Colin Skinner Email & Phone Number

Designing and testing Varda Satellite Bus for microgravity biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

- Create 6-DOF trajectory simulator for modeling the flight of a regeneratively-cooled liquid rocket (expected apogee ~50k feet)- Design firmware for RTOS ESP-32 flight controller, including drivers and state machine- Implement sensor fusion algorithm to estimate rocket state during flight and throttle at maximum expected aerodynamic pressure- Coordinate downlink of vehicle state and propulsion telemetry for in-flight visualization and landing site estimation with 6-DOF

- Drive instrument integration and system level testing on 6U NASA-funded satellites to fly instruments developed by the UCLA Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences department- Manage and produce mission requirement documents, interface control documents, resource budgets, and test procedures- In particular, work with flight software to develop flight computer communications tests and GNC to develop testing setup for magnetorquer spin test- Ensure mission requirements are met with appropriate testing, inspection, and demonstration, including assembly of FlatSat and mass model for upcoming satellite demo

Hawthorne, California, United States

Los Angeles, California, United States

- Co-lead the design and manufacturing of flight systems for downlinking telemetry with ESP32 Microcontrollers and custom PCBs- Improvements included logging tank/chamber pressure, increasing downlink from 3Hz to 5Hz, and logging from 3Hz to over 7Hz- Created Arduino libraries from scratch to interface with Altimeter, IMU, and ADC over SPI protocol, and modify libraries to implement various SMD sensors- Researched copper tape antenna for carbon fiber body tube transmission- Collaboratedwith feed systems to design and test custom R&D Arduino-controlled in-flight throttling valve to maximize apogee- Designed 3D-printed avionics and recovery electronics mounts for integration with custom PCBs- Prepared fitting, hoses, and pressure transducers on test stand for coldflow, hotfire, and cryo quick-disconnect procedures, including waterflowing orifices and valves to determine system pressure loss

Los Angeles, California, United States

- Educated and trained students to Solidworks CSWA certification with workshops and challenge problems, promoting CAD proficiency across UCLA- Worked with Dassault Systèmes to provide SolidWorks licenses and exam vouchers to make all Solidworks certification exams easy and accessible for UCLA students.

Pine Brook, New Jersey

- Researched and integrated various mechanical components to modernize an alignment press for RLG (Ring Laser Gyro) manufacturing- Collaborated on component instructions with Solidworks and GD&T to achieve arcsecond adjustment for gyroscope power maximization- Integrated strain gauges and load cell for closed-loop feedback with NI DAQExpress

Los Angeles, California, United States

- Design setup testing torque of in-house actuator for application on a quadruped climbing robot

Los Angeles, California, United States

- Design, integrate, and prototype a "flipper arm" weapon system for a 15-lb combat robot (Solidworks CAD and Simulation)- Manufacture aluminum, titanium, and HDPE with milling, water jetting, and metalworking

Los Angeles, California, United States

Developed and taught curriculum for project-based Autonomous Rovers engineering summer course (Arduino, TinkerCad, and Solidworks)

Ucla

- Lead construction of recovery electronics circuit and body-tube integration for first-year rocket Prometheus (Successful Oct 1 Launch & Recovery)- Design printable electronics tray for simple slide integration into recovery bay- Create redundant Stratologger altimeter circuit for recovery of Hybrid Propellant SRAD rocket

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Aerospace Engineering

GPA: 4.00

High School Diploma