I have trouble planning my weekend more than a day in advance. What are some of the hassles of trying to plan a scientific mission that won’t be completed for another decade?

Now that we are selected, I have host of daily hassles dealing with government funding (the government shutdown last year really caused some headaches), personnel management, late suppliers, and maintaining our team culture. Our long development timeline also poses a challenge in public relations. We think our mission is great, but most media outlets won’t be interested until the day we are on the launch pad. We are constantly coming up with ways to engage with the public and make them aware of the excitement of working on a spacecraft mission. This AMA is one way that we hope to connect with the community and make them feel part of the team! Thanks for your question.