Grad Student Awarded NASA Grant for $99,000

Nathaniel Ambler, a graduate student in the Department of Space Studies, has received funding approval of $99,000 for the development of a recovery and storage system for gaseous hydrogen as vented during vehicle loading and drainback operations of the External Tank on the Space Shuttle.The system has a bypass capability to prevent potential negative launch impact in the event of a subsystem malfunction.The eventual outcome of the project is a full-scale operational system for use with the Space Shuttle and future vehicle designs including Project Constellation. The project was developed with NASA mentor Janira Ramos at Kennedy Space Center. Prior to coming to UND, Ambler worked at KSC as a graduate student researcher through the Space Shuttle Fluids Division, specifically cryogenics. While there he developed a proposal for a helium recovery system. He is currently listed as a consultant with UND for the development of that helium recovery system.