嘿嘿视频

Moonshot Thinking

Firefly Aerospace is going into orbit with the help of two 嘿嘿视频 alumni.

Rocket test on the ground
Photo: Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace is going to space with the help of two 嘿嘿视频 alumni.

Cedar Park, Texas-based Firefly is aimed at developing launch vehicles. The company is preparing for a rocket launch later this year and a moon landing in 2023. It鈥檚 part of a push among private companies to bring people and payload to space.

Firefly鈥檚 Alpha rocket features work by Roderic Vanderscoff 鈥14, stage 1 lead propulsion engineer, and Bethany Baldwin-Pulcini 鈥15, systems engineer. The rocket is designed to launch 1,000 kilograms of payload to a low Earth orbit, addressing the needs of a burgeoning small-satellite market.

鈥淎s a kid I was always fascinated about space,鈥 Vanderscoff said, 鈥渟o in a lot of ways, it鈥檚 been a dream come true to be able to work on launching a rocket into space.鈥

Roderic Vanderscoff
Roderic Vanderscoff 鈥14 is a stage 1 lead propulsion engineer at Firefly Aerospace. (Courtesy of Roderic Vanderscoff)

On the Job

For Alpha, Vanderscoff leads design, development and testing of the booster rocket engine. 

鈥淭he engine鈥檚 job is to essentially provide all the thrust to lift the rocket off the ground and up into orbit,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of interesting and fun challenges for that.鈥

For example, he added, a sliver of metal separates the combustion gasses inside the engine that鈥檚 over 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit and cryogenic oxygen, which is around -300 degrees.

Testing has been vital 鈥 and exciting, Vanderscoff said.

鈥淓very time I ever do an engine test, my heart always beats really fast,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hen it goes great, it鈥檚 such a fantastic thing to see, hear and feel even though we鈥檙e over 100 yards away.鈥

For her part in Alpha, Baldwin-Pulcini has been dedicated to the flight termination system.

鈥淚 never really thought about this until I was in the 鈥榬ocket biz,鈥 but there are a lot of safety systems that go into rocket flights,鈥 she said. 鈥淥ne of the big ones is that if your launch range, in our case Vandenberg Air Force Base, deems your rocket endangering to the population, they are within their rights to blow it up for you.鈥

Of course, she added, that would mean the end of the mission.

鈥淎nyone who builds a rocket hopes their flight termination system never has to be used,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just exciting to know that what you鈥檙e working on is so critical to even being allowed to launch the rocket.鈥

Alpha rocket
The first Alpha rocket launch is planned for later this year. (Photo courtesy of Firefly Aerospace)

Baldwin-Pulcini is also part of the Blue Ghost lunar lander project. In February, NASA awarded Firefly $93.3 million to deliver a suite of 10 science investigations and technology demonstrations to the moon in 2023. The investigations, NASA said, will help prepare for human missions to the lunar surface.

For this project, Baldwin-Pulcini is part of the systems engineering team facilitating all the work on multiple teams.

鈥淪ystems engineers are there to make sure we鈥檙e all building the right thing,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a cross-functional team where I鈥檓 working with engineers that are building the software, the electronics, the structures, and all of this needs to be able to come together for a successful mission.鈥

A passion for space

Vanderscoff and Baldwin-Pulcini both studied physics and astrophysics at 嘿嘿视频. They took classes together as undergraduates and said their shared passion for space led to working together at Firefly.

Like Vanderscoff, Baldwin-Pulcini had an interest in the cosmos at a young age.

Bethany Baldwin-Pulcini
Bethany Baldwin-Pulcini 鈥15, systems engineer, is currently focused on the 2023 lunar landing project at Firefly Aerospace. (Courtesy of Bethany Baldwin-Pulcini)

鈥淚 was always into understanding what鈥檚 going on out there in the universe,鈥 Baldwin-Pulcini said. 鈥淚 think I was 6 years old when I got a discovery book that told me a day was 4 minutes shorter than 24 hours. I annoyed everybody telling them that the Earth only rotates every 23 hours and 56 minutes and 4.2 seconds. I was that kid.鈥

As a transfer student, she arrived at 嘿嘿视频 from community college knowing what she wanted to study. Her senior year, she said she told her professors about her desire to find hands-on work in space exploration.

Vanderscoff arrived as a freshman with a keen interest in space and landed on physics as a major. He also did some research in the College of Engineering, before pursuing a Master of Science degree in astronautical engineering from University of Southern California.

鈥淢y time at 嘿嘿视频 fostered my curiosity in space and provided me the tools and access for me to chase my dream on exploring our solar system,鈥 he said.

Now, as Firefly aims to increase access to space, the Alpha launch could get new generations inspired by the galaxy. The maiden launch includes the 鈥渄ream payload鈥 鈥 cargo space for educational institutions in the U.S. and around the world.

鈥淢y cousin鈥檚 son drew on a piece of paper that will get sent into space,鈥 Vanderscoff said. 鈥淭he opportunities are so bountiful when more and more people can get excited by space.鈥

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