Walter King is pursuing a minor in geophysics while completing his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech. Currently, he is working on the VERNE project, a NASA sponsored mission concept to penetrate the icy surface of Europa and search for biosignatures in the ocean beneath. He works under Dr. Britney Schmidt and is responsible for the design of a tether spooling mechanism and contributes to the science and sample handling team as well. In the spring of 2021, Walter plans to conduct research under Dr. Schmidt exploring seismic sensing for ice penetrator vehicles during the final semester of his undergraduate study. Outside of Georgia Tech, Walter is a participant in the NASA Pathways Program at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. At MSFC, he has worked on thermal protection systems for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) core stage, flight hardware integration for the Near-Earth Asteroid Scout mission, a feasibility study for the Europa Lander mission, and lunar sample return mission planning. Walter grew up in Elkins, a small town situated in the hills of West Virginia. He enjoys playing the fiddle and the guitar, backpacking and rock climbing, as well as tinkering with things in his spare time.