Unlike the average person, Katie Gatian knew what a thrust vector control was and what it did, but what she didn’t know was how she was going to build one in 10 weeks.
Spending 16 hours everyday, using her text books, class notes and team members’ strengths, the West Virginia University aerospace and mechanical engineering senior built a thrust vector control desktop learning center for NASA.
Gatian, of Morgantown, spent her summer in Hunstville, Ala., while she participated in the inaugural NASA Propulsion Academy. The summer experience was offered to WVU students through the West Virginia Space Grant Consortium. Students were required to fill out an online application, submit their resume, essays and two letters of recommendations.
Upon arrival, the 12 students were broken up into groups of four with one student leader – Gatian was chosen as her team leader.
After meeting the 12 other students for breakfast each morning at 7:30 in the Marshall Space Flight Center, each team would work on their research projects until 4 p.m.
Once their work day ended, the students participated in nightly activities such as listening to guest speakers. Their work week was Monday through Thursday. On Fridays they toured the area and on weekends were free to take trips.
“One weekend we traveled as a group to Coco Beach, Fla., to the Kennedy Space Center. Although our original plans changed when the shuttle didn’t launch, we were able to walk around the base and even got a special tour of the center,” Gatian said.
But the big project was designing a thrust vector control, which moves the nozzles of an engine to direct and stabilize the rocket.
“We had to build, manufacture and program a thrust vector control simulation. We designed miniature simulations that will be used to teach people about them,” Gatian said.
Gatian learned skills that she will be able to apply not only to her course work, but to life. She discovered a lot about team work, time management and assigning tasks based on peoples’ skill level.
“We were being asked to complete a task way above our skill level but working with a team and using other member’s strengths help us accomplish the task,” Gatian said.
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gw/09/18/ 09
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