Team
Graduate Members
Thomas Campbell
Thomas Campbell is a Masters student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering
Mechanics specializing in Orbital Mechanics. He works primarily with the FASTRAC communication system and the distributed ground station network. He is also an avid sailor and has logged more than 3,000 ocean miles.
Millan Diaz-Aguado
Millan received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree in aerospace structures and plans to continue for a Ph.D. in orbital mechanics. He is a member of the FASTRAC structure team, developing the vibration and vacuum tests of the fully operational engineering model. He also worked with developing the FASTRAC clean room in the Satellite Design Lab.
Andrew Feistel
Andrew Feistel is a Masters student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics specializing in Orbital Mechanics. He has been involved in the development of the FASTRAC battery box, and currently monitors senior design projects working on ground support equipment and electromagnetic interference concerns.
Jamin Greenbaum
Jamin Greenbaum is a Masters student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics concentrating in Orbital Mechanics. His thesis research concerns the development of a new method for autonomous spacecraft navigation at Mars. He is currently the Student Project Manager for the FASTRAC nanosatellite mission.
Greg Holt
Greg Holt is a Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin studying Aerospace Engineering. His thesis research was "Benchmark Testing for Spaceborne Global Positioning System Receivers." He is currently the leader of the GPS subsystem and is writing the official attitude determination software that both FASTRAC nanosatellites will use during flight. Greg was the Student Project Manager for the FASTRAC nanosatellite mission from its beginning in 2003 to 2005 when he led the team to victory at the UNP-3 Flight Competition Review.
Jeffery Mauldin
Jeffery Mauldin is a Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin studying Aerospace Engineering. He currently works for The UT Center for Space Research on the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Program in Mission Operations. Certified in Satellite Tool Kit and experienced in real time operations programming, he works on the orbit analysis and groundstation software development for the FASTRAC mission.
Aaron Smith
Aaron Smith is a PhD candidate in the Computer Sciences Department at the University of Texas at Austin carrying out
research in advanced computer architecture and compilers. On FASTRAC, Aaron is the primary developer of
the software that will be used on each of the four microprocessors on both satellites.
Shaun Stewart
Shaun Stewart is a Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin studying Aerospace Engineering with specialization in Orbital Mechanics. He is currently student manager of the Cubesat\CanSat project, as well as the command and data handling and microcontroller subsystem specialist for the FASTRAC nanosatellite project.
Tena Wang
Tena Wang received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in orbital mechanics and plans to continue for a Ph.D. Tena is a member of the solar panel assembly team.
Undergraduate Members
Anna Murphy
Anna Murphy is an Aerospace Engineering graduating senior who is also studying Plan II, a unique Liberal Arts honors program at UT. She has spent most of her time working on the redesign of the propulsion system, developing the manifold design, and ensuring system integration. Currently she is assisting in the propulsion system assembly. When she has free time she enjoys reading, swimming, and playing with her two sugar gliders.
Marcin Pilinski
Marcin Pilinski is an Astronautical Engineering and Physics senior. He has been involved in the redesign and assembly of the propulsion system as well as the thermal vacuum testing at JSC. Current work includes the testing of the Microdischarge Plasma Thruster. In his free time he enjoys sailing, reading, and chess.
Cinnamon Wright
Cinnamon Wright is an undergraduate senior in the Department of Aerospace
Engineering and Engineering Mechanics.
Middle School Internship Program
Sam Morrison
Sam Morrison is an honorary member of the FASTRAC team. He is an 8th grader at Lamar Middle School with plans to pursue a career as an astronaut. He joined the FASTRAC team during the summer of 2004, aiding the team in radio and harnessing construction and Balloonsat development. Able to bench-press 400 lbs while playing with a lighter (just kidding, about the lighter), Sam is a valuable member of the FASTRAC team.
Previous Members
Emily Burrough
Emily Burrough is an undergraduate student studying Aerospace Engineering and Spanish Literature. She is also a part of the Plan II Honors Program unique to the University of Texas at Austin. Her work on FASTRAC has included helping on the thruster, communications and GPS subsystems.
John Cook
John graduated with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering in the Spring of 2005. On FASTRAC, he worked on the development of the electromagnetic interference containment system, magnetometer board design, and testing of the Inertial Measurement Unit. In addition, John helped Millan with Thermal and Structural modeling and developed CAD models for each FASTRAC subsystem.
Brittney Cunningham
Brittney Cunningham is an Aerospace Engineering senior. She is involved in the design and development of the mechanical ground support equipment for FASTRAC. Her current work includes developing CAD models of the satellite carrying case and testing the container to prepare for transport.
Philip Eckhoff
Philip Eckhoff grew up in Haiti and received his aerospace engineering degree at the University of Texas at Austin. He will be attending graduate school at the Princeton Institute for Applied Math. He is interested in studying aerospace controls and/or orbital mechanics. He speaks French, Haitian Kreyol, and a little Russian.
