Engineering News Stories
When I grow up, I want to be a rocket scientist.Some kids dream of one day becoming a doctor, veterinarian or perhaps a lawyer. But each dream is fueled by different things. There is an aspiring group of students and professors at The University of Alabama in Huntsville whose childhood aspirations were to become rocket scientists. Now, they no longer have to imagine the possibilities — rocket science is their reality. They are contributing vital research to NASA's Constellation Program, which is working to build America's next spacecraft to return humans to the moon. The students and professors are participants in the Constellation University Institutes Project (CUIP). The project comprises 24 universities in association with the Constellation Program. The teams work to address some of the technical issues of space access and exploration, including rocket stability and high performance, inexpensive solid propellants. Such issues are critical to the development of Constellation's spacecraft, and these aspiring rocket scientists rise to the challenge. Dr. Robert Frederick, professor and director of the Propulsion Research Center at UAHuntsville, leads two of the university's three CUIP teams. With his current role, Frederick is able to build upon his own aspirations for the next generation. "When I was a child, people were going to the moon," he said. "Now, I can help other young people achieve their childhood dreams of working on rockets and being in the propulsion industry." Frederick's teams are focusing on thrust chamber assembly and solid propellant research. Their tasks include evaluating and improving a laboratory-scale injector test facility and developing solid propellant characterization techniques. This is fundamental science for aspiring rocket scientists. Ashley Penton, a master's candidate in mechanical and aerospace engineering, works on one of Frederick's teams. In addition to realizing her dream of becoming a true rocket scientist, Penton is excited about the real-world application of her work. "We are looking at burn rates for solid propellants," Penton said. "This work is helping NASA because they are looking at using solid propellants for future rockets." These rockets include the J-2X rocket engine, an upgraded version of the J-2 rocket that helped power the Saturn V vehicles that carried Apollo astronauts to the moon. The J-2X is part of the Ares I rocket that will launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle to the International Space Station by 2015 and on to the moon by 2020. The team's work is directly related to developing this new rocket engine system. For teammate Tony Marshall, his childhood dream of working for NASA started in elementary school. "My class took a field trip to the Marshall Space Flight Center and to Space Camp and I said to a friend of mine that I wanted to do that some day," Marshall said. Marshall's work on the CUIP program has paid off and his dream is now a reality. "Since I have been on the team I have accepted a job that is located at the Marshall Space Flight Center," he said. As the space shuttle program nears retirement in 2010, the Constellation Program will advance future space exploration, and UAHuntsville students are getting to work first-hand on America's space program. Along this journey, aspiring students such as these may become NASA's next generation of rocket scientists. Sean Elizabeth Wilson 281-792-7516 UAHuntsville student embraces dream of becoming an aerospace engineer 
Five years ago, University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) student Paul Burns, the owner and installer of a small, South Carolina burglar and fire alarms company, had a vivid, mental image of himself in his 50's or 60's still crawling under houses running wires to make a living.It was not appealing. Burns decided then that he would make his childhood dream of being an aerospace engineer a reality — even if he had to close his company to make it happen. "I worked as owner/lead installer with approximately 30 employees (mostly salespeople) and was making around $65,000 per year, which was a decent income for someone uneducated, but I wanted more in life than just money." Burns first memory of space travel was the liftoff of the Spacelab mission. And, although he was a young boy and his memories of the Spacelab era are fuzzy, it made a lasting impression. "For the rest of my childhood I wanted to be an aerospace engineer, even though I didn't know what it really meant. I just knew that it had the word ‘space' in it. My thoughts wandered to this era of my life that Christmas of 2003. I thought to myself that if I wanted to live that childhood dream, I'd better do it now." Just after the New Year in 2004, Burns told his employees that he was closing the business and going back to school. He stayed on in Charleston for four months taking an extended vacation. Burns also worked as a stand-in actor, for Kevin Connolly, during the filming of the Hollywood movie, The Notebook. "I was getting bored and saw a casting call for extras, and since I had been an extra in the movie "The Patriot" starring Mel Gibson, I decided to give it a shot. I was surprised when I received a phone call from the casting director asking me if I wanted to be a stand in for Kevin," he said. Burns moved to Birmingham and attended Jefferson State Community College. Eventually, he moved to Huntsville to continue his education at UAHuntsville. As a college student Burns quickly proved to himself that he could excel if he really wanted to. His high school algebra teacher, Barbara Neal, recognized a diamond in the rough years ago when she told Burns of his latent ability. By his own admission, Burns had a less than stellar high school experience. "I did not like school and barely graduated … I was the antithesis of the