Space Systems Design Studio, Research Work
Chipsats
In my first year at Cornell I started a project to explore if optical communication could be integrated into Chipsats. Chipsats are miniature satellites like the one shown below. Overall my work on this project showed that optical communication was most likely not viable for this use case. After this I continued with another exploratory project to design a Chipsat scale rover. Unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted that project before significant progress was made.
Spacecraft Modeling
In my sophomore year spring semester I began work on a new project. I was building models to asses the viability and requirements of a new spacecraft concept. This craft would use attitude adjustment to make use of a gravitational effect that would let it raise its orbit without using propellant, albeit quite slowly. I developed a couple of different models to asses the timescales, power requirements, and forces involved. Professor Peck plans to submit this concept to NASA for funding in the near future. For all of these projects I worked with Professor Mason Peck and his lab the Space Systems Design Studio.