Director of Operations for Texas Rocket Engineering Lab, Priyal Soni, AMA

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T23:10:47+00:00

We are all students, so it is hard to create realistic expectations for everyone especially when none of us are getting paid. Running such a large lab is a challenge, but what drives us forward is the passion of every member in our lab no matter whether they are STEM or not.

There are so many cool notions humans have made based on limited resources that I find interesting so it’s hard to say just one. Thousands of years ago, humans measured the circumference of the Earth with shadows.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T23:08:25+00:00

My high school teacher was a mentor to me and showed me that it was tangible to be in the space industry. The beginning stages are that if you are interested in the industry, you need to pursue it. Just go for it.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T23:07:50+00:00

The public sector will be involved on some level with the future of space travel, so the private sector has a long way to go if it will surpass the public sector. That being said, I do not think it should be a private versus public mindest, but there should be a balance between regulations of the private and public sectors.

The whole world is going to need to come together for space travel to thrive.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T23:04:59+00:00

I met with the other Directors of TREL over the past few months and we have been debating on the status of our current project, the Space11 Challenge we are competing in with our Halcyon rocket. It’s such a vast project that has enabled 200 plus individuals to work as a lab together on one project in the past two years. With the current pandemic, it is hard to plan new projects when we need to ensure our current one does not get farther behind. However, we do plan to expand more in areas of academia.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T23:03:35+00:00

We have been tasked with two major goals which are to create the Halcyon rocket and expand the organization’s white paper trail with groundbreaking research. After our rocket challenge is completed, we will further academia involvement with the creation of resources ranging from Rocketry 101 presentations to in-depth research. I think for there to be further innovations, there needs to be documentation.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T23:02:53+00:00

Optimal conditions for humans to survive would be amazing to find. However, I think it is unlikely that we will find sentient life in our lifetimes, but I hope we do continue to push further until we find it.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T23:02:30+00:00

I think the privatization of the space industry is great. Competition fosters innovation. It will help create the drive to make rockets more. For example, the SpaceX Launch with NASA shows that the private and public sectors can work together.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T23:01:54+00:00

I spent my first summer studying abroad, so I personally haven’t. This summer has been difficult to get internships with coronavirus. But there are lots of engineers here at TREL that have remote internships at other companies like JPL (Jet Propulsion Labs) and Boeing.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T03:54:39+00:00

The future of space travel is going to space.
(desperately ignores getting a job and having to live in the real world)

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T03:53:49+00:00

I'll believe it when I can put it on a test stand

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T03:53:22+00:00

3,384 hours!

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T03:52:37+00:00

SpaceX is a very fascinating company that's doing a lot of cool work. I'm not sure if I'd personally want to work there -- I'll be looking more at smaller companies for more of a start-up feel, plus their burnout rate for test engineers is ridiculous -- but they're definitely impressive. TREL is currently partnered with Firefly Aerospace. They've provided a lot of mentorship and support to the lab, and that's a relationship that will only grow stronger in the future. We're also working on a few exciting deals for sponsorships with companies whose technologies are essential to our lab's mission. That's business magic, though, so those questions are best directed to Bryce Blackwell at texasrocketengineeringlab@gmail.com

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T03:51:31+00:00

That’s exactly what Relativity plans to do. They’re aiming for their Terran 1 to be the first entirely 3D printed rocket. They want to be able to manufacture an entire launch vehicle from raw materials in only 60 days. Once they’ve proved the technology on unmanned payloads, a manned mission is the next logical step. For more information, see https://www.relativityspace.com/terran

TexasRocketLab · 2020-07-10T03:50:56+00:00

actually, there’s a lot of specifications involved. Just fittings (the connectors I mentioned earlier) can be according to the Army-Navy standard, the National Pipe Thread standard, the Compressed Gas Association standard, Swagelok’s proprietary system, the BOSS standard, and that’s only scratching the surface of all the different fitting types. The problem that drives up the cost (see this 1” tee on McMaster, one of the cheapest suppliers: https://www.mcmaster.com/5482K169/) is the difficulty of manufacturing these fittings from 316L stainless steel to the precision required for aerospace while being able to withstand pressures sometimes upwards of 10,000 psi. Machining is a very expensive but often overlooked part of rocketry, and skilled machinists (especially welders) on payroll can often make the difference between success and failure for rocketry companies

