Janet Barth recognized early the shortcomings of space radiation environment models and pioneered the effort to replace them with the next-generation models that enable today’s robust space systems and successful space missions.
Janet Barth was responsible for the delivery of spacecraft and instrument avionics to numerous NASA missions. Early on, she recognized that the increased use of emerging technologies and highly integrated electronics in space systems was rapidly outpacing the knowledge of space radiation environments. Focusing on the shortcomings of the radiation models that were then current, she established a path forward for standardized next-generation models. She captained the effort to replace the decades-old Van Allen radiation belt models and define requirements for space plasma models for use in the space systems development community. Barth is an IEEE Life Fellow Member, Barth is an advisor at Miller Engineering & Research Corporation (MERC), Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
Read more about NASA’s first female engineering chief and her 40-year career working on improving space technologies in IEEE Spectrum’s feature.