Intern in the Space Environments and Effects Section

Job Requisition ID: 19054

Application Deadline: 30 November 2024 23:59 CET/CEST

Establishment: ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

Directorate: Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality

Publication: External Only

Type of Contract: Intern

Date Posted: 1 November 2024

Internship Opportunity in the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality.

Location
Noordwijk
Our team and mission
This position is based at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) - Noordwijk, Netherlands

The Space Environments and Effects Section (TEC-EPS) supports the development of ESA missions and programmes by investigating the space environments within which they will operate, assessing likely effects, providing risk assessments, and defining mitigation methods.

Environments addressed include high-energy radiation from radiation belts, solar particle events and cosmic rays; plasmas encountered in planetary magnetospheres, the solar wind and artificially-generated charges and fields on spacecraft; dust, micro-meteoroids and non-trackable debris, as well as planetary atmospheres. In support of this the Section initiates and manages related technology R&D activities on environments and effects models, and oversees a wider range of space environment monitoring hardware activities. The Section also maintains extensive collaboration networks in the relevant domains. See its web page (http://space-env.esa.int) for more details.

Candidates interested are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int

Field(s) of activity for the internship
Topic of the internship: Space Radiation Monitor Data Analyses

The aim of this opportunity is to perform analyses on the data obtained from the in-orbit network of radiation instruments on various key ESA missions including MTG-I, Sentinel-6, EDRS-C, Galileo, INTEGRAL, Proba-1a and Proba-V. Of interest are the energetic proton and electron fluxes measured by these devices at different times in the Earth’s radiation belts and during Solar Particle Events.

You will work closely with Section members dealing with these instruments and related analyses and will learn a range of methods used in the domain. The radiation environment data will be processed, analysed, cross-compared, and provided as input to possible environmental model improvements.

Aspects to be addressed include:

• Accuracy of the response functions of the different instruments;
• Data cleaning and processing methods;
• Data organisation;
• Comparisons of the results from the different instruments;
• Dedicated analyses of selected Solar Particle Events;
• Prediction of radiation fluxes in key orbital locations;
• Comparisons to environmental model predictions.

As an outcome of the activity, a final report will be prepared, and final presentation given.

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

For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook

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.

You shall have a demonstrated knowledge of space radiation environments along with experience in data processing and analysis and relevant IT tools.

Knowledge and background in space radiation monitors or related instrumentation is 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 [email protected].

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).

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