We have been writing blog posts for quite some time now, mainly about technical topics. But what about the people in DARE? In the coming weeks some of our core members will write recurring blog posts about their life in DARE. This week: Bastiaan Bom
Name: Bastiaan Bom
Study: MSc Embedded Systems
Function: External Relations
How I got into DARE
In my second year of studying at the TU Delft I wanted to do something more challenging next to my study. I became a member of the electronics team in DARE, after a friend of mine had recommended it to me. I stayed there for a while and learned a lot of practical stuff about electronics.
Then, in my third year I did my minor on a DARE project. The aim of the minor was to build an actively stabilized rocket. In a group of 10 people, we built all the hardware and designed a control system to make the rocket go up straight. One of the biggest challenges was to design a controller for this rocket, which is both a non-linear and time-varying system. A lot of people decided to continue with the project after the minor, they named themselves the Advanced Control Team (ACT). We are planning to launch the actively stabilized rocket on the 5th of June at ASK ‘t Harde, a training ground of the Ministry of Defense near Zwolle.
I myself took on a different challenge. After the minor, I was asked to become a board member of the DARE society, and willingly took on the task of commissioner of external relations.
Board
As commissioner of external relations I am in charge of events at DARE. The main goal in this is to create awareness amongst the Dutch people about the usefulness and importance of rocketry and space-related technologies. The biggest project we are working towards this year is the launch of Stratos II+ to 50 kilometers in October this year. My goal for this year is to make this launch campaign the most publicized one in the history of DARE.
Next to this, I am also the main contact person for some of our sponsors. As we are reaching higher and higher altitudes we need support from sponsors and partners. Without them we would be nowhere near a record-breaking launch, I am very grateful to all. In the past couple of weeks we have been talking to National Instruments regarding a very useful set of measurement and actuation equipment for DARE. More on that soon!
Keep us posted on Facebook and Twitter, as I will be posting here more regularly in the future. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.