DemoSat Team Invited Guests at NASA Launch
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Seven a.m., six universities, four students and one experience of a lifetime. From the labs of Colorado State to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, mechanical and electrical engineering students not only took their internship to new heights this summer, but to NASA.
Through participation in the Colorado Space Grant Consortium's DemoSat program, students Jonathan Cox, Matt Wilkson, Matt Ellis and Jared Whelan designed and constructed a rover that was launched to the edge of space this August from Deer Trail, Colorado. Visible from the earth, a weather balloon carried the Colorado State rover, along with instruments from several other institutions, to 100,000 feet. Achieving the mission objective, the encased Colorado State rover withstood a parachuted drop and deployed upon landing autonomously.
Using GPS and the help of the Edge of Space (EOS) Society, the team tracked the rover to a nearby farmhouse, and, with permission of the homeowners, witnessed its landing — a first in the history of the program at CSU. Having equipped the rover with a sensor, which prevented it from deploying mid-air, the team was able to watch the machine emerge successfully from its protective shell and execute its mission to follow a preprogrammed path. Witnesses included the DemoSat team, project director and professor Dr. Paul Wilbur, officials from the School of Mines and EOS Society members.
Already an incredible journey, the team's internship did not end with the rover launch, but rather with that of the space shuttle Endeavor. Invited guests of Chris Koehler, Director of the Colorado Space Grant Consortium program at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the students represented the program, alongside several other Colorado DemoSat teams, at a NASA education fair held in Orlando, Florida, last August.
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As an added bonus to the trip, the DemoSat team was awarded VIP status at the launch of the shuttle Endeavor, observing its take-off from the Saturn V Center 3.5 miles away. There they also attended a catered reception and meet-and-greet with current NASA astronauts and employees. In addition to the launch, the team also was awarded behind-the-scenes tours of the orbiter processing and engines facilities.
Prior to the NASA trip and participation in the Summer Space Grant program, members of the team say they were undecided on their future career paths. However, having gained hands-on experience sending a rover into space, and gaining unique insight into the aerospace industry, team members are now exploring their options with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and aerospace engineering firms.
"Previously I had interest in HVAC systems, but this trip motivated me to look into aerospace," said teammate Matt Wilkson. &
"I was interested in either aerospace or biology, but now I definitely want to do aerospace, space propulsion or power engineering," agreed team member Matt Ellis.
For more information on the Colorado Space Grant Consortium please visit http://www-sgc.colorado.edu/.
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