During my freshman year at Oklahoma State University, I joined the OSU Space Cowboys design team and participated in the NASA Micro-G Collegiate Competition. NASA released four engineering design challenges, and only a small number of teams nationwide were selected to build and test their concepts at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the Johnson Space Center.
My team focused on creating a dust-tolerant, modular handle extension mechanism suitable for lunar operations. We drew inspiration from bicycle seat clamps, which are known for their durability and dust resistance in rugged environments. Instead of over-engineering a complex solution, we adapted this simple, reliable mechanism into our tool.
After submitting our design proposal, our team was ultimately selected for testing at the NBL. Over the following months, we manufactured the prototype and traveled to Houston in the summer of 2023. Our design performed exceptionally well in dusty simulated conditions and received strong praise for its simplicity, ease of use, and effectiveness.
Chase Allensworth - Mechanical Engineer Portfolio 