Lives History At Work
To his family, Charles Darby is
known as the historian, photographing family events as a hobby. But
during 22 years at NASA, he has played his own role in history --
leaving his engineering mark on research facilities destined for
space.
Today, Darby is the manager of the Payload and Facility Systems
Engineering and Integration Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight
Center in Huntsville, AL His focus is the International Space
Station -- the orbiting research complex that NASA and 15 other
nations are building some 200 miles above Earth.
Darby leads the team that ensures research equipment and
facilities work within the framework of the Space Station's
specifications and physical dimensions. This can be as simple as
verifying research equipment will fit in its designated space, or
as complicated as ensuring an instrument's electrical and cooling
requirements don't consume more than their allocated Space Station
resources.
He previously led the team that developed and built the First
Materials Science Research Rack, the Space Station's primary
facility for materials science investigations. Materials science
uses the laws of physics to understand how physical influences -
such as the near-weightless environment of space -- influence the
behavior of materials. A collaborative activity with the European
Space Agency is scheduled for launch in 2008 aboard the Space
Shuttle.
"I cannot remember what triggered my interest in engineering,
but I've wanted to be an engineer since I was in middle school,"
says Darby. "And I followed through on it, getting to work with
some of the newest innovations in space exploration."
Another small piece of history confirms that fact. A native of
Opelika, AL, Darby looks back at his 1978 senior yearbook from
Beauregard High School where he noted he wanted to become an
electrical engineer.
This led to a 1982 bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and in 1990, a
master's degree in electrical and computer engineering from the
University of Alabama in Huntsville.
He joined NASA's Marshall Center in 1983. His early assignments
included providing engineering support for systems aboard the Space
Shuttle and for Spacelab science missions carried to space within
the Space Shuttle's cargo bay. Developed by the European Space
Agency, Spacelab was the focal point for experiments conducted from
1982 through 1998 by Americans in space.
At NASA, Darby has earned nearly two-dozen awards. Most
recently, he earned a 2004 Certificate of Appreciation for
exemplary leadership of the First Materials Science Research Rack
Team, a 2004 Special Service Award for leadership in developing the
Materials Science Research Facility, and a 2003 Special Service
Award for outstanding project management in developing the
Materials Science Research Rack payload.
Darby and his wife, the former Stephania Pierce of Gadsden, AL,
and their three children Brianna, Jared and Deidre, reside in
Huntsville. His parents, Lonnie and Era Darby, are still residents
of Opelika.