Michael Knight Email & Phone Number

Simi Valley, Ca, Us

Performed mass optimization on a space station module designed as a cargo vehicle using Heeds and HyperX, resulted in a nearly 70% reduction in structural mass, and thus achieving the cargo vehicle's primary requirement of maximizing payload capacity.Validated structural simulations through hand calculations, peer reviews, and cross-referencing, ensuring adherence with industry standards and best practices.Developed a welded joint analysis standard practice, including methods for assessing weld strength and fracture resistance throughout all stages of a products development cycle. This will ensure organizational consistency and analytical reliability for years to come.Uncovered a critical limitation in current commercial payload separation systems, unable to accommodate the project's large module sizes, prompting comprehensive trade studies to evaluate the feasibility of in-house development versus outsourcing, thereby ensuring technical and operational requirements were met.Instituted 'Gravitics University,' teaching courses on fatigue & damage tolerance, GD&T, and reliability, as well as curating a curriculum on mechanism design, nondestructive testing, and myriad other relevant topics.Addressed initial drawing inaccuracies and incomplete product definitions by creating a new drawing template that incorporated critical standard product definitions and GD&T. This strategic overhaul significantly reduced drawing revisions and error corrections, enhanced drawing clarity, expanded tolerance zones, and substantially lowered the rate of material nonconformances.

Northridge, Ca

Performed comprehensive preliminary and final structural analyses on missile systems for the US Navy, Air Force, and Army, focusing on preliminary and final evaluations including quasi-static stress, linear dynamics (random vibration and shock), and fatigue & damage tolerance.Developed custom software tools using MATLAB and Python for complex data processing, including the synthesis, processing, and development of fatigue spectra load data for input into NASGRO.Authored and compiled detailed analysis report in accordance with military, government, and Northrop Grumman internal standards.

Moorpark, Ca

Handled multifaceted role, focusing on nonlinear analysis engineering of satellite launch restraint systems.Developed designs, analytical models, and methodologies to assess mechanical and structural reliability.Conducted significant structural and reliability analysis for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).Innovated the NEA cup cone release device, now utilized in H2Sat, Kuiper, and other spaceflight systems.

Carpinteria, Ca

Conducted comprehensive structural analyses (static, dynamic, fatigue, and damage tolerance) for reflector boom assemblies, incorporating both composite and metallic components.Leveraged additive manufacturing for reflector/boom systems, evaluating component strength and reliability, and collaborated with test engineering to establish approved material allowables.Devised a passive intermodulation (PIM) risk elimination strategy, introducing soft shielding materials to replace traditional rigid PIM shields, enhancing structural performance and product integrity.

Bachelor'S Degree, Aerospace, Aeronautical And Astronautical Engineering

Aerospace, Aeronautical And Astronautical Engineering