While being a member of the FRC team, Kyle also was a part of several other teams, that would slightly change each year (2018-2020). This was through a program with NASA, called HUNCH (High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware). NASA gave students several issues they were trying to solve, and had the students pitch ideas to them, and hopefully build prototypes as well. For each issue given, NASA chose the 3 best ideas to go to the Johnson Space Center to present it to them. Kyle’s design was chosen all 3 years he participated, and was even able to get exclusive tours of the Johnson Space Center not open to the general public.

The first year (2017-2018), Kyle and 3 other team members designed an exercise harness meant to be attached to a machine aboard the Orion module. At the time, this was meant for missions to Mars, before being changed to Lunar missions. The machine would essentially pull the harness up and down, to help simulate gravity. Exercise in space is crucial for Astronaut’s health, as their bones and muscles deteriorate quite quickly without needing to ever use them. The harness would help evenly distribute the force from the machine over the Astronaut’s body, and allow them to perform exercises such as squats. Design considerations like how a human’s center of mass changes throughout a pushup was taken into consideration, and the design was able to incorporate that for allowing proper pushups. Throughout all 3 years, careful documentation was taken, and careful drawings and computer designs were used to assist in the design process.

In the second year (2018-2019), Kyle and 1 other student from the previous team started another project. Aboard the International Space Station, there is a device called the ARED. This device allows for a bench press to be done in zero gravity, and still provide the benefits of exercise as mentioned before. A part of this device gets in the way when not being used, so Kyle and his team devised a solution. A 3D printed clip would latch onto a part of the ARED, and swivel over the part that moves. This would lock it in place (and out of the way) when not being used. This was also Kyle’s first time using a 3D printer, and even bought his own in order to help with the project. At the Johnson Space Center, Kyle learned that his previous exercise harness design was chosen to go into space, but unfortunately the design was given to another high school team with significantly more funding and support from NASA, to finalize the product. Of course this design would never see space as the entire mission of the Orion was altered shortly after.

The third year (2019-2020), Kyle and a different student from his team in his first year, joined with a new member of HUNCH. This year, they designed a retractable flag pole to be used on the lunar surface. This design would hold up the American Flag when planted on the surface of the moon, and would display it so it actually stands up. The lack of atmosphere on the moon would make the flag droop unless a mechanical solution was devised. Once again, this solution was partially 3D printed. When collapsed, the final product fit into the palm of your hand, and when extended, it was about the height of the average person, and held the flag pole up firmly. Once again, Kyle’s team was selected to present in Houston, but unfortunately that never took place because of the COVID-19 pandemic.