Noah Gula

elematic

Author and Maintainer • 2024 — Present

I am developing free and open source Python software for managing materials information based on the MatML schema formulated by NIST. This project is available at https://github.com/nogula/elematic/.

Firefly Aerospace

Materials and Process Engineer • June 2022 — Present

I lead materials and processes engineering for Firefly's rocket engine product lines. I establish the technical strategy for manufacturing the engines, along with quality provisions and requirements compliance. My day-to-day involves developing additive manufacturing, welding, casting, forging, and other wrought processes which utilize steel, nickel, aluminum, titanium, and copper alloys.

Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence, OSU

Graduate Research Associate • Febrauary 2021 — May 2022

At the CDME, I had a variety of responsibilities ranging from operating our laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing (AM) machines (including design, machine preparation, operation, unpacking, and post processing activities such as powder removal, wire-EDM, and media blasting), to performing L-PBF AM research (such as real-time in-situ monitoring, parameter development for new materials, etc.), and managing the day-to-day operations of the CDME's metal AM facility (which includes machines from eight different OEM's, a wire-EDM, and support equipment (vacuums, sieves, etc.)).

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, OSU

Graduate Teaching Associate • August 2020 — May 2022

I was responsible for aiding students in the design and execution of experiments for their senior design capstone course — a project-based research experience. As part of my duties, I helped the students select an appropriate instrumentation setup and teach the basics of data analysis and best practices for performing experiments.

Battelle Center for Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, OSU

Research Associate • November 2018 — May 2022

In this role, I performed strategic policy analyses and stakeholder landscape investigations on challenges facing America's hypersonic workforce development, through a federal grant awarded to the Center by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division. The sponsoring organization adopted several of our policy recommendations. Previously, I formed and led a team in the design of a novel pressurization system for spacecraft and launch vehicles. I presented and published this work at the International Astronautical Congress, and at the AIAA Region III Student Conference. This work has now transitioned into a capstone project for the senior aerospace research design course.

Firefly Aerospace

Propulsion Research • May 2020 — August 2020

In this role, I led the initial design of the next generation second stage engine for the Firefly Alpha launch vehicle. This kerolox, tap-off cycle engine utilizes generative design principles and advanced manufacturing techniques to achieve pump-fed performance with the simplicity of a pressure-fed cycle. My responsibilities included defining and managing the system's functional requirements, establishing innovative manufacturing methods, and performing analysis related to the combustion performance of the proprietary injector design.

Firefly Aerospace

Propulsion Engineering Intern • May 2019 — August 2019

During this internship, I served as the responsible engineer for the Firefly Alpha rocket's first stage engine fluid systems. I performed a range of tasks including the design of propulsion components, development of work instructions, assembly of the engine, and created, performed, and analyzed test plans for fluid components.

Turbine Aerothermodynamics Lab, OSU

Undergraduate Research Associate • August 2019 — April 2020

As a research assistant, I used particle shadow velocimetry to characterize the evolution of dust deposits in conditions similar to the internal cooling passages of a gas turbine engine. I also developed MATLAB code to quickly process, analyze, and interpret results from experiments performed at the lab's Coefficient of Restitution facility.

Cleveland Electric Lab

Design Engineer • September 2018 — May 2019

In this role, I designed and analyzed two production bake ovens/furnaces which required collaboration and interface with multiple departments. I was also responsible for managing CAD documents and drawings for the company.

Firefly Aerospace

Design Engineering Intern • May 2018 — August 2018

During my first internship with Firefly, I was a member of the design and analysis team and was able to contribute to tasks ranging from the design of composite structures to the assembly and integration of Firefly's first ever second stage development vehicle, thanks in part to the small size of the company at the time (fewer than one hundred employees).

Buckeye Space Launch Initiative

Propulsion and Structures Group • August 2017 — May 2018

I worked on the 2017 BSLI 30,000 ft competition rocket where I modeled components, performed carbon fiber and fiberglass lay-ups, and designed a custom integration tool for installing bulk heads.

Cleveland Electric Labs

Engineering Intern • May 2017 — May 2018

I was responsible for drafting all customer drawings and created and implemented formal drafting conventions and guidelines. In addition, I worked in the certification and calibration laboratory.

Discovery Lab, Air Force Research Lab

Research Intern • May 2015 — August 2015

I served as a member of Cyber Team 6, under Dr. Rob Williams, and researched network penetration techniques.

The Ohio State University

M.S., Aerospace Engineering Engineering • 2020 — 2022

I wrote a thesis on utilizing real-time simulations to optimize propellant consumption during the cooldown phase of nuclear thermal propulsion engine operations. To do this, I lead a team of undergraduate students developing software, CFD models, and constructing a test facility which simulates the thermal environment of a tie tube in NERVA-derived NTP core.

The Ohio State University

B.S., Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering • 2015 — 2020

Educating the Workforce, Plenary Session Panel Member

Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space, Cleveland • May 2022

Optimization of Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Cooldown Using Real-Time Simulations, Experimental Approach

The Ohio State University • May 2022

This thesis documents the design, operation, and performance of the Nonnuclear Environmental Testing Facility constructed to investigate topics related to the cooldown period of nuclear thermal propulsion system operations. The test facility replicated the thermal environment experienced by tie tube assemblies, which included the components most sensitive to the extreme temperatures found within such systems. The facility was then used to show that for a certain decay heat level there exists a particular and measurable propellant mass flow rate which maintains the outlet flow temperature at a prescribed value. Also included are discussions on the range of possible experiments enabled by the test facility and the usefulness that it provides as an educational tool for undergraduate students.

