Michael Kirsch
SDA Mission Management Product Owner at Iridium
Stephenson, Virginia, United States
Summary
🤩
Rockstar🎓
Top SchoolMichael Kirsch is an experienced mission planning and orbital analyst turned product owner, now leading SDA Mission Management efforts at Iridium after nearly two decades in aerospace roles at Iridium and Boeing. With an engineering foundation in mechanical and aerospace disciplines (MS and professional engineer degree) and eight years of software-focused experience, he bridges deep domain knowledge in orbital operations with practical software and DevOps skills. He contributes to notable open-source projects—working on the C++ backend of the popular Slic3r 3D-printing toolpath generator and enhancing automation for the widely used itzg/docker-minecraft-server—demonstrating comfort with low-level data processing, mesh handling, and automation scripting. Colleagues rely on him to translate complex mission requirements into operational software features and reliable automation, and he brings a hands-on mechanical engineering perspective to software problems. Based in Stephenson, Virginia, he pairs systems-level thinking with a pragmatism honed from lab technician work through senior research and long-term industry practice.
8 years of coding experience
3 years of employment as a software developer
Bachelor of Science - BS, Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor of Science - BS, Mechanical Engineering at Polytechnic UniversityMaster of Science - MS, Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Master of Science - MS, Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at University of Tennessee Space InstituteProfessional Degree: Engineer, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Professional Degree: Engineer, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The George Washington University, Joint Institute for the Advancement of Flight Sciences
Github Skills (18)
docker10
c-language10
scripting10
linux10
bash10
dockers10
3d-printing10
automation10
script10
dockerfile10
sh10
automations10
shell10
cprogramming-language10
3d-printer9
Programming languages (9)
Github contributions (5)
slic3r/Slic3r
Apr 2018 - Jul 2020
Open Source toolpath generator for 3D printers
Role in this project:
Back-end Developer
Back-end DeveloperContributions:165 commits, 7 PRs, 30 comments in 2 years 3 months
Contributions summary:Michael primarily focused on back-end development, specifically within the context of 3D printing toolpath generation. The commits demonstrate a deep understanding of the codebase, involving significant changes to core functionality such as file reloading, transformation matrix manipulations, and mesh handling within the C++ backend. Furthermore, the user implemented features like handling of different reload behaviors and changes related to the 3MF export, further showcasing their focus on data processing and manipulation. The user also has made contributions to the GUI interface.
3d-modelsoctoprintsd-card3d-printercam
itzg/docker-minecraft-server
May 2020 - Feb 2022
Docker image that provides a Minecraft Server for Java Edition that automatically downloads selected version at startup
Role in this project:DevOps Engineer
DevOps EngineerContributions:13 reviews, 6 commits, 6 PRs in 1 year 9 months
Contributions summary:Michael primarily contributed to the automation and management of the Minecraft server Docker image, focusing on the autopause and autostop functionalities. Their contributions involved creating scripts for pausing, resuming, and stopping the server based on client activity, along with logging enhancements and interface selection options for the autopause feature. The user also updated and refactored the autopause logic, integrating it with the health checks, and configuring the autostop feature.
minecraftdocker-imagedockerminecraft-serverdockerfiles
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