Hi guys,
Classes have been quite busy, but all a great learning experience. I have the opportunity to take Space Mission Design which essentially provides a certain issue, and you get the chance to design a mission to address this need. This semester we are looking to track the migration patterns of whales and stream live video from tagged whales.
Within the group I am looking at the different ground station requirements surrounding the uplink, downlink, and cost analysis. In addition, I have taken it upon myself to devise a business model and case study about our company. In it, I hope to propose an innovate business structure and method for generating revenue throughout the duration of the mission. It has fun, though challenging, to work with the rest of my group to secure requirements for the Telecom link budget, as well as the Orbitology and Power. Each subsystem interacts with one another forming a cohesive spacecraft.
Prior to this course, I had an introduction to mission design with ASTE 330 in which I also designed a spacecraft for a Venus mission. The level of hands-on opportunities drew me to these courses and have truly enriched my appreciation for rocket science! I hope to then transfer this classroom experience to industry working as for Northrop Grumman’s Mission Launch and Operations group!
Fight On!
Markus M.
