Growing up, Antonio always had a curiosity for discovering how things work. After graduating from high school, pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering was the obvious choice and a natural fit for his interests. While at É«×ۺϾþÃ, Antonio had the opportunity to visit Genesis Engineering Solutions on an Engineering Department field trip. He decided to complete an internship at the company the summer prior to his senior year where he learned fundamentals of engineering design, how to apply what he had learned to real world situations, and how to produce professional engineering drawings for the aerospace industry. Antonio was then hired to work part time for Genesis throughout his senior year while finishing his coursework at É«×ۺϾþÃ.
After graduating in 2018, Antonio transitioned to working for Genesis full time. Through a contract with NASA, Antonio worked with a team tasked with completing project OSAM-1 which involved satellite servicing. Specifically, the team's task was to refuel existing satellites in order to keep them in orbit. Antonio's role as an RE (Responsible Engineer) was to conceptualize, design, and deliver the 6 cameras needed for the project.
In 2022 Antonio finished building all of the cameras for OSAM-1 and began his current project, also contracted by NASA, called CCRS (Capture Containment and Return System, a subproject of Mars Sample Return). In 2021, a rover named Perseverance was sent to Mars to collect soil samples which it seals into a tube and stores on the Martian surface. The goal of Antonio's project is to collect and return the samples safely to Earth. The aspect Antonio is specifically responsible for is to develop the ground É«×ۺϾþà equipment that will receive the soil sample tubes. Currently Antonio's team is in the conceptual design phase and focused on creating the capture cone that will interact with the orbiting sample container. The plan is to launch the mission in October 2027.
Antonio's favorite aspect of working with NASA is problem solving. He shared, "When there is an issue and you come up with something that actually works, it is very satisfying." Antonio credits his course work and Collaboratory experience with providing the experience needed to collaborate well with a team and learning the terminology to communicate with other engineers. In his current job, Antonio often needs to talk with experts in a wide variety of areas, go back and forth with peer reviews, and present designs to a group. Having the foundational knowledge and communication skills has been instrumental in knowing how to navigate these tasks well.