Working on Hubble telescope for NASA a ‘surreal’ knowledge says Lakehead University grad

Colette Lepage done her dream of operative for NASA come true.

“It was surreal. we had to splash myself some days since I’d be staring adult during a launch pad with a shuttle, Atlantis, that had all of a hardware on it,” says Lakehead University engineering connoisseur Colette Lepage of her experiences.

Those experiences included work on the Hubble Space Telescope, that launched aboard a space convey Discovery from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Apr 24, 1990.

Lepage spoke about her path to NASA and her work there at several events during Lakehead University this past week.

Growing adult in a farming partial of Sudbury, Ont., Lepage desired looking adult during a stars: “Even on those clear, cold Jan nights we would still go out there, and lay in a snow.”

Lepage always wanted to work in a space field. “But did we consider it was possible? Absolutely not. we was a shy, quiet, normal child from northern Ontario and Florida, Kennedy [Space Centre] seemed a tiny bit distant away, like another star really.”

After graduating from Cambrian College with a diploma in chemical engineering technology, Lepage worked for a few years before determining to acquire an engineering degree. She thrived in a close module during a tiny university, an knowledge that prepared her for her pursuit during NASA.

Colette Lepage, an engineering connoisseur from Lakehead University worked in decay control on a Hubble Space Telescope and was partial of a launch from a NASA trickery in Florida. (Colette Lepage)

“You have one common idea and that’s to get things to be successful when it launches and gets into space. And so we all have to get along unequivocally good and play good in a sandbox,” she said.

With her new grade from a Thunder Bay, Ont., university, Lepage changed to Maryland and practical for an entrance turn pursuit in decay control during NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where her primary shortcoming was gripping a hardware purify — very, unequivocally clean.

‘Go for it, only try’

“The bottom line is goal failure,” pronounced Lepage, explaining that a pinch of dust, a singular strand of hair descending on a microchip “could zap that microchip. And suppose that function adult in space where there’s zero we can do — you can’t repair it.”

Lepage eventually changed to Florida and worked in decay control on a Hubble with a organisation there. They did their pursuit good since via a march of a mission, a Hubble telescope has “provided record and images of a star that we have never seen before.”

Now operative as a decay consultant, Lepage spends some of her time enlivening other immature people, generally women, to follow their dreams and pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

“Go for it. Just try. we unsuccessful many times during opposite things, though we consider a pivotal is only to get adult and try again,” she said. “If there is something you unequivocally wish to try, we unequivocally have to overrule a lot of your fears and only continue to travel by a doors of event that open for you.”

You can hear some-more from Colette Lepage here.

Article source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/thunder-bay-lakehead-nasa-engineer-1.4398305?cmp=rss