DLR (German Aerospace Center) Internship

I spent one week at DLR (German Aerospace Center) in the hypersonic wind-tunnel facility. Under supervision, I worked with Mach 10 test equipment, calculated airfoil efficiency at hypersonic speeds, and examined scramjet-combustor aerodynamics data. Most of the week alternated between tests, calculations, and engineers explaining what the measurements meant.

Get meaningful technical understanding out of one week in a world-class hypersonic research facility.

• One-week duration, which required being selective about what was worth focusing on
• Test facility safety protocols limited hands-on equipment operation to supervised sessions

• Spent most of the available time on aerodynamic analysis, where my existing physics background let me understand and contribute more within a one-week placement.

1. 01

   Wind tunnel facility orientation and safety protocol certification

2. 02

   Mach 10 airfoil testing: data collection and drag/lift coefficient analysis across multiple geometries

3. 03

   Scramjet combustor aerodynamics: inlet and flow path efficiency analysis

• Hypersonic aerodynamics has almost nothing in common with subsonic intuition. Shock interactions and aerodynamic heating dominate everything.
• High-end research facilities spend more time on calibration and diagnostics than on actual test runs