Reassessment for Honors Qualification 

Relationship with Your Mentor and Outside Expert
(Ability to Concentrate and Persevere)

Self-Assessment: Qualifies for Honors

My relationship with Ruth Krumhansl, my mentor, has been excellent.  Her enthusiasm for manned space flight and its associated science has allowed us to have very detailed conversations about my progress and future direction.  Ruth has also assisted me in keeping the project from diving too deep into technical details, forcing every element to have direct influence on the design that is understandable to people other than the engineers at NASA.  We meet every week with few exceptions, and only when our schedules did not permit it.  Often times when our regular meeting time did not work we rescheduled to another day later in the same week.

Mr. Pritchett, my Outside Expert at NASA, has provided me with excellent information that has made an enormous impact on my design.  He helped me guide the design from its earlier versions, which were lacking in several key elements, into something I can be proud of.  Mr. Pritchett even consulted several of his colleagues in about my project and sent me their feedback as well.  Naturally, my specific design will most likely never be implemented, but I hope my vehicle is just as capable as NASA's Orbital Space Plane program, a program in its infancy that will have a new generation of vehicles ready for launch in 2010.

Mr. Peters, my Outside Expert at BAE Systems, was invaluable, since I could discuss problems I was encountering face-to-face, which has numerous benefits over e-mail.  After spending almost a month tackling the launch and orbital dynamics of my vehicle, I came to a conclusion that was too good to be true.  I had expected that since I was using engines designed to reach a 200km orbit to go to a 400km one that my overall mass would be reduced by half when compared to my original vehicle.  Instead, I only needed to reduce it by 7%.  His explanation of the orbital dynamics regarding this set my mind at ease.  Nevertheless, I set a benchmark to be 21% lighter than the original vehicle, giving myself at the very least a significant buffer in case I run into mass overruns and at the most a more efficient vehicle.

I have a third Outside Expert as well, if only in a figurative since.  I posted my original documentation and design on an online message board focusing on manned spacecraft.  Numerous people, whom I only know by online aliases, commented on my work, encouraged my endeavor, and recommended suggestions.  The community there is very strong, and I fully understand the concept of the "NASA family" that was commented on so much during the Columbia incident.

The Columbia incident altered the course of my project in many respects.  It reminded me of the serious risks undertaken by spaceflight, and made me redouble my already strong dedication to make this vehicle as safe as possible.  I even added the ability to rescue shuttle crews to the mission objectives of my vehicle, something that I had not previously considered in an attempt to keep the design as simple as possible.  Nevertheless, the modifications to the vehicle are not drastic, and their benefits far outweigh the additional mass required.  The launch versatility of my vehicle can realistically provide this rescue capacity, something that was never before possible.

Mentor Assessment: Qualifies for Honors

Ryan has been responsible about attending regular meetings, and has been very responsive to my feedback/suggestions.  I have enjoyed working with him!