OGDEN, Utah — Weber State University engineering students demonstrated the progress of their senior capstone project to US Space Command officer Thomas A. Lockhart as he visited WSU’s Miller Advanced Research & Solutions Center June 26.
Lockhart is a member of the Senior Executive Service and the Director of the Capability and Resource Integration Directorate at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado.
During his visit, Lockhart learned about the MARS Center’s ongoing materials and additive manufacturing projects with local aerospace partners and proposed changes to the layout of the facility that will house additional high-tech equipment.
To showcase the real-world studies conducted on MARS, WSU graduates joined mechanical engineering professors Dustin Birch and Spencer Peterson and current students to test the heat tolerance of a carbon composite rocket nozzle at extremely hot temperatures. elevated.
The team said they are testing materials and technologies never used before for rocket nozzles. Ren Fisher, who works as a research engineer and was project manager for the capstone project, said their research can ultimately help reduce time, manpower and costs for organizations working with rockets.
“Our test platform allows us to easily try different combinations and collect data on how they perform, so future designs can trust their rocket to be the best it can be,” said Fisher.
Many of Weber State’s recent graduates now work at the MARS Center, located near Hill Air Force Base. Opened in August 2022, MARS offers WSU students and faculty the opportunity to research and apply innovative solutions to problems in aerospace and national defense.
