Who I Am
Aidan Velleca graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor's of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (BSAAE) in December 2024. Aidan has been working to define himself in the space industry, mostly within the area of mission operations. However, he is also interested in anything related to software development. In his free time, Aidan enjoys learning new languages such as Spanish and Italian, playing volleyball, and spending time with friends, family, and his two dogs, Ollie and Teddy. He has a passion for adventure, and has visited 28 different countries. As an LA native, you might find Aidan at the beach, or in the mountains hiking.
Journey So Far
- Operated Ansys Orbit Determination Toolkit (ODTK) through script to analyze filter performance on mock trajectory with multiple ground station and measurement type combinations
- Automated asteroid target selection process to include newly discovered NEOs in real-time using Python, Google Cloud, and NASA APIs
- Developed reference trajectory using NASA GMAT software
Guidance, Navigation & Control Engineering Intern Northrop Grumman
May 2024 – Aug 2024 Dulles, VA, USA- Innovated simulator to include new truth values in new reference frames to support docking
- Introduced a lighting requirement to ensure that spacecraft camera is not facing the sun for too long when within docking range
- Created a new, more robust distance-finding algorithm to avoid spacecraft collisions and trigger abort procedure
- Engineered a new mirror calibration tool in SolidWorks for 3D printers to allow for more precise adjustments challenging to make by hand
- Designed model to simulate layer distortion from poor calibration and output correction process
- Analyzed and repaired broken printers
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