By Kenneth Oboh

The safety of space structures, including rockets, spaceships, and satellites, has become more critical than ever with the increasing number of space missions. As space exploration continues to grow, it becomes necessary to develop methods that improve the safety of space vehicles.

Funmilola Nwokocha, a mechanical engineering PhD student at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico, USA, is carrying out research that improves the detection and prediction of structural damages in space vehicles utilizing the electromechanical impedance method.

This method employs small piezoelectric sensors bonded to the structures for damage detection, transforming these vehicles into smart structures capable of self-monitoring. This technology improves the durability, reliability, and overall safety of aerospace systems in the harsh environment of space.

With funding from NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and as part of her doctoral research, she is collaborating with Immortal Data LLC to develop a new generation of black boxes for space vehicles. Black boxes are used to record flight data on aircrafts for accident investigations and to develop preventive maintenance measures.

A portable, Arduino-based impedance measurement unit will be employed to measure the impedance of a cantilevered beam in a suborbital payload. The payload is set for launch aboard a rocket to suborbital space from Spaceport America, New Mexico, in the third quarter of 2024. Real-time structural health monitoring (SHM) will be demonstrated, and the data obtained is expected to contribute to the advancement of SHM technologies and the development of more reliable and resilient space structures.

Nwokocha possesses a distinguished academic background with multiple degrees, including a National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Yaba College of Technology, a B.Eng. and M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from the Federal University of Technology Akure, and an MBA from the University of Lagos.

Her outstanding academic performance earned her the prestigious EPNL Total/NNPC undergraduate merit scholarship. Upon completing her undergraduate studies in 2011, she received the APWEN award as Nigeria’s best graduating female engineering student.

Nwokocha’s work is at the forefront of improving the safety of space exploration and shaping the future of aerospace technology.