Author: Dan Goebel

This photograph shows David Oh, Lindy Elkins-Tanton, and Dan Goebel holding small stuffed animals in front of a Psyche banner.

March 5, 2018 / Dan Goebel

What does a Chief Engineer do on NASA’s Psyche Mission… and how did I get this gig?

People have asked me what a Chief Engineer does. Here’s what I think they do (I hope the Psyche management team agrees), and also how I got to be one.

This image shows the engineering model of the NSTAR ion thurster on one half and its glowing, blue xenon plasma on the right.

January 19, 2018 / Dan Goebel

How do the Electric Thrusters on the Psyche Spacecraft Work?

We reduce the amount of propellant we need to take with us on the Psyche mission by using Solar Electric Propulsion. Here’s a brief description about how electric thrusters work.

This image shows the Hall thruster, a donut-shaped ring glowing blue on a black background.

January 12, 2018 / Dan Goebel

Psyche is an SEP Mission…. What’s that mean?

I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and say: “I’ve heard about the Psyche mission, but what does SEP mean?”