Ian was born and raised on the island of Oahu. He currently attends the University of Hawai’i at Manoa pursuing a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in aerospace. Ian is passionate about anything related to aerospace and is involved in various projects for rockets, satellites, and airplanes. He plans to eventually pursue a graduate degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering before looking for a career in the aerospace field. In his free time he enjoys going to the gym, playing video games, as well as building and painting model kits of airplanes, cars, bikes, and mechs.
Home Island: O’ahu
High School:
Institution when accepted: University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Project Site: Submillimeter Array (SMA), Hilo, Big Island HI
Mentor: Robert Christensen
Project Title: Testing and Analyzing a Radio Telescope Transporter Hydraulics System
Project Abstract: The Submillimeter Array is an 8-element radio telescope array located near the summit of Maunakea that can be configured in four ways by placement across 24 antenna pads. For these configurations, the 42 ton antennas are moved using a specially designed transporter, across distances ranging to over half a kilometer. The transporter was built in 1992 by a now defunct company, over a decade before the array would begin operations. After initial upgrades to the antennas and their increased weight, age and specific movements causing uneven loading have caused the motors of the transporter’s hydraulics system to become overburdened during transport, leading to damage to the system. The damages caused to the system have led to hundreds of thousands in repair costs, as well as weeks of downtime for the array. The primary goal of this project is to utilize the pressure sensors that have been installed on the hydraulics system of the transporter to analyze the system and develop a proposal for system upgrades. To achieve this goal, tests in both loaded and unloaded configurations of the transporter have been developed to obtain sets of controlled data where each test can be compared. A MATLAB script has also been developed in order to analyze the data from the sensors and tests in order to understand the potential stress on the hydraulics system. Utilizing the results of these analyses, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory can potentially purchase new components or carry out adjustments that will alleviate the issues that have been occurring with the transporter.