The rocket launch this August is going to be one of the best parts of my summer! And I’ve had a really great summer– so that is saying something. I have never watched a launch in person before and to think that my experiment will be on board is super exciting. We have been working on this project since last summer and the anticipation has been building for months! This is such a unique experience that I’m using it as the central theme of my college application essay. I plan to study mechanical engineering and I hope that the things I’ve learned about the process for designing and launching an experiment like this will help me get into a great school.
Let me introduce myself, my name is Ryan Sullivan, I am a rising senior at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia and a member of the Aero Loco team. The team came together for the first time at the Amazon HQ2 in Arlington last summer. One of the great things about Virginia is its proximity to various elements of the US space program. First, there’s Amazon and its Kuiper program, but there are other cool places too like the Udvar Hazy Air and Space museum that I plan to visit next week with my friends. Also, my family’s favorite vacation spot–Chincoteague, VA– is near the NASA Wallops Island flight facility in southern Virginia. I toured the NASA museum there when I was little and it fueled my interest in space. (See photo below of my little sister & I when I was about 7 years old).
My goal for studying engineering is to make things that have a lasting impact and a positive influence on human development. The Higher Orbits team experience has made me feel like part of something bigger that works toward this goal. I can’t wait to see the data results from the experiment and I wonder if I will be able to incorporate the concept of the 3D maze into my AP Engineering project this year. I am so grateful to have this opportunity!
Written By Stellar Student Ryan Sullivan, Team Aeroloco, Winners of Go For Launch! Kuiper 2024
