FRONT ELEVATION
SCALE 1:1IREC CRYSTALLIZATION PAYLOAD
SYRINGE‑FED THERMAL CRYSTALLIZATION · FLIGHT HARDWARE
Microgravity crystallization payload designed for the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition. As payload lead at Stanford Student Space Initiative, I owned the system architecture, structural package, and qualification testing from concept through flight hardware delivery.
PROBLEM / APPROACH / OUTCOME
SCALE 2:1PROBLEM. Crystal nucleation behaves differently in microgravity (no buoyancy‑driven convection, no sedimentation), but a sounding rocket only delivers a few minutes of microgravity at apogee. We needed a payload that could trigger supersaturation on a tight schedule, mix and capture nucleation events, and survive launch and recovery.
APPROACH. A syringe‑fed, thermally controlled crystallization system. The thermal loop drives the working solution to supersaturation; syringe actuation executes a small‑angle scattering (SAS) mixing sequence timed against the microgravity window. Structural design in Fusion 360 with FEA on the load paths through the payload bay.
OUTCOME. Passed vibration and drop testing at the qualification levels required for flight. Delivered the full structural package: drawings, tolerance stack, fastener schedule, and integration procedure for IREC.
SPECIFICATIONS
SCALE 4:1- ROLE
- IREC Payload Lead, Stanford Student Space Initiative
- DURATION
- Jun 2025 – Jan 2026 (8 months)
- SYSTEM
- Syringe‑fed thermal crystallization with SAS mixing sequence
- TEST QUAL
- Vibration profile, drop test, structural sign‑off
- DELIVERABLE
- Full flight‑hardware structural package
- TOOLS
- Autodesk Fusion 360, FEA, thermal analysis
- COMPETITION
- Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) / Spaceport America Cup
REFERENCES
SCALE 8:1- TEAM
- ssi.stanford.edu
- COMPETITION
- Spaceport America Cup / IREC
- BACK
- SHEET 1 / INDEX
| REV | DATE | DESCRIPTION | BY |
|---|---|---|---|
| – | 2026-05-08 | INITIAL RELEASE | CC |