2018 in Review

I wanted to use this post as a 2018 year in review. It was the most exciting year since 2012 when I started this blog and began my year abroad as a foreign exchange student in Austria. I traveled throughout the US, went overseas, and reached a few life milestones along the way.

The spring was my final semester as an undergraduate student at Oklahoma State University. I completed all coursework except for my two senior design classes. With 9 other seniors, we spent the semester building, testing, and flying an autonomous rocket-launched quadcopter. I led our structures team building fiberglass tubes, assembling rockets, and handling recovery operations. It was a blast working with some of my closest friends, many of whom had been with me since founding the team in 2016. We built this system to compete in the 2018 Argonia Cup, and while our team didn’t succeed at bringing the quad down safely from 8000 feet, OSU’s other registered team still won the competition. 

OSU Rocket Squad Senior Capstone Team

Throughout this semester I had more free time than usual because I was only taking two classes. I used this time to engage in another hobby of mine: baking. I made a variety of breads, cakes, and pastries, partially fueled by inspiration from the Great British Bake Off. 

Baking Powder Biscuits, Pain au Chocolat, Croissants, and Chocolate Checkerboards and Pinwheels

In March, I received my acceptance letter to OSU’s graduate school, and I decided to extend my time in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering to pursue a master’s. At the end of March, I got more exciting news: acceptance to NASA’s Propulsion Academy. This internship at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL would be my first professional experience in the aerospace industry.

At the conclusion of the spring semester, I graduated with degrees in Aerospace Engineering (Honors) and Mechanical Engineering. My parents and sister came for the ceremony, and I was thrilled to share this milestone with them. 

Sam was to begin an internship with Rockwell-Collins in Winston-Salem, NC shortly after graduation, and so we drove east together. I stayed the first week of her internship with her, and the following weekend, she drove me to Huntsville for me to begin my internship with NASA. I had some awesome roommates and the Rocket City had me inspired and motivated. 

During the summer, our intern group took a trip to New Orleans to tour the Michoud Assembly Facility and a flight to Cincinnati for the AIAA Joint Propulsion and Energy Forum. I met the CEO of Relativity Space, Tim Ellis, which was awesome. I also met the OSU Rocketry Team in New Mexico for the Spaceport America Cup. We launched a 72-pound rocket to 8700 feet. That following weekend I flew to Orlando with a few friends to watch the SpaceX CRS-15 launch from Cape Canaveral. We also visited Kennedy Space Center and enjoyed the beach. 

Oklahoma State University with "Results May Vary"

Cocoa Beach, FL

The experience with NASA was one-of-a-kind. I'm looking forward to see where we all end up after college. 

We even went white water rafting

Green Monopropellant Team with Fabian, McKynzie, and Bailey

2018 Propulsion Academy

My first semester of graduate school got started in August, and it was an adjustment from undergrad. I got to lecture for one of the classes as a TA, and I submitted a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship Proposal to seek funding for research of additively manufacture space propulsion hardware. Sam and I celebrated our one-year anniversary, and we saw Barns Courtney, Arkells, The Wombats, and St. Lucia in concert.    

St. Lucia in concert

Just before the summer started, I bought a new rocket kit, a 2-stage Nike-Tomahawk. I spent the summer planning out how to build and fly it, and then worked towards its first flight in October. I plan to fly it 3 more times in 2019. 

On another note, I’ve been keeping personal journals ever since 2008. I’m a little ashamed to say the inspiration came from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books that I read in 6^th grade, but 10 years later, I’m still sticking with it. While on my trip to Florida in June, I accidentally left my journal at a gate in the Atlanta airport. It had my contact information in it, but months went by without hearing about it. Then just before Thanksgiving, I get a text from someone in Orlando who said they had found it. A couple weeks later after working out some logistics, it turned up in the mail. After 5 months, it made its way back to me. That was really special. Unfortunately, the same week I got it back, my bicycle was stolen from on campus. You can’t have everything I suppose. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

After the fall semester concluded (ended with a 4.0 GPA!), I flew overseas to Germany and Austria. I reconnected with my 3 host families, and while it was a very short visit, it was wonderful to go back. It had been over 3 years since I last saw them and 6 years since my time as an exchange student. I also spent Christmas with my German grandparents and extended family who I hadn’t seen in 2 years. I wish I could visit more often, but it really does make the time we do have together that much more special.

It was one heck of a year. I traveled more than 25,100 miles, or 100.61% of the Earth’s circumference. It means 2019 will be hard pressed to beat it, but I am just looking forward to the adventures it will have in store. 2019 will be my last year of school which is both terrifying and a relief.