JPL Internship Funded by the ESMD Program

Chris Wyatt

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Internship Details

• Classification: Senior in Systems Engineering

• 10 Week Research Internship

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory

• Pasadena, California

• Funded by the ESMD program

• Project was selected based on a submitted proposal

Over 300 students interned at Caltech and JPL

Project Details

• Project Title: The Advancement of Electrostatic Dust Mitigation Technologies by Improved Manufacturing Methods

• Advisor: Nick Mardesich• Accomplishments:

– Found new manufacturing methods using sputtering vapor deposition, electroplating, and conductive paste screen printing

– Manufactured stainless steel sputtering masks– Designed and refitted a vacuum chamber test setup for a

synergetic dust mitigation process

Other Interesting Activities at JPL

• Observed testing of the Athlete rovers

• Learned about numerous advanced research projects including hydrogen storage, advanced RTG (radioisotopic thermoelectric generator) semiconductors, nanolithography, vapor sputter deposition, and ATK flexible solar arrays

More Activities

• Weekly seminars on topics such as the Dawn project, Mars Science Laboratory, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and universe expansion

• Attended Mars Exploration Rover planning sessions

Suggestions for Other Students

• Summer internships with NASA centers usually lead to future NASA or affiliate careers

• Choose an ESMD funded group project at a preferred NASA center (group projects appeared to be better defined at the beginning of the internship term)

• Take part in aerospace oriented undergraduate research to get ahead

So what do you do with 10 weekends in southern California?

Special thanks to the ESMD program, the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium, my advisor Nick Mardesich, and the JPL

education office.