1
SBUDNIC
SBUDNIC (SATCAT 52774) is a 3U cubesat that incorporated a coating-based thermal control system, a non-rechargeable primary cell array based on commercially-available lithium AA batteries, a rad-hardened Arduino Nano, two cameras, a ham radio transceiver, and a novel aerodynamic drag sail used for accelerated passive deorbit.
SBUDNIC was launched to a 517 kilometer polar orbit on 25 May 2022 aboard Transporter-5 from Cape Canaveral's SLC40. It successfully deorbited on 8 August 2023 somewhere over TĂĽrkiye.Â
I led the program as Chief Engineer. I also:
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Designed, prototyped, and engineered the custom modular chassis.
- Designed, prototyped, and engineered the deployable aerodynamic drag system.
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Developed high level system architecture.
- Staffed and managed all subsystem engineering teams.
- Designed and developed in-budget alternative test methods, including random vibe and thermal shock and vacuum, for in-process validation of all subsystems.
- Worked with CNR, D-Orbit, and SpaceX to meet mission engineering standards and regulatory mandates.
As Chief Engineer, I was the last human to ever touch SBUDNIC during final preflight integration at the SpaceX vehicle integration and assembly building at Cape Canaveral SLC40.Â
SBUDNIC and the work of the development team have been widely recognized and/or awarded including by NASA, Gizmodo, PBS, Â and Popular Science.
Ad astra.
2
Flux Marine
I led the engineering effort on this project; ~25 individuals from Flux Marine and ~5 from X Shore contributed to the development over the course of half a year. My direct technical contributions included:
- In-water closed loop heat exchanger design, validation, and testing.
- Gearbox design and manufacturer sourcing.
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Hull modifications, including below the water line, to suit prototype implementation.
- Battery module development and mechanical integration.
- Mechanical subsystem design and fabrication.
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Sensorization of drivetrain assembly for both thermal and NVH debugging/isolation testing.
- In-depth system architectural design and high level development of controls schemas.
- Final subsystem integration, testing, and post-delivery iterative improvement based on X Shore test data.
Importantly, I was also nominated as a Founding Member of the Turksan Society of America by my peers as a recognition of my ability to consistently eat- along with all those who wished to join including the three other founding members- a turkey sandwich every day at the cafe across the street during the crunch of final integration.
3
AVID Products Inc.
The FISHBONE breakaway adapter solves the expensive problem of 3.5mm audio pins breaking off inside jacks on electronic devices.
After seeing countless RMA’d headphones with broken 3.5mm audi pins, a research inquiry revealed that young students frequently strained headphone cords to the point of pin failure, especially during learning sessions and testing. The average cost of a pin removal and jack repair is about $70, requires specialist tools and training to execute, and the offsite service usually takes weeks.
In 2017, the FISHBONE was awarded Best in Show at the annual International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference in San Antonio, Texas. In excess of ten million copies have been sold since launch.Â
I designed, prototyped, tested, and engineered the FISHBONE from conception to market launch. Manufacturing planning also fell under my purview and resulted in closely working- on location- with the production factory in Guangdong, China to roll the FISHBONE. Total time from conception to market was less than 4 months.
4
Gram (in progress/ongoing)
Gram is an open-source effort to build a repository of community-developed aftermarket automotive body modifications which improve aerodynamic efficiency and consequently fuel efficiency.Â
I started Gram after attempting to develop a highly portable surveillance drone. The CFD used in the drone development led to a curiosity about applying similar techniques and understanding to a consumer product. As a lifelong car guy with an interest in electrification and a former wannabe automotive designer, Gram was born.
Current efforts center on improving the efficiency of the Tesla Model 3. While the car is hyper-optimized already, Tesla is obligated to make the most advanced, yet acceptable choices in their engineering in the name of mass-adoption. Gram is not, nor are individual car owners. Preliminary CFD results suggest that aero efficiency gains of 5-7% are possible with the addition of optimized aero surfaces; this translates to an additional 10-20 miles of real world range at highway speed.Â
Aero surfaces under development include a wing, front and rear wheel spats, and a rear wheel covers. None of the modifications will require permanent alteration of the underlying car.
5
Teaching at Brown University
As a visiting researcher, I assist Professor Rick Fleeter in delivering the foundational aerospace engineering courses in Brown University’s School of Engineering. My primary focus is on ENG1760: The Design of Space Systems; teams form at the beginning of the semester around a prototypable concept of space engineering and then they spend the rest of the semester building and testing that prototype.
While I sometimes lecture in ENGN1760, I derive and provide the most value by bridging the divide between theory and practice. Anonymous reviews from past students include:
- “Marco is incredibly accurate at poking groups to explore the hard questions and keeping things on track. His teaching style is tough but needed in a class with such an intense project spec, and he played a large role in keeping our group on track.”
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“Very direct as a communicator, available to give advice, and experienced as a designer and prototyper.”
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“Marco always made himself available to help students. He has a passion and enthusiasm for the course material, which in turn made me passionate and enthusiastic.”
- “Marco really goes to the effort to understand student questions, he’s upfront when he doesn’t know the answer, and he will work with you to figure out the answer together or direct you to someone who can. It was also clear that Marco put a lot of thought and care into his guest lectures—that work is appreciated! And finally: I really hope Marco continues to mentor young engineers, because he’s very good at it.”
Student work samples shown:
- Slow motion video of a pulse laser ablation test on a ceramic coupon at 75,000 frames per second and laser recoil calculations. Courtesy of Team Space Junk Destroyer, Spring 2024
- System architecture diagram for a 10,000 year data preservation device. Courtesy of Team Human Index, Spring 2024
- Build project photos of a half-scale mirrored folding reflector sail for a laser-propelled interstellar probe. Courtesy of Team Laser Propelled Probe, Spring 2024
- Video of heated extrusion of blended simulation Martian regolith and binder. Courtesy of Team Mars Housing, Fall 2022
Art and industrial design
Here’s a fun fact: in addition to a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Brown University, I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Industrial Design from Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Long before I ever considered myself an engineer, I was a professional industrial designer. Long before that, I was an artist. Those parts of me still live on today and they inform how I engineer and how I teach:
- You are not your work.
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Effective ideas address burning curiosities.
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Follow the winding path, and explore potentiality.
- Documentation is proof of life.
- Well-designed things are beautiful and people choose beautiful things.
My creative practice centers on exploring how people interact with and mediate the tangible technology of the world around them.
My design practice centered on making money to buy food and pay rent but the clients that I felt great about growing were those that sought to build human capacity through technology.