SPEARHEADING STUDENT

INNOVATION

Caltech Air and Outer Space strives to provide career advancement opportunities and technical skills through student led projects, while also pioneering cutting-edge aerospace engineering research. We believe in providing students with the freedom and opportunity to lead and contribute to complex engineering ventures is the best way to form the aerospace professionals and leaders of tomorrow.

PROJECTS

"They are a model of future aerospace engineers that NASA and industry needs."

Dr. Charles Elachi, JPL Director 2001-2016

PILLARS

PILLARS is a Plume Deployed Inflatable for Launch/Landing Abrasive Regolith Shielding. In Winter 2024, PILLARS was awarded as a finalist of the 2024 BIG Idea Challenge for an innovative solution mitigating dust kicked up on the lunar surface during rocket launches and landings. We are currently developing our system to present at the BIG Idea Forum in November 2024.

CRATER

CRATER is developing a modular rover that can robustly interface with other robotics systems to initiate complex mission operations in extreme environments. Remotely operated from 2km away, CRATER's rover will be capable of performing high-precision tasks with a robotic arm, collecting rock and soil samples with on-board analysis, and autonomously navigating to target GPS coordinates.

LATTICE

LATTICE is a modular, self-deploying robotic infrastructure system for transportation of cargo through lunar craters. Since its origins in 2021, LATTICE has grown to become a multi-university and industry endeavour to develop a robotic system of sustainable, permanent lunar infrastructure to support the upcoming ARTEMIS and commercial missions to the moon.

HOMES

The Habitat, Orientable and Modular Electodynamic Shield is a configurable dust mitigation solution for lunar habitats. As CAOS's first technical project, it was awarded as a finalist of the 2021 NASA BIG Idea Lunar Dust Challenge. The team of undergraduates designed, verified and validated the novel technology to TRL 5 in one year.

MEET THE CREW

Kevin Gauld

Co-Chair

Matteo Kimura

Co-Chair

Lily Coffin

PILLARS Primary Lead

Jihyun Jeon

CRATER Primary Lead

Fangyao Huang

LATTICE Primary Lead

Soon-Jo Chung

Faculty Advisor

... and our members!

As with any successful undertaking, the club's main driving force lies within it's members. Our students are the driving force that make all of our projects possible.