SPIDR

I worked as a NASA intern during the Spring and Summer 2022 terms in the Advanced Imagining & Analysis Lab (AIAL) at Kennedy Space Center. The project was to create a rigid and modular design for a fully automated pan and tilt camera tracking system. The AIAL will use this system to perform image analysis with photogrammetry on the Space Launch System (SLS) rockets to support the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program for future Artemis missions.
At the time, this project was only an idea and had yet to be designed. My role was to make a functional prototype that could be manufactured and assembled. I used CREO to create the finalized design shown above. The key factors focused on being durable, modular, and scalable. This design allows for cost-effective rapid production of multiple units compatible with various DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) and high-speed cameras for 360-degree placement around the launch vehicle. In addition, this orientation would allow for the creation of a 3D point cloud by compiling each camera's data, which would be extremely useful when performing analysis of critical systems during launch operations when fixed cameras cannot provide all the necessary viewpoints.
I 3D printed the structure out of rigid resin to create a smooth and durable finished product. Finally, the stepper motors, controllers, drive belts, and raspberry PI were attached. My mentor and I wrote a proposal recently approved for further funding by NASA and is in the next stages of software development for the system's full functionality.