Valedictorian," he admitted. Clearly not interested in continuing his education after high school, Burns enlisted in the Navy at 17 (his parents granted permission). "I spent just over four years in the Navy operating and maintaining the Mark 92 Gun/Missile Fire Control System on the USS Halyburton, FFG-40, during which time I participated in Operation Desert Storm." In 2007 Burns applied for the UAHuntsville's Cooperative Education program and was hired at Arnold Air Force Base (AFB) in Tullahoma, Tenn. "During my two back-to-back semesters there, I worked on intake analysis on the T-38C/PMP and the new Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35 Lightning II," Burns said. "My mentor, Dr. Donald J. Malloy (with the Aerospace Testing Alliance at Arnold), had the confidence in my ability to support flight test activities on-site at Edwards AFB in Lancaster, Calif., in support of the T-38 and the F-35. "Our first trip to Edwards was for one week, in which we attended meeting after meeting concerning these two aircraft. I quickly decided that, because I would only be a co-op employee for a short time, I would focus the remainder of my time developing analysis techniques for the T-38C/PMP program," he explained. Burns, along with several others from Arnold and Edwards AFB, developed methods to combine ground test and flight test data to anticipate engine compressor stall characteristics for the T-38. From November 2007 to May 2008, he traveled to Edwards AFB a total of four times. For this effort, Capt Charles M. McNiel and Dr. John L. Jordan of Arnold AFB, and David Kidman of Edwards AFB nominated Burns, as well as the rest of the team, for the Tennessee chapter AIAA Billy J. Griffith Engineering Analysis Award. Burns accepted the award at a banquet last October. While at UAHuntsville, Burns received scholarship money as a Charger Chaser and worked as an assistant in the Engineering Student Affairs Office. He will graduate from UAHuntsville this spring. "I sincerely hope I will be able to move back to Arnold AFB to continue my career, obtaining my childhood dream of becoming an aerospace engineer. Burns' future plans include attending the University of Tennessee Space Institute for graduate school. "One day I hope to add those three important letters to the end of my name, Ph. D." New supercomputer will help explore the universe Scientists in UAHuntsville's Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR) will soon be using one of the fastest supercomputers in the state to help them explore the universe. Able to run almost 4.2 trillion computations per second (4.2 teraflops), a new Dell supercomputer being installed in Cramer Hall has ten times the computing power of the computer it replaces and might be the third fastest state-owned computer in Alabama. It will cut the processing time needed to run CSPAR's mathematical models of the sun's bubble in the galaxy from two or three weeks down to two or three days, according to Dr. Vladimir Florinski, an assistant professor in physics. (Four trillion calculations per second, times 72 hours equals ... about one quintillion calculations per model run.) One of the new computer's tasks will be to analyze data gathered by NASA's new Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) satellite and from the two Voyager deep space probes. All three are collecting information on the size and shape of the heliosphere, the sun's bubble in interstellar space. CSPAR scientists are studying the turbulent boundary region where the solar wind slams like a snow plow through space into the thin soup of particles, plasma and magnetic fields swirling around the Milky Way in the space between the stars. The new computer was purchased through the Pei-Ling Chan eminent scholar endowment. The computer it replaces will be used as a teaching tool so graduate and post-graduate students can learn the skills needed to prepare models and data for distributed processing on a super computer. "That isn't a trivial task and there is no software to do the process for you, so it is an important skill to master," said CSPAR Director Gary Zank. UAHuntsville graduate named CEO of NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility 
Clyde S. "Chip" Jones, a native of Huntsville, and a 1978 electrical engineering graduate of The University of Alabama in Huntsville, has been appointed chief operating officer for Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The appointment was made by David King, director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville Ala., which manages the Michoud facility.Jones will be responsible for day-to-day management and operation of the 830-acre Michoud facility, which employs more than 4,000 workers. Michoud is responsible for the design, manufacture and assembly of the space shuttle's external tank. Michoud also has been selected to support NASA's Constellation Program for the agency's exploration missions to return to the moon and travel beyond. Work there has already begun for the Orion crew exploration vehicle, while planning is underway for the Ares launch vehicles, all part of the Constellation Program. "Mr. Jones will be responsible for ensuring that NASA is well-positioned to support large-scaled manufacturing necessary for all current and future launch systems," King said. "Varied technical expertise and solid business acumen, combined with his thorough knowledge of NASA's mission to return to the moon, make him the ideal person to serve in this position." Jones previously served as manufacturing and assembly manager for the Ares I Upper Stage, and was responsible for delivery of all development, test and flight hardware for NASA's newest launch vehicle, which will send crew members on board the Orion crew launch vehicle into space. From 2004 to 2005, he was external tank resident manager at