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Katlyn Sullivan, Jeremiah Garrison, Elaine Bourne, Fiona Turett, and Ryan Dawson
Washington University in St. Louis
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michael A. Swartwout
Abstract
Between June 2008 and June 2009, students at Washington University in St. Louis will fly three missions on NASA's Microgravity Aircraft. Two missions are functional experiments to help design and verify a student-built spacecraft docking mission, while the third is an ESMD-sponsored study of lunar-dust mitigation techniques for solar panels. In this paper, we outline the objectives and development process for the three missions, comparing flight results for the two missions that have flown to date. We also investigate the advantages and disadvantages of having direct NASA participation (via an ESMD mentor) compared to student-directed research.
Katlyn Sullivan is a junior in Mechanical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. She is originally from Milwaukee, WI, and is considering a career in spacecraft systems engineering. She is the deputy program manager for the Bandit mission, and led the 2008 C-9 team.
David (Jeremiah) Garrison is a junior in Aerospace Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. Jeremiah went to school in India, but currently calls Arkadelphia, AR his home. He was the co-lead on the 2008 C-9 project, as well as a lead student on the Bandit propulsion system. He intends to combine a love of aerospace with a medical degree, possibly as an astronaut.
Elaine Bourne is a senior in Mechanical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. She grew up in Urbana, IL, and despite her time as the quality assurance/documentation lead for the Bandit project, she will be going to graduate school to pursue her true vocational passion: prosthetics.
Fiona Turett is a senior in Mechanical Engineering from Rochester, MI. During her time at Washington University, Fiona has spent her summers as an intern at NASA Goddard and Johnson Space Centers. She will be returning to JSC this summer as a full-time employee, and is looking forward to contributing to the further exploration of the Moon. Until that time, Fiona is responsible for completion of the Bandit mission as the project manager.
Ryan Dawson is a freshman in Mechanical Engineering at Washington University, originally from Birmingham, AL. He is the lead of the 2009 Micogravity test flight of the Bandit docking system. As for career plans, Ryan is still keeping his options open.
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