Trevor Aston, Nathan Hughart and Kyeong Na, teammates on the JETS II contract, were honored with a Team Award for the successful planning and execution of the VIPER system-level Vibration and Modal testing.
The trio were among a team of 24 that persevered through numerous challenges encountered during the test campaign. Testing started on June 21, 2024, and quickly ran into technical issues that required a stop work. The team worked long hours over two weeks, including weekends, to troubleshoot various configurations.
The team’s efforts were also threatened by Hurricane Beryl, which was bearing down the coast of Texas. Fortunately, the work was completed before there was a loss of power in the building.
VIPER successfully completed the entire test campaign on July 2, 2024.
Trevor and Nathan are both Systems Integration and Test Engineers and they provided Logistics support for the vibration testing, including movement/handling of the rover, mounting to the vibration table, and preparing the rover for vibration testing.
“I am proud of my contributions to the VIPER team and am pleased that we were able to successfully complete vibration testing on the rover, Trevor said.
“The strongest sensation is merely relief that the rover has come out of these tests while still operating smoothly and that we managed to bring it through for the next test well in time,” said Nathan. “I’m glad we managed it here as we will certainly need to do so again in Thermal Vacuum testing.”
Kyeong, a Structural Dynamics Test Engineer, served as a second eye to the lead Test Director during the VIPER vibration test. While the Test Director led the execution, he assisted in ensuring that each step was meticulously followed according to the test plan. Given the high sensitivity of the test article and the considerable pressure to avoid errors, his focus was on verifying that no steps were missed.
“I’m grateful to receive this commendation, even though my role was more supportive than central,” Kyeong said. “It’s fulfilling to know that my contribution, though small, played a part in the successful vibe test on the VIPER.”
Trevor Aston (left) and Nathan Hughart (center) inspecting the rover; Kyeong Na (right) at his work station.
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