Q&A with Gateway: Meet Devanshi Vani, Deputy Manager for Gateway Safety and Mission Assurance
While spontaneity defines NASA Johnson Space Center-based Devanshi Vani’s personality, her work relies on careful planning and evaluation to ensure the safety of the crew and Gateway systems. As a deputy manager for one of the most critical branches of the Gateway program, she leads her team to perform system safety, environmental safety, industrial safety, processing and launch-site safety, range safety, reliability, maintainability, hardware quality assurance, and software assurance for Gateway.
Get to know more about her, below!
What is your role in the Gateway program?
I am the deputy manager for Gateway safety and mission assurance (S&MA).
What are your primary responsibilities?
Gateway S&MA is all about making sure our mission is a success by keeping the crew safe and the vehicle functioning. I help the Gateway S&MA manager, Tremayne Days, lead a small, tightknit team of experts in the areas of probabilistic risk assessments, systems engineering and integration, hazard analyses, quality engineering, reliability and maintainability, computer safety, and software assurance. We work within the Gateway program and also with our partner programs, international partners, and more to seek integrated solutions for Gateway and Artemis missions.
What are you excited to share about Gateway and what it will do for human exploration as part of the Artemis program?
An orbiting platform around the Moon is a game-changing new achievement for human exploration to the Moon and beyond. It really is the “gateway” to deep space exploration, leaning on proven designs and providers, yet enabling the study of new environments and technologies. It allows us to explore and learn in a sustainable way, integrating with the Human Landing System and Orion and proving concepts for Mars and beyond. I can’t wait to see what deep space exploration holds for all of us!
How has your own personal background influenced your work for the Gateway program?
In college, I would sometimes stay up all night staring at the night sky and then rush to class as the sun came up. I am a dreamer and an “enginerd” who is passionate about crew safety and vehicle success. And, the reality is, when we protect our crew and vehicle, we are actually helping each of our commercial providers and NASA to succeed. Also, before joining the Gateway program, I was the chief of the Flight Operations Safety Office, representing our crew, flight directors, and flight control teams — another dream job! I think of our crew in everything I do — it is always at the forefront of my mind.
What advice would you give to your team to unwind and relax?
Health and family always come first. If folks need time for themselves or their families, that is a priority. When it comes to our Gateway mission, we are positive, agile, and hardworking. We will succeed by continuing to communicate and lean on each other.
In line with JSC’s DARE | UNITE | EXPLORE, how do you see yourself fitting into the vision?
I am all in! I embrace our Artemis and Gateway challenges, which I feel speaks to every part of this vision. We are expanding our frontiers, and the Gateway program unites us across centers and international partners. Additionally, we are collaborating with commercial entities as well, all with new missions and hopes for the future.
Now, more about you. Where did you grow up?
All over Texas (greater Dallas area, greater Houston area, College Station and Clear Lake area).
How long have you been at JSC?
17.5 super (fast) years.
Favorite thing(s) to do to unwind.
Play with my 4- and 6-year-old boys, Ayan and Neev. I also love to bake, scuba dive, hike (sometimes with a mini human on my back), watch sci-fi, garden, fix stuff, geek out at amusement parks, and jump out of planes … You know, the usual.
What is your idea of the perfect Thanksgiving?
Friends and family potluck, stretchy pants, reflection on what I am grateful for (everything and everyone), decorating for the holidays, and football.
How has the pandemic shaped your working style?
I miss my work family, but the silver lining is all the extra family time. My family is so supportive of my meeting schedule and sometimes long hours. My husband and our parents make sure the household is successful, and I get to hide and work. I love stealing hugs from my sons between meetings.
Tell us a fun fact about you.
I love being spontaneous, surprising people, and seizing the moment. Back in 2011, one of my best friends, Ashley Arciero, and I decided to take a 48-hour whirlwind trip to Florida to see STS-135 roll out to the pad and STS-134 land just a few hours later. We got to stand next to the runway for both events, and were pretty much the only ones there for the STS-134 late-night landing. I also planned a surprise trip to Belize for my husband for our first wedding anniversary. I picked him up for “lunch” from work, we went straight to the airport, and we were on the beach just a few hours later. He says I should do more of those.
At Johnson, we are laser-focused on the next: going forward to our lunar neighbor to build outposts in uncharted territory while revolutionizing the strategies and technologies that will eventually open up the universe. The Gateway is a critical component of the Artemis program and embodies Johnson's DARE | UNITE | EXPLORE vision: We dare to expand frontiers. We unite with our partners to complete bold missions. We explore space to benefit humanity.
DARE | UNITE | EXPLORE
