This week, our team continues working day and night on compiling our Preliminary Design Report. Previously, we’ve been focusing on subsystem mechanics and feasibility research, but as we get closer to our site visit date with our sponsors, we’re also shifting our focus to the system as a whole; ensuring all of our subsystems not only are reliable, but that they are interoperable and fully compatible. If it isn’t clear by now, the most challenging part of our project isn’t a component or system itself, but rather the engineering required to integrate all of our subsystems together, at the same time, occupying the same space-limited area.

On a more fun note, we’ve also received a special package from the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department! A crate full of electric motors and linear actuators for us to browse, test, and potentially use in our prototypes. We’re still just getting started with our initial prototypes, but things are starting to accelerate in our lab!