Accessing Open Space for All

ANDREW, a fourth-year Aerospace Engineering student, believes that many of society’s problems can be alleviated by an improved appreciation for what it means to be human.

His solution? Send more people to space.

With a propensity for tinkering and working with his hands, Andrew knew from a very young age that he wanted to be an engineer. This passion led him to UCLA—where the rigorous academic environment of the Samueli School of Engineering met with a wealth of extracurricular resources allowed Andrew to combine his passion for building with his lifelong fascination with space.

As a part of the Bruin Spacecraft Group, Andrew helped design an experimental magnetohydrodynamic pump for use in zero-gravity environments. This past May, it successfully completed its flight aboard a reusable rocket that made its way into a low-Earth orbit. Mission “Blue Dawn” marks the first-ever space payload developed and built entirely by a UCLA student group. This milestone achievement is not only an advancement in spacecraft engineering, but also brings Andrew’s hope that the Bruin Spacecraft Group can one day in the future become the space mission provider for UCLA.

With this incredible accomplishment, Andrew is already on his way to make a long-term impact on spacecraft engineering. He wants to push the limits of design to encourage greater use of electric propulsion and advanced thruster technology. He also strongly believes that broadening of the space craft design community will have positive implications for not only design, but also accessibility to space.

When asked why accessibility was so important to him, Andrew offered a compelling perspective on how the democratization of space travel can improve our world. The ability to see the earth from space offers a whole new perspective on humanity and Earth’s relationship to the universe. Ensuring more people have access to such a fundamentally life-changing event would have far-reaching benefits for our global society at large.

 

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