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Discipline 03

Hardware Delivery.

Closing the loop between simulation and the physical world. Designing, building, and validating hardware for the systems and people who rely on it.

Experimental validationPrototypingFlight hardware
Case study 01 / Blue Origin

Space Systems Testing for ML

High-fidelity experimental data that makes physics-informed ML more predictive.

Steel orbital debris impact test — NASA public archive (test 19102).Sources: NASA test details, Original footage (AVI)

Business context

Hyper-velocity impact testing is required to generate ground truth data for analytical and machine learning representations of novel spacecraft shielding.

The challenge

Acquire high-fidelity experimental data to validate physics-informed ML models and improve predictive accuracy of spacecraft MMOD protection systems.

My role

Led design, execution, and analysis of hyper-velocity test campaigns. Coordinated with NASA test facilities, suppliers, and internal engineering teams to ensure data quality and relevance for system verification ML applications.

Contributions & implementation

  • Designed and manufactured hardware test articles representing Blue Origin spacecraft architectures.

  • Directed test campaigns at NASA facilities, capturing high-speed impact dynamics and material response data.

  • Processed and curated datasets for training physics-informed neural networks and validating ballistic limit equations, and correlated to shock-physics simulations of hyper-velocity impacts.

  • Integrated results into system design loops, feeding back into ML models and vehicle shielding architecture.

The impact

Produced first-of-kind experimental datasets enabling ML models to outperform legacy ballistic equations by ~40%, directly informing spacecraft shielding design and reducing system mass while maintaining crew safety.

Case study 02 / Blue Origin / NASA Artemis

Composite Meteoroid & Orbital Debris Shielding for NASA Artemis

Composite shielding from early trade studies through validation and flight certification.

Blue Moon MK2 Crew Lander.
Blue Moon MK2 Crew Lander.

Business context

NASA’s Artemis program requires advanced shielding to protect crewed lunar missions from meteoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) threats. Composite MMOD shields offer major mass savings compared to legacy metallic designs, but require new validation for flight certification.

The challenge

Design, analyze, prototype, and validate composite-based MMOD shielding architectures that meet NASA survivability requirements while minimizing vehicle mass and integration complexity.

My role

Sole MMOD lead responsible for shielding design strategy, from early trade studies through hardware prototyping, testing, and requirements negotiation with NASA. Provided technical guidance to program leadership and mentored junior design engineers.

Contributions & implementation

  • Testing: Directed hyper-velocity impact tests of composite materials, establishing ballistic performance baselines and validating analytical/ML models.

  • Prototyping: Led design, build, and iteration of composite shielding prototypes to mature concepts for manufacturability and certification.

  • Team Development: Mentored junior engineers in mechanical design, shielding design methods, simulation tools, and test planning, raising overall team capability.

  • Innovation & Strategy: Pitched novel composite shielding approaches to program leadership, gaining buy-in for technology infusion.

  • Customer Engagement: Authored design documentation and hazard reports; led NASA design reviews to adjudicate requirements and secure acceptance.

  • Integration: Partnered with supply chain, finance, and manufacturing teams to ensure feasible, scalable production.

The impact

Demonstrated composite MMOD shielding that delivered a 46% assembly mass savings with a doubling in rated ballistic limit performance relative to the heritage baseline concept, while maturing prototypes, mentoring future engineers, and securing leadership support for innovative designs—ultimately improving vehicle performance and helping enable humans on the moon in 2029.

Case study 03 / Personal Project

Building a 14K Gold Vacuum Casting Setup

A workshop build from CAD to cast gold: tooling, thermal control, failure analysis, and hands-on iteration.

In the workshop with the vacuum chamber, pump, and investment-mold setup.
In the workshop with the vacuum chamber, pump, and investment-mold setup.
CAD model of the custom ring with its stone settings and revised band geometry
Design for casting: revised section thicknesses, radii, and setting geometry.
Kiln opened for repairs and temperature-control upgrades
Reworking the kiln and temperature-control setup.
A freshly cast gold ring held beside its sprue
The 14K gold casting, before sprue removal and finishing.
The ring displayed in a handmade wooden presentation box
The ring in its handmade wooden presentation box.

Business context

I wanted to design and make a custom ring myself. That grew into an entire manufacturing project: CAD, resin printing, investment molds, kiln control, vacuum casting in 14-karat gold, finishing, and a handmade wooden presentation box.

The challenge

Bring an original ring design from CAD into physical metal using my own workshop setup. Make the geometry castable, manage mold quality and temperature control, and work through the failures that appeared when the design met the manufacturing process.

My role

I designed the ring, built and integrated the casting setup, ran the printing and casting process, diagnosed failures, and revised both the tooling and part geometry. I sourced, repaired, and upgraded equipment as the project evolved, built the presentation box, and brought in a professional jeweler for stone-setting work.

Contributions & implementation

  • Design & Prototyping: Developed the ring through successive CAD revisions, resin prints, and physical fit checks. Adjusted stone placement and clearances to work with an adjacent band.

  • Workshop Integration: Built the vacuum casting setup and connected the practical workflow from printed patterns and investment molds through burnout, melting, and casting.

  • Failure Analysis: Investigated an unsuccessful first pour by examining alloy oxidation, mold cracking, kiln heat paths, and the flask’s vacuum seal. Worked across material, thermal, and mechanical interfaces to understand what had gone wrong.

  • Thermal Hardware & Controls: Repaired kiln insulation, investigated a failed temperature sensor, and added computer-controlled heating. When the original kiln’s heating element failed, sourced replacement equipment and continued the build.

  • Design for Manufacturing: Redesigned the sprue with wider, more balanced gates; increased section thicknesses and fillet radii; and revised fine features to improve pattern rigidity and castability.

  • Casting & Finishing: Produced 14K gold ring castings, removed sprues, and worked on surface finishing. Used physical fit checks and professional jeweler feedback to identify further changes to the settings and casting.

  • The Final Details: Built and refinished a wooden presentation box, carrying the project beyond the casting into the finished physical presentation.

The impact

Took my own CAD design into 14K gold castings and built the workshop process needed to get there, iterating on the design, equipment, and manufacturing method along the way.

The project captures how I build: make something tangible, inspect what failed, understand the physical cause, and improve the next iteration.

Oh, and she said yes!

Continue exploring / 01

Technical Leadership