I wonder how a probe drifts in silence and how AI could become its second heartbeat.
I turn this curiosity into reproducible projects and logs, even while still in high school.

Trajectory may drift, but the mission continues. Failure is part of orbit. Persistence is thrust.

A self-directed research project simulating orbital propulsion systems controlled by AI.

• Progressing from physics-driven expert baselines → imitation learning → reinforcement learning
• Tasks include orbital transfers, thrust ignition, and impulse vs continuous propulsion
• Stress tests under noisy inputs, partial faults, and long-duration runs
• Logs and records treated as mission data, ensuring reproducibility

This project produced my first reproducible orbital transfer simulation and a stabilized baseline, tested under different orbital conditions with results carefully logged.
My long-term goal is to make these simulations reliable enough to inspire future real-world spacecraft control.

👉 Repository:

Every spacecraft needs a foundation. Alongside my main track, I explore supporting disciplines:

• 🤖 Robotics and control experiments
• ⚡ Embedded systems with Arduino and sensors
• 📡 CubeSat structural modeling and CAD design
• 🎮 Reinforcement learning from simple environments to orbital tasks

👉 Repository:

For me, research is not just about results. It is about rhythm, resilience, and meaning.

Daily commits are like signals from a distant probe, sometimes faint but proof of flight.
Failures are not waste but data points, each bug like a drift that forces a corrective burn.
Logs serve as navigation records, marking coordinates in a long orbit.
Growth is spiral, not linear, always correcting, never still.

Traditional drills and competitions drained me, but projects gave me persistence.
I learned to treat failures as part of the system, not reasons to quit.
Projects gave me a reason to keep moving forward. When I am exploring and creating, I can work all day without noticing time.

Even if today’s trajectory is blank, the learning orbit still runs within me.

I have always been curious about the universe.
What might have existed before the Big Bang?
What lies in places no probe has ever reached?

Each time a spacecraft falls silent, I feel a deep sadness, like a heartbeat lost in the dark.
That sorrow also becomes motivation: to design controllers that survive longer, adapt better, and carry human curiosity farther.

I do not chase every subject across engineering, AI, or astrophysics.
I focus on the pieces that matter for my mission, combining them like modules of a spacecraft.

Here is my trajectory so far, still unfolding:

• 🔭 Age 16 Looked up at the night sky and wrote my first orbital simulation code
• 🌱 Age 18 Built reproducible projects and logs, publishing them on GitHub as a growing research portfolio
• ✈️ Early 20s Aim to deepen the most relevant knowledge across engineering, AI, and science for spacecraft control
• 👽 Age 30 Aim to see my controllers tested on real systems, helping spacecraft continue their mission beyond human reach
• ♾️ Beyond that The path is uncertain, but the mission will continue

I know these goals may look far beyond reach, but why not try to pursue what truly excites me?

On the day I defined this project, I wrote my first orbital simulation code.
In summer I updated daily; later perhaps weekly — each log still counts. Each step matters, no matter how small.

Unlike endless drills where I once gave up, these projects keep me alive.
Even when I collapse at 2 a.m. over a bug, I continue.
Because each small step reminds me that I still have a chance, and I can still chase my dream.

The universe is silent. This is my ignition.

• GitHub: Sean-ZhiXin-Li
• Email: tlizxin209625@gmail.com

Total Contributions: 205  |  Longest Active Period: 45 days  |  Activity Span: Sep 25, 2024 → Present