Current Work Being Done - Fall 2025
Nightingale is fully made from filament-wound fiberglass, selected for it's robust mechanical properties for reusability of the rocket in future flights. It's main purpose is to prove safe operation through flight with a H or I class impulse motor, and log data from the flight on an onboard computer for analysis. If the rocket is proven to be able to be flown again after being recovered, an L1 certification is awarded, enabling future higher impulse flights and more advanced systems. Nightingale is on track to be launch-ready by December 2025.
Nightingale uses a 9-DOF Inertial Measurement Unit, which combines a 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer into one sensor. Using these 3 in conjunction, we can derive the attitude of the rocket, its magnetic heading, and angular velocity at any given time in the flight. Nightingale also uses a barometric pressure and altimeter sensor, which provides altitude, temperature, and pressure data. These two write data hundreds of times per second to the onboard computer, which writes the data stream to a microSD card to be used for visualization, validation, and analysis upon recovery.
The goal of the Project Bifrost mission is to explore the potential of Martian lava tubes as habitats and resource locations in anticipation of future human exploration. Evaluating the geological stability, environmental factors, and resource accessibility in these under- ground caves will yield essential information to facilitate the safe and sustainable long-term habitation of humans on Mars. This will be achieved via a dual-vehicle system: a surface rover (ODIN) will serve as a power source and communications center, launching a highly agile rotorcraft (RAVEN). The rotorcraft is built to access lava tubes/subsurface caves through skylights, employing Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), cameras, and various scientific analysis tools to produce intricate 3D maps and analyze the subsurface environment to address our requirements/goals.
Working closely with other disciplines, I specialize in the payload systems, specifically as a CDH and Mechanical Engineer, where I handle the R&D behind the TelCom, OBC, software, sensors, data storage, and structure components of the spacecraft system alongside 3 other students. We conduct trade studies, trace requirements, CAD, and V&V for our mission objective.
TAMU Robomasters is Texas A&M University's advanced robotics student organization, whose purpose is to build systems for competing in the annual RoboMasters competition, where our robots compete against other universities from all over North America (RMNA) and the world (RMUL). We have a wide array of subteams, each specializing in a different robotics system designed to carry out different objectives. This year, I am part of the Aerial hardware team that is specializing in sourcing, designing, and fabricating an entirely new copter-based robotics system from the ground up. This is due to an incident that left last year's platform decommissioned. As such, lots of work is cut out for us this year to get a result in the sky by the end of this school year. We are currently sourcing the onboard computers, sensors, ESCs, motors, and propellers, blocking out mounting points on the frame in CAD. All of the structural components will be made from carbon fiber composite plates and tubing, which are outsourced/machined in house.