Sustaining Innovation, A New Framework from a Case Study on Hypersonics

72nd International Astronautical Congress, Dubai • October 2021

The goal of this paper is to articulate a strategy for developing and sustaining a robust and diverse workforce through periods of variable government funding which often result in a generational gap of talent. Historically, the current practice to develop workforces of high-technology domains has been fragmented, reactive, and largely untargeted. In the case of high-priority emerging (and reemerging) technology domains, educational offerings in academia (encompassing universities, community colleges, and trade schools) are limited. As a result, not only is the pool of talent constricted, but the alignment of training to the needs of government and industry is poor. Frequently these emerging technology domains are also heavily reliant on federal government funding, which makes them especially susceptible to well-documented federal boom-bust cycles resulting in devastating effects on the workforce.
The challenge of sustaining a robust workforce for essential national needs is a recurring, classical characteristic of many countries and organizations. Government appropriations processes, coupled with election cycles and a complex stakeholder landscape, inhibits long-term, strategic action. History offers few successful examples of sustaining strategy over long baseline periods; and yet the quality and character of the workforce is nothing if not a very long baseline problem demanding sustained strategy.
Because there is a lack of policy infrastructure that supports sustained workforce development, resulting government and industrial workforce actions are largely crisis-driven. Current workforce development efforts are largely ad hoc, reactive, and implemented on an as-needed basis in response to the crisis of the moment. These efforts are inherently non-strategic because they focus on short-term outcomes and do not holistically approach challenges faced by government and industry alike. Instead, they can be best characterized as each stakeholder individually acting on its own more immediate needs, rather than integrating with other members in the domain and balancing near-term needs against longer-term outcomes.
We performed a strategic policy analysis and interviewed subject matter experts in academia, industry, and government organizations in order to more thoroughly understand the challenges facing current and future workforce development efforts. This understanding enabled the identification of five targeted policy interventions which not only address the needs of each stakeholder group, but also the dynamics among the three groups. The proposed policy interventions are expected to mitigate some of the complex system dynamics which typically result in ad hoc or reactionary activity.

An Improved Piston Pressurant System for Spacecraft Bipropellant Tanks

71st International Astronautical Congress, Virtual • October 2020

Evolution of Particle Deposition in an Impinging Coolant Jet

AIAA Region III Conference, Remote • April 2020

This paper presents fundamental results of deposits that form in the internal cooling passages in a gas turbine engine. The method characterizes how a deposit grows and changes shape as a function of time. To demonstrate the method a sample test dust, AFRL with a size distribution of 0 %mdash; 5 um in diameter, was selected with care taken to remove agglomerates before the dust was injected at the test article. The effects of plate temperature, plate angle, and flow velocity on the growth of the deposit are also analyzed. Results from this analysis are used to better inform the OSU Deposition Model which comprehensively models and predicts particle deposition behaviors.

Modeling the Mechanical Characteristics of a Piston Pressurant System

AIAA Region III Conference, Remote • April 2020

In this paper we present an improved analytical model of the bipropellant piston pressurization system in regard to propellant pressure performance. Specifically, further refinement of the mechanical behavior of the device, including the friction of the pistons and applied actuator force, is performed. Previous work demonstrated the technical feasibility of a bipropellant piston tank in a stacked configuration. This demonstration leveraged experimental results along with a preliminary data analysis. This device was intended to provide an alternative pressurization system for spacecraft and launch vehicles where precision and predictability of propellant systems are critical. This new work considers an imbalance in applied force between the two piston heads and investigates this effect on the dynamic performance of the device. This change in its analytical model reduces uncertainty in the experimental data previously gathered and better refines the conclusions made in the previous work.

An Effective Piston Pressurization System for Spacecraft Bipropellant Tanks

70th International Astronautic Congress, Washington D.C. • October 2019

In this paper we present a new form of propellant tank pressurization systems for bipropellant engine configurations and demonstrate its effectiveness in design simplicity, mass reduction, and cost savings on the system. This tank configuration is intended for liquid bipropellant launch vehicles with additional applications to spacecrafts, where precision and predictability of fluid mass flow are critical.
Currently, propellants are typically stored in separate tanks each with their own independent inert gas pressurant system. Such a system requires at least an additional tank to store the pressurant gas, additional plumbing, and a complex control system.
In this new design, both propellants are stored inside the same tank, separated by a piston head device, in a stacked configuration. The upper fluid is contained by another piston head, which is driven by an actuator. The actuator presses down on the fluids which in turn keeps them pressurized to the desired level. Doing so keeps both propellants at the same pressure and expels them with a proportional mass flow rate equal to the oxidizer-fuel ratio. This system offers advantages in its simple approach and reduced mass since both tanks are combined to one without the need for a separate pressurant system. While this paper demonstrates the design\'s cost savings, future research will more closely investigate the effect of propellant sloshing, and the control of the modal behaviors of the tank by adjusting the actuator\'s force pushing on the fluid.

Dean's List, 8 semesters

The Ohio State University • August 2016 — May 2020

Rudolf Edse Scholarship in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering

The Ohio State University • August 2019 — May 2020

Eagle Scout

Boy Scouts of America • July 2015

ASTM

Member • 2016 — present

AIAA

Member • 2018 — present

ANS

Member • 2022 — present