Lin Li Amelia Earhart Fellow 2015

ZONTA - DISTRICT 11 CONFERENCE 2015

Outline

• About me

• My personal experience as a graduate student studying aerospace engineering

• My research

• Zonta Amelia Earhart Fellowship

About me• Born in Baoding, China• Only child• Childhood life• Hung out with all my friends

after school (fishing, flying kites, playing ping-pong …)• Raised by grandparents

• Moved to bigger city for better education• Came to America• Santa Barbara City College• California Institute of

Technology• Georgia Institute of Technology

Baoding, China

Tianjin, China

My experience in Aerospace Engineering• Aerospace engineering, a field where women are largely underrepresented• Georgia Tech women to men: 1 to 5

• It is difficult to be taken seriously by your male peers. Some may refuse to work in a group with females• There aren’t enough female role models that girls can look up to• My philosophy • “Never say can’t”• Choose a major that you are passionate about• Bring a different perspective and skill sets to the male-

dominated field• Keeping the group focused

• Organizing goals and tasks to meet the deadlines

• Paying more attention to the details

My research• Background• "To explore strange new

worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.“ – Star Trek• Learning how other planets

are formed helps us to learn about the Earth, even the entire solar system• Exploring other planets• How to leave the Earth?

• How to travel in the space?

• How to land safely on the planet?• Entry, Descent, Landing (EDL)

SLS heavy-lift- 70 mT into LEO- 10% more thrust

than Saturn V

Crew Transfer Vehicle & Cargo Vehicle

Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator/ SRP System

My research• EDL challenges on Mars• Mars atmosphere – thick enough to

create substantial heating, but not sufficiently low terminal descent velocity• About 100 times thinner than Earth’s & 95%

CO2

• A surface environment of complex rocks, craters, dust• Touchdown system, ground sensors

• Past successful landed missions• Viking-1976, Mars Pathfinder-1997, Mars

Exploration Rovers-2004, Phoenix-2008, Mars Science Laboratory-2012

• Current EDL technology limit• Largest rover landed on Mars – 1 mt• Rigid aeroshell + parachute system

My research• Future EDL technologies for high mass Mars missions• Supersonic retro-propulsion

system• Air breathing retro-propulsion

system• Hypersonic Inflatable

Aerodynamic Decelerators/ Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators

My research• Research summary• System study of IAD configurations to tailor design parameters

to a specific mission• Developing novel configurations to introduce asymmetry and

lift• Developing new photogrammetry data reduction techniques to

analyze motion during ground testing

Zonta Amelia Earhart Fellowship• Feel good that women are being recognized and encouraged to pursue aerospace engineering• Provide me an opportunity to meet other inspiring women• Support me to continue pursuing my dreams in the field of aerospace engineering• Not only provided funds for my education but also created a networking environment that fostered new friendships and mentorships• Provide a platform for me to support future female students in aerospace engineering

Big thanks to Governor Pati

Ms. Adamsand

Zonta – District 11 for inviting me to the conference

Information to include in the talk•What the Zonta AE fellowship mean to you• Describe your experience as one of the top students in your area of science• a little about your research