Intern in the Structures Section

Internship Opportunity at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC)

Our Team and Mission

Under the direct authority of the Head of the Mechanical Department, the Structures, Mechanisms and Materials Division is responsible for all aspects related to all spacecraft structures, mechanisms (including tribology and pyrotechnic devices), materials (including related manufacturing and assembly processes, space environmental effects, cleanliness and contamination control) and associated computational and laboratory facilities.

The Structures Section TEC-MSS is in charge of all structural engineering aspects.

• Structural Design and Verification Methods / Tools;
• Static / Dynamics / Vibro-Acoustics;
• Crash / Impacts / Meteoroids Absorption Analysis;
• Damage Tolerance / Fracture Control / Health Monitoring;
• Fluid Structure Interaction (e.g., Sloshing);
• Launcher Coupled Dynamic Analysis;
• Demisability / Re-Usability;
• Thermo-Elastic Distortion;
• High Stability / High Precision Structures;
• Active / Adaptive Structures;
• Inflatable and Deployable Structures;
• Launchers / Re-Entry (Hot Structures) / Planetary Landing Vehicles;
• Crew Habitation / EVA Suits.

Field(s) of Activity for the Internship

Topic of the Internship: Spacecraft Structures Design, Development, and Testing

In this position, you will be assigned one or more specific tasks, which may include:

• Critical evaluation of design / analysis / verification of spacecraft or spacecraft instrument design concepts;
• Derivation of mechanical specifications (sine, quasi-static, random…) for the payload and the sub-systems of a spacecraft;
• Thermo-elastic distortion analysis of a spacecraft payload in operational environments (e.g., at cryogenic temperatures) and evaluation against payload dimensional stability performance requirements;
• Participation to spacecraft/instrument mechanical testing (quasi-static, sine, random, acoustic) and evaluation of test results;
• Participation to CDF (Concurrent Design Facility) studies for conceptual design of new missions (spacecraft, payloads, launchers);
• Damage tolerance evaluation of fracture critical systems, in particular for human-rated spacecraft and launcher systems;
• Topological optimization of spacecraft structural hardware with application to additive manufacturing methods;
• Hyper-velocity impact analysis to assess the performance of micro-meteoroid protection systems.

In performance of these assignments, it is expected that you will make use of specialist engineering software available in the Structures Section, including: NASTRAN, ABAQUS, VAOne, CATIA V6, PATRAN, Hyperworks, FEMAP, PRIMODAL, DynaWorks, OptiStruct, NASGRO.

These software tools will typically be used for analysis/modelling tasks including:

• Modal and frequency response analysis;
• Thermo-elastic distortion analysis;
• Vibro-acoustic analysis;
• Static (strength and stiffness) analysis;
• Spacecraft conceptual design and configuration modelling;
• Signal processing (test results evaluation);
• Topological optimization;
• Hyper-velocity impact analysis;
• Fatigue and crack growth analysis.

Behavioural Competencies

Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency Fostering Cooperation Relationship Management Continuous Improvement Forward Thinking

Education

You must be a university student, preferably in your final or second-to-last year of a university course at Master's level and you need to remain enrolled at your University for the entire duration of the internship.

Additional Requirements

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

• Field of study should be in mechanical/aeronautical engineering;
• Experience with relevant engineering software tools would be an asset.

Other Information

ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability, or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.

At the Agency we value diversity, and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact us via email at contact.human.resources@esa.int.

Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia, and Cyprus as European Cooperating States (ECS).