Angelo Sali

Rocket Team Structures Lead @Penn Aerospace Club

As the structures lead for the University of Pennsylvania\'s High-Powered Rocketry Team, I led a group of six other students and spearheaded the design and construction of an L3 Rocket for our debut entry into the Spaceport America Cup. This project showcased my ability to make critical engineering decisions and implement innovative solutions in aerospace applications. Some of the key achievements that I was a major part of include designing the overall structure of the rocket, as well as selecting and integrating materials like G12 fiberglass for the airframe and G10 fiberglass for critical components (such as the bulkheads) and conducting comprehensive structural analysis using applications like OpenRocket as well as SolidWorks FEA simulations. To overcome resource and manufacturing limitations, we designed and manufactured a custom laser-cut fixture for precise fin installation. I played a major part in the physical construction of the rocket as well, leading the team in the fin slotting of our body tub and applying epoxy to join the fins to the body tube. This year, I have maintained my role as structures lead and have embarked the team upon a new rocket design, one including a minimum diameter lower body tube as well as a transition between the 5 inch diameter payload bay and 4 in minimum diameter body tube. Being a structures lead demonstrates my ability to lead complex technical projects, innovate solutions to engineering challenges, and apply theoretical knowledge to practical aerospace applications.