While working on the Liquid Project team, I gained valuable experience in how liquid rocket engines operate. For testing, we use nitrous oxide and ethanol as the bipropellant system. We also use gaseous nitrogen to back-pressurize the ethanol before it is fed into the pump, where its pressure is increased by a centrifugal pump. The pump uses a Barske impeller design, which consists of flat, straight fins attached to a rotating shaft driven by a motor.

Although I did not design this component, I learned about its construction and operation so that I could design a similar system in the future.

This clip is from our 10th hot fire of the year, which took place on February 2, 2026. The audio is a bit low, but I am the one counting down to ignition, as I was operating the DAQ system. In that role, I was responsible for monitoring system pressures and ensuring all safety conditions were met before enabling the hot fire.

This spring quarter I will be leading Hot Fires with the help of some of the other students. Click Links below to learn more.