Professional Experience

During my summer as an Undergraduate Propulsion Intern at Blue Origin, I worked on the BE-3U engine as part of the Valves Team, where I supported the design, development, integration, testing, and verification of valve and electric actuator systems. My work spanned mechanical design, controls, instrumentation, software, data analysis, test automation, hardware integration, and manufacturing. One of my primary projects was developing an automated data package for test reviewers that runs after every hotfire, flight, and other engine test. The system automatically analyzes engine controller signals and passes the relevant data through a network of valve-specific fault trees to perform a detailed root-cause analysis of potential issues. Rather than simply identifying that a signal is out of family, the system determines the what, when, where, and why of the issue, identifies the most likely root cause, provides recommended corrective actions, and suggests potential next steps for the test team. The package is currently being used and has already identified issues on the current engine that were quickly investigated and corrected as a result of the analysis.

Another major project involved integrating the BE-7 motor control box architecture into the BE-3U system to create a control platform for the electric valves on future engines. I designed, modified, integrated, and debugged the control box and its interfaces with the BE-3U actuator architecture, resolving issues involving Drive and DAQ communication bridges, resolver feedback, valve actuation, precise automated control, frequency response, thermocouple integration, RTD instrumentation, harness modifications, heater control, and thermal chamber control. I also developed a GUI capable of automatically executing the entire ATP test campaign for the actuators and valves. During hardware testing, the system helped identify discrepancies in released documentation, including incorrect current limits, allowing me to determine and recommend updated values. The system was verified on hardware and has already successfully completed ATP and Dyno testing, with the architecture intended for use during future ATP, Dyno, vibration, thermal, and other actuator and valve testing.

I also designed and executed a rollerscrew backdrive efficiency test to determine whether external loads could cause an electric actuator to rotate or open. I designed and built a test setup using a hydraulic press to apply controlled loads representative of backpressure, then used a load cell and torque wrench to characterize the conversion between axial and torsional force. I measured the rollerscrew friction factor and reverse-power efficiency under loads up to 10,000 lbf, providing the data necessary to confirm that the actuator was self-locking under the tested conditions.

In addition to these larger projects, I designed, machined, tested, and released a rotor insertion tool that is currently being used for electric actuator assembly across the BE-3U valve family. I also designed, machined, and tested a heater installation tool that was released for actuator assembly. I supported coolant control valve vibration testing, completed development builds for electric actuators and valves, and learned and applied Model-Based Definition workflows in Creo. I released multiple engineering documents using both MBD and conventional drawing formats, giving me experience taking hardware from initial design and analysis through fabrication, integration, verification, testing, documentation, and final release in a flight-hardware development environment.