Michoud Assembly Facility, overseeing the shuttle's external tank manufacturing activities. Jones served from 2002 to 2004 as group lead for Metallic Materials and Processes in the Materials & Processes Laboratory in Marshall's Engineering Directorate and was responsible for metals development, testing and welding. In 1992, he was named team lead for welding in the Materials and Processes Laboratory. He led the use of robotic welding for the International Space Station structures, and led development of friction stir welding for the external tank. Jones began his NASA career in 1981 as an electrical engineer in the Science and Engineering Directorate, working on robotic and computer controlled welding systems. Jones received his UAHuntsville degree in electrical engineering in 1978 and has completed graduate studies in control systems. He has received numerous awards and honors, including a Director's Commendation in 2006 for his response to Hurricane Katrina and a U.S. patent award in 1998 for a method for marking, capturing and decoding machine-readable matrix symbols using magneto-optic imaging techniques. Also in 1998, he was honored with the NASA Medal for Exceptional Achievement for leadership of the welding team. Mr. Jones and his wife Laura reside in Fayetteville, Tenn. UAHuntsville joins NSA, DoD systems engineering center The University of Alabama in Huntsville joins 17 other universities and research organizations across the U.S. today in launching the new National Security Agency and Department of Defense-supported Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC). Based at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ, the center was created to improve the systems used to develop, test, integrate and sustain complex defense and security services and systems, including weapons systems. "UAH has been involved in systems engineering research for the Army for several years," said Sue O'Brien, acting director of UAHuntsville's Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center (RSESC). "We are excited about working with the other collaborating universities, sharing our expertise, learning from their strengths and then bringing what we learn about the best practices in systems engineering back to the Huntsville community." Research engineers and scientists at RSESC and UAHuntsville's Industrial and Systems Engineering Department are involved in both of the new center's first two projects: Assessing the effectiveness of systems engineering in major defense acquisition projects, and evaluating the systems engineering methods, processes and tools used in both defense and intelligence community programs. One of the tools that will be assessed is the Systems Engineering Toolkit, a computer program created at RSESC for Army aviation, missile and space programs based on guidance from the secretary of defense. The decision to create a University-Affiliated Research Center was influenced by growing challenges in producing increasingly complex systems using rapidly evolving technology while serving multiple clients, such as two or more branches of the military. A 2008 U.S. General Accounting Office survey of eleven weapon programs with quality control problems related to systems engineering, manufacturing or supplier quality found cost overruns up to $846 million with schedule delays from several months to five years. Stevens Institute of Technology is the center's lead institution, with the University Southern California as principal collaborator. Other collaborating institutions are UAHuntsville, Auburn University, the Air Force Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, the Fraunhofer Center at the University of Maryland, MIT, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Penn State, Southern Methodist, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, the University of California at San Diego, the University of Maryland, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the University of Virginia and Wayne State University. UAH engineering professor receives Fulbright honor 
Seong-Moo Yoo, associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville), has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture and conduct research at Suleiman Demirel University in Almaty, Kazakhstan, during the 2008-2009 academic year, according to the United States Department of State and the J. William Foreign Scholarship Board.Yoo’s research involves providing information assurance education and curriculum development after investigating the curriculum and national situation in Kazakhstan. He has been a member of the UAHuntsville faculty since June 2001. Yoo is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals wo will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. His research interests include information assurance and computer security, cryptography, wireless networks and mobile computing and image processing. He received an undergraduate degree in economics from Seoul National University (Korea), and master’s and doctoral degrees in computer science from The University of Texas at Arlington. Yoo is on sabbatical leave until August 2009. The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international educational exchange program is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas introduced the program into legislation in 1946. