Assignment #11 - Angela Roberts

All members — except for James — listen carefully as Nil explains what they're charged with doing next.
An old piece of machinery sits in the basement of IPST. After walking past it every day for months, Hyperloop members hardly even notice it anymore.
A Styrofoam model rocket leans against shelves that line the basement room's walls — a tiny version of the Falcon 9 rocket two team alumni are now working on with SpaceX.
A seldom-watered plant sits near a grimy sink.
An old coffee can filled with wires, pens and pencils sits at the center of a table strewn with charging cables and calculators.
James Bollinger, a junior aerospace major, works on his dynamics homework at the meeting. He contributes to the discussion here and there, calling out snarky comments and teasing his teammates.
Nil Patel, lead of one Hyperloop sub-team, listens closely as his teammates discuss how to cut back on the structure's weight —which will be important as the gang strives to engineer a contraption that will whip along at 500mph underground.
It's not uncommon for Hyperloop members to spend hours in the basement of IPST each day — scribbling equations, arguing and laughing under the building's fluorescent lighting.
A dingy hallway runs through the basement of the Institute for Physical Science Technology building, leading to the room where members of the University of Maryland's Hyperloop team meet to discuss the contraption's structure.





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