Hello Everyone!

I am Brian Jeffers, the Teaching Assistant for the AAE 450/490 TracSat course. TracSat is a hands-on and team-based “Design, Build, Fly” course that has the goal of establishing a laser communication link in a simulated 2D Orbit between two separate systems, and transmit video data that was taken aboard one of the systems to the other system via laser communication. This course can be taken as an AAE Senior Design and an AAE Selective for D&C, Aerodynamics, and Propulsion, for as many semesters as you are enrolled in TracSat. Professor Shashurin and I are looking for rising senior undergraduates with US Citizenship who are interested and knowledgeable in radio and laser communication protocols, optical hardware (fiber/ethernet, collimators, etc.), power generation/distribution, controls, microcontrollers (i.e. FPGA’s) and/or electromechanical devices (motors, reaction wheels, magnetorquers, etc.), and can be enrolled in the course for at least two semesters. There is also an optional research-like opportunity for students who are interested in Laser Communications in a CubeSat profile which may lead to an actual flight opportunity in Earth’s orbit.

If you are interested in joining TracSat, please send Professor Shashurin (ashashur@purdue.edu) and me (jeffersb@purdue.edu) an email with your resume, past experience/coursework in related fields, and saying that you are interested in joining the TracSat course. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or contact your academic advisor.