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. Recipients are among 40,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. UAHuntsville graduate named chief scientist of U.S. Air Force Werner J.A. Dahm, who earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from The University of Alabama in Huntsville has been named the chief scientist of the U.S. Air Force. Dr. Dahm will be the principal science and technology advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. He will provide assessments to the Air Force leadership on a wide range of scientific and technical issues that affect the Air Force mission. The Air Force has a total research and development budget of more than $24 billion in FY2008, and an acquisition budget of nearly $34 billion. It is composed of more than 330,000 active duty members, 143,000 civilian employees, and 193,000 reserves and air national guard. Dr. Dahm earned his engineering degree from UAHuntsville in 1979. He went to receive a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee Space Institute and his doctoral degree from Caltech in 1985. For the past 23 years, Dr. Dahm has researched and taught at Michigan in areas related primarily to fluid dynamics, aerodynamics and propulsion. He will take a leave of absence from his position at Michigan to begin his new position at the Pentagon in October. "The Air Force today must rely more than ever on leading-edge technologies to accomplish its mission. My role is to help the Air Force gets the most it can out of its science and technology investments." He will also be spending part of his time visiting Air Force sites around the country and the world. "The view of science and technology that one gets in this position is absolutely amazing," Dahm said. Dr. Dahm has 30 years experience in science and technology, including defense science. He is an author of more than180 technical publications, and has given more than 220 technical presentations worldwide. Dr. Dahm is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA). UAH alumnus earns Teledyne Brown award Mark B. Shelton, ’84, electrical and computer engineering, is the recipient of the prestigious 2007-2008 Software Engineer of the Year award from Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. Shelton received the award for his creation and upkeep of software for the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) facility on the International Space Station. Shelton’s software manages information about the MSG facility and payload operations, and allows the data to be downlinked. "We are very proud that Mark was selected by AIAA as the top software engineer in Alabama and Mississippi," said Rex D. Geveden, president of Teledyne Brown Engineering. "Mark’s selection is a testament to his professional skill and his commitment to this important NASA program." The Software Engineer of the Year award is presented annually to a section member of the AIAA in recognition of outstanding extraordinary technical ability, creativity, or leadership in the development of software to support significant aerospace programs or the industry at large. Shelton received his award from the Alabama/Mississippi section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). UAHuntsville Engineering’s Tony Luchner wants a part of robotics cutting edge for helping others 
"It would be a way to give back to them," Tony Luchner said. "Robotics is on the new founding edge of technology and a field ready to be explored. I just want to give it what I can."Luchner, 26, of Huntsville, a computer engineering senior at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville), has a specific application in mind when it comes to research and development in robotics — prosthetics, or artificial human limbs. Before arriving at UAHuntsville in the fall of 2005, Luchner served five years in the United States Marine Corps, which included two tours in Iraq. He got the idea for his career goal from a desire to help soldiers who have lost limbs in military service. Luchner had a keen interest in robotics while a student at Grissom High School, and continued that interest into the Marine Corps. He received early electronics training by the military and served in Iraq as an electronics specialist for the Huey and Cobra helicopters. Since military service, Luchner has been heavily involved in robotics through the UAHuntsville chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He has helped in the design and/or production of numerous robotics systems; battery operated and guided by infrared, sonar, or camera systems. He says his career challenge will be developing systems that work with the human brain. Also helping Luchner prepare for future research and development is his current internship with ITT. This fall, he’ll continue to work part time at ITT and help get the IEEE team ready for SoutheastCon hardware competition. Next year’s competition will involve a litter robotics system, designed to pick up cans, plastic bottles and glass bottles. After graduation in May 2009, Luchner plans to begin work on his master’s degree through research and development, and then work for one of the nation’s companies that manufacture prosthetics. Jennifer English's Journey UAHuntsville engineering professor embarks on an emotion-filled trip after she learns of her cancer diagnosis It was just a year ago that Jennifer English learned that fate would provide her with a crushing blow — invasive ductal carcinoma. Breast cancer. During the past 12 months, she has undergone a left mastectomy. Jennifer and her family have undergone six months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation treatments. Today, the reports are much more positive. She is in remission. She is walking and running four miles a day. She is preparing to travel to Atlanta later this year to walk 60 miles to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and National Philanthropic Trust, funding important breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment. The event is scheduled October 24-26. Jennifer is using this event as part of her mental and physical recovery. But, she is motivated for other reasons. "I am walking for those who have lost the battle with this disease. I am walking so that my daughter does not have to face this disease," she said. She has been overwhelmed by the response for donations to her efforts. She established a fund-raising goal of $2,200 and reached that goal rather quickly. Another goal of $4,500 followed. She also reached that goal on July 29. Jennifer is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering The University of Alabama in Huntsville. She is a tenured professor. Married to Bill for 14 years. Mother of two children: Jeffrey, 9. Mary, 6. Since Jennifer’s world was shattered last July, she has embarked on an emotion-filled trip through the world that is too frequently traveled by too many women. This is Jennifer’s Journey: (click here for full story)  Class gets first-hand experience  Nagendra Singh appointed distinguished professor 
