Code 564/Electronics Development Branch/Engineering
Testing input signals to the Domino register sampling (DRS) to ensure that a differential signal input still preserves PSD. Designing and fabricatimg a test board to test the differential input. Measuring PSD with the test board and confirm that differential input is OK for the final board design.
Leading on the design and fabrication of the anti-coincident counter (ACD) for the neutron spectrometer. This includes 1) support the design, layout, and testing of new carrier boards for the 3mm SiPMs, 2) interface with mechanical engineers to determine reliable mounting of the SiPM carrier boards to the ACD frame, 3) support testing of the ACD counter and data analysis, and 4) characterize temperature dependence of SiPMs
General laboratory support of key subsystems for the neutron spectrometer, including: 1) instrument to DRS interface, 2) TOF interface, 3) LabView readout and data interpretation, and 4) simulations of key circuits using the SPICE simulator. IV) Develop and run simulations of the instrument using GEANT4 to compare with laboratory results.
Supporting review and testing activities for the Front-end electronics.
Completing design, fabrication and testing for the 5V to 3.3V level converter.
Positions/Employment
5/2014 - Present
Science/Engineering Collaborator
CUA, Greenbelt, Maryland •Helped with design/assembling and GEANT4 & IDL simulation of a neutron/gamma-ray spectrometer that will be placed in a CubeSat from the New Mexico State University.
•Wrote Interface control document (ICD) for this CubeSat mission’s EDR at the SmallSat 2014 Conference.
•Worked on FPGA programming (flight computer) to analyze the data and helped with interpretation of results
5/2013 - 5/2014
Ames Research Center Internship
MUST, Mountain View, California Axel’s main contribution to the Lunar Plant Growth Habitat Project was to collect sensor inputs and output commands, timeframe and data downlink constraints to turn into a program that will be used to maintain a habitat with living plants on the Moon in 2016. Gopro Camera, Schwarzer water pump, SENSL radiation and CO2 meter sensors were integrated into this software. Axel’s involvement on this project started in a summer internship at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California in 2013. Axel developed his summer work into a year project with support of the McNair Program and Prof. Bogdan Udrea at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. During Summer 2014, Axel wrote the parabolic flight test software that he used in a Microgravity/Lunar gravity flight to control the fluidic system and camera WiFi manipulation via software. During the experiment, Axel demonstrated that Schwarzer pumps could be used to water plants on lunar gravity, and that his software, used to interface all components from the two lunar habitats tested, works perfectly on this environment. Axel also designed and built the electronic system used to interface this flight software. The results were presented at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2014 in Toronto, Canada.
1/2013 - 5/2013
EPF Graduate School of Engineering Intern
EPF, Sceaux, France •Reverse Engineered the Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel at the Dassault company
•Designed Falcon 7x using CATIA and specifications given in a team project at the Dassault Company
6/2012 - 8/2012
Goddard Space Flight Center Internship
MUST, Greenbelt, Maryland The ENLIL Cone Model was used to run 126 simulations using the Integrated Space Weather Analysis System (ISWA) for different cavity parameters of CME internal structures. A software on MATLAB was created to determine the relationship between the cavity and CME propagation time and Kp index to study 21 Earth directed CME events. When the velocity of CME is higher than the ambient solar wind speed, CME with smaller cavity propagates faster than the same size CME with larger cavity. Quite naturally the opposite behavior was observed when the velocity of CME is less than the solar ambient wind speed. This research is very important for improving model capability to forecast space weather. I had the opportunity to continue with this research during my study abroad in France where I analyzed more CME events. I also attended the Center for Integrated Space weather Modeling in Boulder, Colorado which help me develop more skills. This research received a 3rd place at the ASSE-SE Conference in Tennessee and finalist award at the 64th Astronautical Congress in Beijing China.
6/2010 - 8/2010
NASA INSPIRE Residential Internship
John F. Kennedy Space Center , HQ Building, End-Users Services Office, IT-E, Cape Canaveral, FL Supported the End-User Services Office within the Information Technology (IT) and Communications Directorate at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), and performed hardware and software verification in support of ODIN surveillance to ensure delivery of state-of-the-art computing equipment.
1/2010 - 10/2010
Mathematics Researcher
University of Puerto Rico/ Mathematics Department, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico •Worked on the famous problem called, “The Membership in Z[x]’’ and obtained outstanding results.
-Presented results at the ERAU Annual Mathematics Conference and the international Intel ISEF Research competition
•Attended the SMALL research summer program at OHIO State University. Attended workshop in Abstract Algebra, Topology, Real Analysis and Biomathematics
6/2009 - 7/2009
NASA INSPIRE Biotechnology Team
NASA INSPIRE, Bayamón, Puerto Rico •Produced bio-ethanol from yeast over a period of time, which could then be used as fuel for various motors
•Conducted an experiment in which I altered the DNA structure of bacterial e-coli. The e-coli was shot with a gene gun, centrifuged, and then put through gel electrophoresis so that the altered DNA could be more closely examined
