One new way in which the Moon Village Association (MVA) is contributing to humanity’s journey to the Moon is through the development and implementation of payloads to the lunar surface that foster global cooperation and inspire the public.
The MVA first payload project team is develop a camera, organize its transport to the Moon’s surface mounted on a lunar lander, and secure communications links to deliver images of Earth. The camera looking back at Earth will recreate and renew the famous “Overview Effect”.
The “Overview Effect” first originated from pictures of Earth such as the famous ‘Earthrise’ image captured in 1968 by the Apollo 8 astronauts. This image was at the root of the environmental movements of the 1960s and 70s, and it represents the spirit of cooperation that is embodied in the Moon Village concept. The resulting images of Earth will be accessible via the MVA website for public viewing as well as to be used for several scientific investigations.
Recreating this image, and making it universally available via the internet will be a powerful tool to raise awareness of the Moon Village and its relevance for sustainable development today. Future MVA payloads more oriented to test new technologies and ways of cooperating in the Moon Village will be defined later.
First MVA Payload Description
The imaging payload is a small lunar based imaging system, designed to be carried on a lunar lander, during a mission that would occur during the next 2 years. The lifetime of the camera will be not less than one lunar day.
Current Project
The existing project consortium consists of technical teams from EPFL-Switzerland, Seisbee- Luxembourg, NARSS-Egypt, Stellarion – India, and Dereum Labs- Mexico; each team is allocated a specific technical work package (Camera Electronics), (seismic sensor), ( Radiation sensor), (thermal electronics), and ( System Level design and lander interfacing).
The team has experience in mission design, camera electronics, management, structural engineering, outreach, social media and event management.
Implementation
This project uses the in-kind contribution of the institutional teams from 5 different countries, to put the mission together collaboratively, thus reducing the cost and enabling them to pursue their own goals through participation.
The project is in pre-Phase A, with contribution from each technical team in the review of this phase.
For more information, please see:
- https://moonvillageassociation.org/projects/payload/, or
- https://moonvillageassociation.org/watch-the-mva-payload-the-overview-effect-webinar/.
Eligibility
This invitation is open to all individual members of the Association. The participants in this project are volunteers, and the Project Manager position to be filled is a volunteer position.
Responsibilities
The MVA will be responsible for managing and coordinating the workflow between consortium members; in addition, The individual selected as the MVA Payload PM will be responsible for:
- Serving as the focal point for definition, funding, development, launch and operations of a lunar surface Earth-imaging
- Leading and motivating an existing international consortium to develop the payload; coaching and mentoring the team in its collaborative efforts.
- Identifying and engaging additional members of the payload project team, as required.
- Working with and fostering the involvement of institutions in the project (including both universities, commercial firms, space agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as appropriate.
- Interfacing with the select lunar lander authority, once selected.
- Other specific tasks as delegated by the MVA President
Desired Qualifications
- Moon Village Association membership
- Availability: A minimum of 8 hours per week is required, with occasional surge to 16 hours per week.
- At least 5 years of experience in the space projects in technical and/or management role(s); instrument and/or payload level engineering experience strongly desired.
- Experience working in an international context; strong language skills desired.
- Experience with NGOs (space and non-space) and supporting fund-raising activities.
- Good communication skills; must be comfortable with ‘outreach’ to individuals and organizations, including interactions with technical and non-technical institutional members and the general public.
- Generally, capable of taking a practical and pragmatic approach to project management.
Invitation to apply
The Moon Village Association would like to invite suitable candidates to lead and manage the project activities, including: resource management, development, finding launch and operations of a lunar surface Earth-imaging payload.
If you wish to participate in this exciting project, please provide your response through the application form below:
- The following will be needed:
- A letter indicating your Motivation(s) for applying
- Your CV
- 1-page letters of recommendation (at least 2, but not more than 4)
Application deadline: April 30, 2023