Nagendra Singh has been appointed a distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, only the eighth professor in the history of the university to earn such an honor.The honor was give to Dr. Singh based on his accomplishments of teaching and research during his 22 years of service to the university. Dr. Singh has nearly 30 years of experience in numerical modeling and simulation of electromagnetic plasma systems, and has richly contributed to the field of space plasma research through theory and simulations of complex plasma processes. He was described in the resolution by the university’s board of trustees as an exemplary teacher, researcher, leader, and member of professional organizations, leader and participant in professional activities, and author of scholarly articles. Dr. Singh has been responsible for $3.7 million in research grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA and Cray Research Corp. He has authored 156 refereed publications, and 25 conference publications in addition to making 168 conference presentations. He has also supervised nine doctoral dissertations and 11 master’s thesis. Dr. Singh has taught a variety of courses in electrical and computer engineering. His major area of research is application of electromagnetic theory to plasma systems, particularly in space research. Over the years, he has developed sophisticated modeling tools for solving problems related to space research. These models range from large-scale transport of plasma in space to interaction between satellite and plasma (spacecraft charging). He has applied these modeling tools developed for space research to problems in nonlinear optics. His expertise lies in theory and modeling of plasma and electromagnetic systems. Among his contributions to space research include:
UAHuntsville distinguished professors are S.T. Wu, Carroll Johnson and T.J. Chung from engineering, Richard McNider and John Christy from science, Jim Simpson from business and Philip Boucher from liberal arts. Alumna chosen for NASA fellowship 
Kimberly Sanland Robinson (MS, engineering management ’99) and a project integration manager at Marshall Space Flight Center, has been selected for the NASA Administrator's Fellowship Program. As part of her fellowship beginning in August, she will teach classes for one year at Oakwood University in Huntsville, emphasizing to students the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers. These fields of study are known as STEM – fields crucial to NASA's future exploration missions. For the second year of her fellowship, Robinson will engage in a comprehensive professional development program of her choosing. Those selected to participate in the annual, highly competitive process are full-time, permanent NASA civil servants, who hold a master's degree in a STEM field and are recommended by their NASA center director, branch chief or directorate lead. "Through this fellowship, I hope to bring my passion about the value of education and the benefits of science and technology to the classroom to inspire, challenge and educate," Robinson said. "I am eager to strengthen communication and partnerships within the broader community and expand my experience to better serve the objectives and goals of the nation's space program." Robinson started her NASA career in 1989 as a project engineer in Marshall's Propulsion Laboratory. Since 2005, she has helped lead the overall management and development of the Ares I-X test flight project, including heading the project integration team that handles the integrated master schedule, risk assessment and mitigation planning, configuration and data management, reporting and other duties for the Ares I-X mission. The Ares I-X is a test flight for the Ares I rocket, currently under development at Marshall and part of the Constellation Program to send human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I-X test flight is scheduled for April 2009. Farrington named interim engineering dean 
Phillip Farrington has been named interim dean of the College of Engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville.Dr. Farrington has been a faculty member of the college since 1991 and was promoted to full professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Engineering Management in 2007. Prior to joining UAHuntsville, he served as an industrial manufacturing engineer for A.B. Chance Co., in Missouri. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and his doctorate from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Farrington succeeds Jorge Aunon, who stepped down as dean in June. UAHuntsville Space Hardware Club second nationally in CanSat contest The Space Hardware Club at The University of Alabama in Huntsville captured second place honors nationally with its construction of CanSat, a "satellite" that has the dimensions of a soft-drink can. The CanSat contest was a competition where no more than 10 students from any accredited university would build a device no bigger than 72 millimeters in diameter and 279 millimeters in length, the approximate size of a 12-ounce soft drink can. 
