October
3
2025
11:00 AM

Location

Guggenheim 442
Friday, October 03, 2025 11:00AM

AE Brown Bag Seminar

 

Ryan McKee, Vittorio Prete, and Albert Zheng

 

Friday, October 3

11:00 a.m. -12:20 p.m.

Guggenheim 442

Pizza Served

 

Ryan McKee

Title:

CubeSat Mission Operations in the Design Phase

Abstract:

Mission operations is one of the most important subsystems in any spacecraft, but mission operators often have to work around design choices made early in the design process, before mission operations was considered. On the Green Propulsion Dual Mode (GPDM) mission, Mission Ops was an early focus, providing the eventual operators with input in the design phase and the ability to learn the ins and outs of the spacecraft as it is being built. Mission operations teams can also function as engineering reinforcements during the design phase, helping provide manpower and expertise where it is needed. My presentation outlines the unique role mission operators play before there is a spacecraft to operate.

Faculty Advisor:

Professor Glenn Lightsey

 

Vittorio Prete

Title:

Modeling and Lab Testing of New Grid-Less Ion Engine

Abstract:

This project is focused on the testing of a new grid-less ion engine designed by Eternal Engines Space. The new thruster design is going to be tested in a high vacuum chamber at the NARA. This is the first time the engine will be fired and the goal is to characterize the engine’s performance at different power levels and mass flow rates. The engine’s thermal, fluid, and E&M properties are also being modeled in COMSOL Multiphysics with the goal of creating a predictive model for how the engine will perform.

Faculty Advisor:

Professor Sedina Tsikata

 

Albert Zheng

Title:

Fast Star Identification Pipeline for Uncalibrated Cameras

Abstract:

Star identification (star ID) is a core function in star tracker systems for attitude determination. A challenging type of star ID is when accurate prior estimates of the camera calibration parameters are not defined, which is known as an uncalibrated camera problem. While there are existing algorithms (i.e. Astrometry.net and Tetra) that solve this type of problem, they do not utilize modern data structures and invariant theory. This work builds upon and improves existing approaches and introduces an integrated uncalibrated star ID pipeline, along with practical implementation concerns.

Faculty Advisor:

 Professor John Christian