Mark Foster
Mark Foster graduated with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering in the Fall of 2005. He started on the FASTRAC team by heading the senior design project to build the Electrical Ground Station Equipment (EGSE). Mark also worked on the GPS system, wrote the EGSE diagnostic software, and served as the manager of the Satellite Design Lab. Currently Mark is working as a Flight Test Engineer for L-3 Communications Integrated Systems.
Stewart Geyer
Stewart Geyer received his Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree in guidance, navigation, and control at Georgia Tech as a Lockheed Martin Graduate Scholar. As a member of the FASTRAC team, Stewart was involved in the design and construction of the external ground support unit as well as the development of diagnostics software for the FASTRAC nanosatellites.
John Hatlelid
Elaine Jimenez
Elaine is an Aerospace Engineering graduating senior at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently the team lead for her senior design group involved in the development and design of the FASTRAC mechanical ground support equipment. Her work includes the design and testing of the satellite carrying case, as well as the development of procedures for shipping and handling once the satellite is packed safely. On her free time Elaine enjoys singing and writing music, and is also very involved at the University Catholic Center.
Michael Linford
Michael Linford is a Thermal/Fluid systems senior in the Department of
Mechanical Engineering. Michael has experience at TXDoT and ExxonMobil and is currently employed at ARL:UT. In his free time, he enjoys playing and listening to music.
Alex Menzies
Alex Menzies is an undergraduate student in the computer science department at UT Austin. He has a strong interest in space and space instrumentation and is helping with the software for the AVR boards.
Ahmed Saleh
Ahmed Saleh worked on the structural design and fabrication team. He graduated in August of 2004 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in Thermal Fluids Systems. His previous work experience includes internships at GE Power Systems, GE Aircraft Engines, and Proctor & Gamble. In September 2004, Ahmed begins work as an R&D Engineer at Schlumberger Co. in Houston, Texas.
Stephanie Sellers
Stephanie Sellers is an undergraduate aerospace engineering student. Her primary work has been on the redesign of the propellant tank. She has also participated on one of FASTRAC's BalloonSat missions in Colorado and environmental testing at NASA's JSC. She is currently working as a general FASTRAC lackey. In her free time she likes to go flying, scuba diving, or take a nice long nap.
David Wiese
David Wiese is a senior in the Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Department at the University of Texas at Austin. He will be pursuing his Master's degree in aerospace engineering with an emphasis in astrodynamics and Earth sciences beginning in the fall of 2005. He has been involved with the design, development, and integration of electromagnetic containment devices for necessary subsystems into the pair of FASTRAC nanosatellites.
Stephen Yeldell
Stephen Yeldell received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Aerothermodynamics. Stephen has been involved in the development of the of the Microdischarge Plasma Thruster and has been subsystem leader since Summer 2003.
Faculty & Advisors
Glenn Lightsey
Dr. E. Glenn Lightsey is an Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Texas at Austin. He specializes in the dynamics and control of vehicles using avionics sensors such as the Global Positioning System for navigation and attitude determination. He is the director of the GPS Research Lab and the Satellite Design Lab.
Wallace Fowler
Dr. Wallace Fowler has been on the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin since 1965. He teaches and conducts research in the areas of spacecraft and space mission design. He holds the titles of University Distinguished Teaching Professor in Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Paul D. and Betty Robertson Meek Centennial Professor in Engineering, and Director of the Texas Space Grant Consortium.
Laxminarayan L. Raja
Dr. Laxminarayan Raja is an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin. His research interests are in low-temperature glow discharge plasmas. He employs both computational modeling and experimental approaches for fundamental studies of plasmas and their applications. Current research topics include: Atmospheric-Pressure Glow Discharges, Microdischarges Semiconductor Process Plasmas, and Spacecraft Plasma Propulsion.
Takuji Ebinuma
Dr. Ebinuma is a research fellow in the Surrey Space Center (SSC) at the University of Surrey, England. Prior to joining the SSC in 2003, he worked at the University of Texas at Austin's Center for Space Research as a research engineer. During the spring and summer of 2002, he supervised teams of undergraduate students designing and building a coke-can size picosatellite called Cansat.
Team Meetings
All members of the FASTRAC team meet regularly to enhance the sense of teamwork and to exchange and optimize ideas among team members. We have several different meetings to coordinate our efforts. Each week, the entire team meets for a status meeting directed by the student program manager. Here, team-wide collaboration and scheduling take place as well as progress updates. A core group of systems engineers and satellite technicians meets weekly to discuss integration of the satellites for the week. Each subsystem group also meets weekly under the leadership of the subsystem lead engineer. On a daily basis, individual team members meet for small-group discussions of detailed satellite components.