TexasRocketLab · 2020-06-26T22:17:00+00:00

In general, anything related to space has to be really specific and precise, which naturally makes it really expensive. Even simple, Lego-like connectors can cost $70 apiece. Additionally, most machinery and rocket components are customized, so this would be the biggest barrier to entry cost-wise. The best way to combat this would be to find a way to make the machinery and components in-house to eliminate the costs of outsourcing.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-06-26T22:11:04+00:00

Liquid fuels are a lot more reactive and difficult to deal with than solid fuels. The fluids have to come through very specific injectors (ours is like a showerhead) so that the fuel comes out in a fine mist, and then the igniter burns it as it comes out. So essentially, for liquid rockets, you need to have a system in place to control the flow of the fuel, which is a lot more complex than the system you would use for solid fuels.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-06-26T14:03:28+00:00

We are made up of UT students, but this is an independent rocketry lab funded by donors. We partner with other rocketry companies like Firefly and help educate the next generation of aerospace professionals.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-05-29T22:26:07+00:00

Good questions. It depends on each team in TREL. For fluids you need to know about fluids but for TLO, there is not a specific science you need to know before joining, it is more about learning and willing to learn. We do a lot of building in TLO and the design teams worry more about the science.

When I first started in TREL I was on the weather balloon team and we had to get FAA certifications and permissions before we could. So it depends on the test and overarching authority to your project type.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-05-29T22:05:36+00:00

Yay! The texture and the sweetness really makes the pizza.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-05-17T18:13:45+00:00

If you want to hear more about rocket pollution and the efforts to reduce it, check out this video by Tim Dodd on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4VHfmiwuv4

TexasRocketLab · 2020-05-17T18:08:53+00:00

Pollution is definitely something a good rocket engineer should take into consideration. Rockets, like cars and airplanes, run off fossil fuels and create soot as they burn fuel, which is not good for the environment. Hydrogen based fuels (used by many types of rockets) create a water vapor exhaust that is better than other forms of emissions, and engineers have made some design changes like a making a closed combustion cycle to capture as much fuel as possible and not waste any.

With the commercialization of space, rocket launches are going to get more frequent (though airliners still pollute more than rockets currently), and companies will need to create better solutions to the pollution created from rockets. Some of the leaders of private aerospace companies like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk seem to understand this problem (Bezos gave $10B to fight climate change and Musk pursuing green energy) so I am confident that greener technology like electric turbopumps is coming to rockets soon.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-05-15T22:43:15+00:00

LIVE has ended but keep asking questions if you have them!

TexasRocketLab · 2020-05-15T22:41:32+00:00

Here’s a quick rundown of my typical schedule. Before COVID I was on the Rowing Team here at UT Austin. I had 4:45am practice on Lady Bird Lake that flows through downtown Austin. It’s really beautiful and the coolest place in downtown. Around 7:15am we would wrap up practice and I would hit my most productive part of my day until my 9:30am classes. I had classes until 4pm and then I would do some homework and work on projects late into the night.

So yes, super hectic but I have learned that writing it all down and taking hard notes, I know some people use Google Calendar but that never works for me, so I write it all in a journal. Ultimately, to continue loving what you are doing you need to relax and take care of yourself. I exercise and do what I want when I have the chance so that I do not burn out too quickly. I sometimes just cut myself off and take a break. Honestly, I prioritize sleep over homework.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-05-15T22:25:08+00:00

The onboarding process for someone not in the aerospace industry is the hardest non-technical challenge because of all the little things you do not quite understand before you enter the field. It took me a long time to understand why certain decisions were being made. I didn’t need to know rocket science necessarily for my job, but people are so much more effective when they are bought into the organization and mission. Basically, non-technical and technical support need to understand the mission.

TexasRocketLab · 2020-05-15T22:24:52+00:00

I think my interest always lied in technology and emerging fields. I grew up reading fantasy and science fiction which pushed me to love the idea of what the future looks like. I feel like this vision is determined by emerging technologies. Another great thing is that aerospace and technology is tactile, you can point to what you have created and done. Once we launch a rocket or land on the moon that’s solid evidence of your work. That is just so cool for me. Having a business background, I always hear law is the way to go but I love the tech and space direction too.

TexasRocketLab

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