LASP director of engineering retires after 46 years of service
How does one capture the many remarkable elements of a person’s career who has served LASP for over 46 years? That is the question faced as we see Thomas (Tom) Sparn retire from the Lab and head off into the sunset (or sunrise) in his Ford F-150 Hybrid towing an Airstream camper. Tom has played so many roles – and done this with such success—that it is nearly impossible in a short article to begin to tell his story.
Tom began work at LASP as an undergraduate in 1978. He started by doing data analysis for the Voyager and Pioneer Venus missions examining results from the LASP instruments (UV) on board those storied planetary probes. In 1980 Tom began work on the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) program, and he played key roles until that mission came to an end in 1989. In the process of working on SME, Tom led hugely successful software development efforts with LASP’s OASIS (Operational and Science Instrument Support) tools, and he led the Planning and Scheduling development (OASIS-PS) part in particular. This software has evolved into OASIS tools still used by LASP missions today.
In the late 1980s, Tom began his remarkable career as a program manager (PM), starting with the SOLSTICE instrument onboard the NASA Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). His great success with the UARS program led to Tom becoming PM for LASP’s Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) mission. Tom’s name became synonymous with pursuit of solar irradiance measurements, first working closely with Gary Rottman and Tom Woods and then working with Peter Pilewskie and his teams.
One could speak much more about Tom’s inspired—and inspiring—management work on programs like TSIM, TSIS, JMEX, Glory, and (recently) Libera. However, from my point of view, I want to conclude by talking about Tom’s role as a line manager in LASP. On Feb. 1, 2017, Tom became director of engineering in LASP. He has done a superb job.
As engineering director, Tom could have just focused on management functions, but Tom continued to be a hands-on program manager, a business development leader, and a remarkable mentor and teacher. I have said—without exaggeration—that Tom in the last nearly decade has carried out a dozen different roles while also managing very effectively LASP’s largest technical division.
I urge everyone in the Lab to look over Tom’s highly impressive resume. I am sure that—like me—you will be amazed at how many ways Tom has contributed to LASP’s worldwide reputation. I can truly say that we will all miss Tom’s can-do spirit and his deep knowledge of what makes our institute the “LASP” we know today. I personally hope Tom will come back frequently from his travels to share his wisdom, insight, and inspiring work ethic. Thank you, Tom!
Founded a decade before NASA, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder is on a mission to revolutionize human understanding of the cosmos by pioneering new technologies and approaches to space science. The institute is at the forefront of solar, planetary, and space physics research, climate and space-weather monitoring, and the search for evidence of habitable worlds. LASP is also deeply committed to inspiring and educating the next generation of space explorers. From the first exploratory rocket measurements of Earth’s upper atmosphere to trailblazing observations of every planet in the solar system, LASP continues to build on its remarkable history with a nearly $1 billion portfolio of new research and engineering programs, backed by superb data analysis, reliable mission operations, and skilled administrative support.