Climate change is caused by carbon dioxide being introduced to the atmosphere from power plants, factories, automobiles, and myriad other sources. Extreme weather events caused by a changing climate can kill thousands of people, create billions of dollars in damage, and force people to abandon their homes when susceptible areas are no longer habitable. The best long-term solution is regulation of carbon emissions, but pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere is still a tempting way to quickly return the earth's climate to its preindustrial state. Carbon capture technology is being looked at by more and more experts as a useful tool to buy more time for emissions to halt, so the technology is experiencing an increase in interest.
Main Topics and Goals
Using RockSim, design, build, and launch a three-stage rocket capable of carrying a carbon dioxide capture device
Use TinkerCAD to design a mechanical system to capture and process carbon dioxide
Write an IEEE research paper providing an overview of rocket design, carbon sequestration, and production of synthetic hydrocarbon fuels from captured carbon dioxide
Research Paper