Overview
The NASA L'SPACE Mission Concept Academy (MCA) is an intensive five-month program that challenges participants to design and develop a complete mission concept for Mars exploration. From May to September 2022, I served as the Thermal Systems Engineer on a 12-member interdisciplinary team tasked with designing a Mars rover mission targeting lava tube exploration.
My primary focus was on the thermal management and protection of rover systems and scientific payloads operating in the harsh Martian environment. This involved calculating heat transfer across complex rover subsystems, selecting appropriate materials for passive thermal control, and designing specialized thermal dissipation hardware to meet mission constraints.
Beyond the technical work, the program provided extensive training in critical aerospace engineering disciplines including risk management, project management, and systems engineering—all essential for developing mission-ready concepts.
Learn more about the L'SPACE program at L'SPACE.
Final PDR
Final Preliminary Design Review (PDR) Report and Presentation:
Skill Badges & Certifications
Throughout the L'SPACE MCA program, I completed skill modules and earned the following badges on my final certificate (located above), demonstrating expertise across critical aerospace engineering disciplines:
Siemens NX CAD
Advanced 3D modeling and design with Siemens NX, including part design, assembly, and technical drawing capabilities
Heat Transfer
Heat transfer analysis, thermal control systems design, and material selection for space environments
Systems Engineering
Requirements definition, interface management, and systems architecture for mission design
Risk Management
Risk identification, assessment, and mitigation strategies for aerospace systems
Project Management
Schedule development, resource allocation, and program execution for complex missions
Teaming
Interdisciplinary collaboration and team leadership on a 12-member mission design team
Siemens NX Training: Completed all four module assessments in the L'SPACE NX Skill Module, covering fundamentals through advanced CAD techniques. This training provided access to professional Siemens NX software and positioned me for the Siemens Design Associate Certification.