Project number
27034
Organization
Northrop Grumman
Offering
ENGR498-F2026-S2027
Northrop Grumman Space Systems develops technologies on the bleeding edge of the aerospace industry, from commercial and scientific space launch to hypersonic missiles. Launching rockets is one of the most complex engineering tasks ever devised by mankind. The intricate systems which are needed to ensure a successful launch can never be fully tested on the ground in such a way to undoubtedly prove their capabilities for flight. As a result, it is common to install instrumentation throughout a vehicle for launch, often including strain gauges and accelerometers for structural/dynamic response, pressure transducers for motor performance, or thermocouples for thermal protection performance. However, these sensors provide limited insight compared to something as simple as a video, especially for more dynamic events such as stage separations and payload deployments.
Scope: Students will (1) work with Northrop Grumman engineers to understand the needs and desires of the delivered project; (2) design a camera system that interfaces with Northrop Grumman launch vehicles and provides high-quality footage of in-flight events to the ground; (3) develop design concepts that trade factors such as resolution, instrumentation, reliability, cost, manufacturability, and ease of integration/testing; (4) construct a working prototype of the designed system ahead of an in-depth test campaign; (5) as part of the design effort, conduct a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and Critical Design Review (CDR) which are required to provide periodic updates and reviews by Northrop Grumman subject matter experts (SMEs) and leadership; (6) demonstrate and verify via a variety of tests to that all design requirements specified are met by the proposed design; (7) deliver a final product to Northrop Grumman in the form of a working prototype and final report chronicling design, analysis, and testing. The final product will be presented at the Northrop Grumman Design Day fair with additional Northrop Grumman sponsored Arizona capstone teams such as those from ASU, ASU Polytechnic, and NAU.
Scope: Students will (1) work with Northrop Grumman engineers to understand the needs and desires of the delivered project; (2) design a camera system that interfaces with Northrop Grumman launch vehicles and provides high-quality footage of in-flight events to the ground; (3) develop design concepts that trade factors such as resolution, instrumentation, reliability, cost, manufacturability, and ease of integration/testing; (4) construct a working prototype of the designed system ahead of an in-depth test campaign; (5) as part of the design effort, conduct a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and Critical Design Review (CDR) which are required to provide periodic updates and reviews by Northrop Grumman subject matter experts (SMEs) and leadership; (6) demonstrate and verify via a variety of tests to that all design requirements specified are met by the proposed design; (7) deliver a final product to Northrop Grumman in the form of a working prototype and final report chronicling design, analysis, and testing. The final product will be presented at the Northrop Grumman Design Day fair with additional Northrop Grumman sponsored Arizona capstone teams such as those from ASU, ASU Polytechnic, and NAU.