Internship with French Space Agency
This was by far my favorite project, during the summer of 2023, I went as an observational intern to IRAP with CNES. This was a huge honor, as they mostly take Grad level interns. During my time with IRAP, I was entrusted to analyze acoustic data from the microphone on LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) or SuperCam.
SuperCam is a laser on the head of the Mars rover Perserverance that vaporizes rocks from a distance, taking pictures as well as acoustic data. From this spectroscopy, the rover can assess the elemental composition of rocks from afar.
In my analysis, I found that the farther the distance, the faster the rate at which sound travels. When looking at laser fires that were 8m away, the soundwave reached the microphone slightly faster due to the fast path effect.
This wasn't my only project, I also analyzed the variance in power between laser bursts on the replica in the lab, got to test the lazer, learn from a lot of very cool scientists, and practice my French!
I wasn't able to link a repository, as some of the information is classified