CADRE Rovers: Students Work on NASA’s Lunar Tech Demo
CADRE intern Niall McKinnon at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory describes contributing to the CADRE lunar rover technology demonstration alongside fellow students Melissa Chow, Natalie Deo, Minsoo Kang, Kai Muhammad, and Janelle Tran.
In this talk
- 0:33
Working close to a flight mission
McKinnon says the internship let him work near a flight mission during its final stages. The team was still developing software and running integrated tests while the flight vehicles were being built nearby.
- 1:02
Testing rovers and collecting data
McKinnon says operating the rovers was a highlight. He helped test a development model and collect ground-truth data during CADRE mobility tests, which the team could use to improve its navigation algorithms.
- 1:29
From concept to flight models
McKinnon saw CADRE progress from an initial design to a development model taking its first steps, and then to the flight models. He describes the technology demonstration as a contribution to future space exploration. The internship came during his final semester of a bachelor's degree and gave him experience before entering industry.
- 1:55
A challenging, supportive internship
McKinnon says the work could feel overwhelming because of daily challenges and new material to learn, but he felt he gained something from them. He describes the CADRE team as a supportive community where he made meaningful contributions and looked forward to work.
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