The CanSat was rocketed to approximately 2,000 feet where it was ejected and deployed a parachute. Students had to build the machine to perform several tasks autonomously. The CanSat measured and recorded on-board data on temperature, pressure, velocity and altitude and transmitted that information to a ground station. Upon its landing, CanSat had to right itself on the ground and measure the surface temperature of the soil.UAHuntsville finished second among 20 teams at the national competition in Amarillo, Texas, besting Virginia Tech, the University of Michigan and Washington University in St. Louis, each of which sponsored two teams. Other top teams listed for the competition included Penn State, Tuskegee University, Michigan Tech, Texas A&M, and the University of Texas-Arlington. Finishing behind New Hampshire and UAHuntsville were the University of Michigan (third and fourth) and Virginia Tech (fifth). Georgia Richardson, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and the group’s faculty sponsor, said the students get no course credit for this exercise, but get experience that will help them in their coursework. "They developed multi-disciplinary skills with this project. They had electronic systems, a power system, a mechanical system and had to work together as a team to ensure all the pieces fit together in the end." UAHuntsville students said the requirements for the contest were challenging beyond just building the small instrument. The technical requirements included a descent rate of no faster than 4.6 meters per second, and total descent time could not exceed seven minutes. The altitude had to be transmitted to the ground station every five seconds and if a parachute is used as a main recovery device, it must have been released within one meter of the ground. Also, CanSat could cost no more than $1,000 to build. Dr. Richardson said the two most difficult goals were being able to communicate with the instrument through the entire flight and autonomously up-righting the instrument after landing. "The student’s vehicle performed both of these tasks flawlessly." Seiya Shumizu, a mechanical and aerospace engineering major from Tokyo, was project manager, and wrote most of the code for the flight-control software. He concentrated his time on software design as well as time and risk management. "This was my first experience to lead a team project, so I was very anxious when the project started," he said. "The success gave me confidence, but it also taught me what I should improve. For example, I underestimated the importance of time management. I sometimes failed to redirect the team when necessary. Next time, I can do better." Paul Watts, a mechanical and aerospace engineering major from New Jersey, served as mechanical team leader. "I had to ensure that all of the mechanical aspects of the CanSat were reliable, strong, lightweight and low cost." Watts aspires to become a vehicle designer. "Anything from high-performance jets to electric cars and anything between," he said. "I want to design because it allows me to be creative while also requiring me to use what I have learned at UAH which is, so far, all stuff that I enjoy." 
Eric Becnel, a mechanical engineering major from Mandeville, La., led the design and construction of the landing system. "I was chosen for this responsibility because I have most of the machining experience on the team from working with other clubs."One of the key lessons Becnel said he learned from this project was the importance of testing. "This project showed me how important testing is on a system. As I started building different mechanical models, parts would break. We would sit down and figure out why that was a weak point and develop from there. Seeing how testing help find problems before launch day, it really is valuable." Fuhito Fukazawa, a mechanical engineering student from Tokyo, agreed that testing and teamwork are critical for such ventures. "Communication is vital in all of the projects and I also learned that testing is very important. If any of three components — mechanical, electrical, and communication — fails, the CanSat cannot fly." James Mulroy, a mechanical engineering student from Hortonville, Wisc., was the group’s Alternate Project Manager. He assisted the team lead, but also kept track of the project’s costs and assisted the electrical team. Mulroy jokes that the experience will look good on a resume, but he also learned real world work experience. "When going to college and taking classes you only learn what they teach you in class. They don't tell you what's really going to happen on the launch range...because they can't; it's too complex. It's something you can only learn by experiencing it. This project gave me that — experience." Richardson said the CanSat is the next step for the students to construct a larger satellite — the CubeSat. "They have done several BalloonSat instruments (weather balloons) as the first step, " she said. "Balloon payload can be relatively large and heavy (~12 pounds) compared to a CubeSat (~2.2 pounds), so this CanSat step helps them learn how to do things in small packages. The BalloonSat step helps them learn how to build things that will survive in space. The balloons go up to 100,000 feet where the environment is very similar to the on-orbit environment of a CubeSat." The CanSat competition is sponsored nationally by the AIAA, AAS, Naval Research Lab and NASA. The Space Hardware Club was supported by the Alabama Space Grant Consortium, the UAHuntsville Student Government Association, and the university’s Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department and Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research. |
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