Jaykumar J Vaidya
(FACULTY RESEARCH ASST)
| Email: | jaykumar.j.vaidya@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.286.0981 |
| Org Code: | 699 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 699 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | UMBC Univ. of MD, Baltimore County |
Missions & Projects
Brief Bio
Jaykumar Vaidya is a Mass Spectrometer Calibration Engineer and Ground Support Operations Lead within the Solar System Exploration Division (SSED) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). His expertise lies in optimizing the dynamic sensitivity range of quadrupole mass spectrometers (QMS). His work enhances the QMS's capability to precisely characterize specialized low-density ion species with high measurement sensitivity while maintaining the flexibility to measure mid- and high-density ion species at optimal sensitivity. This adaptability ensures accurate detection of ions of interest encountered across diverse planetary atmospheric regions during flight.
Jaykumar is also responsible for designing and developing ground support electronics capable of tuning flight-qualified mass spectrometers. He supports their development lifecycle, transitioning from Brass-Board (BB) units to Engineering Test Units (ETU) and ultimately to Flight Model (FM) units.
He actively contributes to the engineering, development, and operations of several high-profile space-borne instruments, including MAVEN-NGIMS, GDC-MoSAIC, DISSIPATION-MoSAIC, and CLPS-SEAL
Jaykumar’s alma mater includes the University of Virginia, where he earned a Master’s in Electrical Engineering, and the University of Mumbai, where he completed his Bachelor’s degree.
Research Interests
Instrument calibration, Ground Support Equipment hardware and software development
Solar System: Technology & MissionsCurrent Projects
DISSIPATION - Modular Spectrometer for Atmosphere and Ionosphere Characterization (MoSAIC)
Earth's Thermosphere
DISSIPATION is a sounding rocket mission designed to study the interactions between charged ions and neutral gases in the auroral transition region. The mission's name, DISSIPATION, highlights its focus on understanding the dissipative processes within this dynamic environment. A key instrument aboard the mission was MoSAIC, a Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (QMS) tasked with analyzing ion density and the composition of species of interest during the auroral transition. Jaykumar played a crucial role in supporting MoSAIC by calibrating its ion source, mass analyzer, and detector using ground support equipment. He also conducted a flight-level test with the flight electronics to ensure mission readiness. The DISSIPATION mission was successfully launched on November 8, 2023, from the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska (PFRR). (Read More: A Rocket Launch in Photos: Dissipation’s Journey to the Aurora – and Beyond!, NASA Sounding Rocket Launches into Alaskan Aurora, Watch: A recap of UMBC-led NASA Dissipation sounding rocket launch, Launch Video)
Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) - Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS)
Mars
NGIMS is a Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (QMS) designed to analyze the composition of the Martian atmosphere. Jaykumar plays a key role in the ground systems operations for NGIMS, ensuring seamless support for its mission objectives. At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Jaykumar also oversees the maintenance and operation of an NGIMS testbed unit. This testbed mirrors the functionality and compatibility of the spaceborne NGIMS, serving as a critical tool for troubleshooting, testing, and validation.
Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) - Modular Spectrometer for Atmosphere and Ionosphere Characterization (MoSAIC)
Earth's Thermosphere
MoSAIC instrument builds on the legacy of mass spectrometers flown on previous missions such as DISSIPATION, MAVEN, and LADEE. On the upcoming GDC mission, MoSAIC is designed to measure ion composition, temperature, and wind speed in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Jaykumar is leading the development of Ground Support Equipment (GSE), encompassing both hardware and software, to enable MoSAIC’s calibration using neutral gases. Additionally, he is contributing to the development of an ion beam chamber, which generates ion beams with suitable energy levels for calibration. This setup has been successfully used to calibrate MoSAIC’s Engineering Test Unit (ETU). (Read More: GDC’s MoSAIC Instrument Passes Testing Milestones)
Positions/Employment
Ground Support Equipment Engineering Lead
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) / University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) - Goddard, Maryland
May 2022 - Present
Application Development Engineer
Applied Materials Inc. - Santa Clara, CA
January 2022 - April 2022
Research Scientist
Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) / NASA GSFC - Greenbelt, Maryland
May 2021 - December 2021
Graduate Student Researcher
University of Virginia - Charlottesville, VA
August 2019 - December 2021
Jaykumar Vaidya was involved in studying the coupled electronic oscillator systems and ferroelectric non-volatile memories during his graduate research at University of Virginia
Junior Research Fellow
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research - Mumbai, India
May 2016 - June 2019
Jaykumar led the nano-fabrication of high Tc superconductor BSCCO and complex nano-structures of Weyl semi-metal TaAs
Education
Master of Engineering (2021), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Bachelors of Engineering (B.E.) in Electronics Engineering, KJSCE, Mumbai, India