When you’re driving a car and need to correct your course, the solution is simple: just turn the steering wheel and hit the gas pedal. When the vehicle is a satellite in orbit, however, the logistics become considerably more complex. That was the impetus behind a design clinic project for Rocketdyne, which approached the college last spring to help investigate options for a new propellant feed system.
Ordinarily, when a satellite needs propulsion for realignment or reorientation, a high-pressure helium-based system swings into action, forcing the propellant out of the tank to nudge the satellite in the right direction. The helium tank is typically heavy, with thick walls, and is equipped with a pressure regulator to handle a wide pressure difference. “You let the gas blow out, so the pressure in the helium tank goes from high levels and drops to low levels when the process is over,” explains Bob Ryan, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, and coprincipal investigator on the project.[Read more…]
The CECS computer labs open at 8 a.m. and close at 10 p.m., remaining closed on weekends. For students engaged in complex projects, particularly those requiring collaboration among members of a team, it can be a major challenge to get their design work done during the labs’ weekday hours, particularly amid fierce competition for the college’s high-end workstations. Now, thanks to a partnership with HP, the computer lab hours have been expanded virtually.
As the national economy starts to improve, there is a renewed interest and need in software engineering and computer information technology professionals. Enrollments and interest in computer science related degrees at CSUN are on the increase, returning to the levels they were at 5 years ago.