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As the Chief Engineer of SOAR at Pitt, I oversaw and personally developed many technical projects including solid rocket motor manufacturing & testing, air brake & mechanical hardware design, and organizational outreach.
In my time with SOAR, I led two projects aimed at developing a mechanical air brake system to actively control the peak altitude of a rocket during flight. The first air brake system development I led was part of SOAR's 2025 IREC project, PAX 1, with a project goal of developing a 6-inch rocket air brake system to help the launch vehicle accurately hit a target altitude of 10,000 feet.
The second air brake system I developed was designed entirely by myself. This new system was designed to fit inside a 3-inch rocket and would allow rapid test flights to tune student-developed altitude control algorithms. This project would reduce the cost associated with software testing by 95% while still providing real flight conditions similar to scaled-up systems.
3-inch Rocket Air Brake System
The last SOAR project that I have undertaken is the design and manufacturing of a 3-inch rocket equipped with an air brake system for active altitude control. This rocket's intended mission intended to allow testing of a new air brake control system on a low-stakes, and relatively low-power fight (H & I impulse class motors).
With this 3-inch rocket and air brake hardware, test flights for controls system software can be done with 95% less cost and faster turnaround times.
6-inch Rocket Air Brake System
I led the creation of an air brake system for altitude control on PAX 1. I led a small team to develop a model, 3D-printed prototypes, and a final design. To save costs and reduce manufacturing lead times, I modified the design to simplify it without impacting functionality. My design allowed a majority of the parts to be water jet-cut, 3D printed, or off-the-shelf.
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