of the AsteroidFinder focal plane assembly (thermo-mechanical analysis, point of contact for industry partners).

Design of the focal plane assembly for the proposed full-C/SiC telescope of the AsteroidFinder/SSB mission, which has the objective to observe Inner-Earth Objects (IEOs) at solar elongations of 30-60 deg. My task included a thermal and structural analysis of the entire focal plate, the definition of all mechanical and electrical interfaces, as well as the selection of optimal materials. The quad-array of EMCCDs must work at temperatures of less than -80 °C within a misalignment budget of about +/- 30 µm.MEng Thesis: "Design of the Focal Plane Assembly for the Scientific Payload of the Small Satellite Mission »AsteroidFinder/SSB«"Advisors: Prof. Stefanos Fasoulas, TU-Dresden (now at the University of Stuttgart); Dr. Harald Michaelis, DLR Berlin

Research Assistant at the Institute of Aerospace EngineeringWork on TU-Dresden's CubeSat project “SOMP”, e.g. analytical assessment of the satellite's drag and life time in LEO to meet the European code of conduct on space debris; coordination of frequency band allocation for radio communciations.

Two-week hands-on internship with the SOFIA aircraft operations team at the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility (DAOF).

Graduate Student Intern at the Small Spacecraft Summer Study Project (S4P)Eleven international graduate students came together for a summer internship to develop innovative mission concepts and ideas to explore Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) in the context of future small spacecraft missions.This program was held by the Systems Teaching Institute (STI) of the University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA.

Research paper / mid-study thesis: "Research on Methods and Software Tools for Automated Star Pattern Recognition on SOFIA"Participation in the Quadrantid Multi-Instrument Aircraft Campaign led by Dr. P. Jenniskens, SETI Institute to observe the Quadrantid meteor shower on January 3, 2008.

Research Assistant at the Institute of Fluid TechnologySetup and operation of an experimental rig for high-speed imaging, intended for research into pneumatic sorting of bulk goods using free jets.

IAESTE summer student at the Faculty of Aeronautical Engineering (School No. 1)Training in the field of hydraulics and hydraulic systems, analysis of an electro-hydraulic amplifier, general insights into Russian air- and spacecraft design

Teaching assistant at the Institute of Applied Computer ScienceTeaching first-year students object-oriented programming (OOP) in Object Pascal using Borland Delphi, responsible for checking seminar papers and helping mark exams.

Training in sheet metal forming, riveting and common materials used in aviation.

Pre-university hands-on training in metal working and welding.- Jörg Wappler Werkzeugmaschinen e.K., Weinböhla- IP Industrie-Partner GmbH, Coswig- Mauersberger & Fritzsche GmbH & Co. KG, Nossen