Jaykumar Vaidya is a Mass Spectrometer Calibration Engineer and Ground Support Operations Lead within the Solar System Exploration Division (SSED) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). His expertise lies in optimizing the dynamic sensitivity range of quadrupole mass spectrometers (QMS). His work enhances the QMS's capability to precisely characterize specialized low-density ion species with high measurement sensitivity while maintaining the flexibility to measure mid- and high-density ion species at optimal sensitivity. This adaptability ensures accurate detection of ions of interest encountered across diverse planetary atmospheric regions during flight.
Jaykumar is also responsible for designing and developing ground support electronics capable of tuning flight-qualified mass spectrometers. He supports their development lifecycle, transitioning from Brass-Board (BB) units to Engineering Test Units (ETU) and ultimately to Flight Model (FM) units.
He actively contributes to the engineering, development, and operations of several high-profile space-borne instruments, including MAVEN-NGIMS, GDC-MoSAIC, DISSIPATION-MoSAIC, CLPS-SEAL, and Artemis III/LEMS.
Jaykumar’s alma mater includes the University of Virginia, where he earned a Master’s in Electrical Engineering, and the University of Mumbai, where he completed his Bachelor’s degree.