Students set to launch their own experiment into space with NASA鈥檚 RockSat-C program
by Nick McDermott |
A team of students and faculty from Mat-Su College and UAA鈥檚 Anchorage campus is preparing to journey across the country for a high-flying summer adventure鈥攂oth literally and academically. From June 17 to June 27, the group will travel to NASA鈥檚 Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to participate in the RockSat-C program, an initiative that allows students to design, build and launch scientific experiments aboard suborbital rockets.
Members of this ambitious crew are Justice Darby from the Mat-Su Campus, Kenneth Sparks from the Anchorage campus and Walter Nagel also based in Anchorage. Unfortunately, Walter won鈥檛 be able to join the team on the trip due to scheduling conflicts.
The students are working closely with Daniel Nichols, Ph.D., associate professor of physics, the project鈥檚 faculty advisor and Mat-Su College faculty member. Nichols said, 鈥淚t has been a pleasure working with the students on this NASA project. I鈥檝e witnessed their growth as engineers as they embraced a challenging task and saw it through to success. I鈥檓 truly grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with both of them.鈥�
This year鈥檚 trip marks a major step forward for the team, which participated in NASA鈥檚 introductory RockOn! program last summer. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say we鈥檙e doing it again,鈥� saidJustice Darby. 鈥淲e鈥檙e advancing to the next stage.鈥� Unlike RockOn!, where students assembled pre-designed experiments, RockSat-C challenges participants to conceive, develop and test their own scientific payloads鈥攋ust like real NASA engineers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 rocket science鈥攍iterally,鈥� said Darby. 鈥淭he analysis is complex, but we鈥檙e excited to demonstrate that undergrad students can take on serious science.鈥�
Their goal? Nothing short of measuring the mass of the Earth using data gathered from their experiment aboard a suborbital rocket. The team鈥檚 device incorporates an accelerometer and gyroscope to capture the rocket鈥檚 motion. By analyzing how the rocket鈥檚 velocity changes with altitude, they aim to calculate Earth鈥檚 mass鈥攁 true application of orbital physics.
Once the data is analyzed, the team plans to share what they learn. "Not only are we benefited by the hands-on-learning experience, but importantly, we will be making our work available for future generations,鈥� said Sparks. 鈥淭hese students will be using our work to understand tools for data analysis and how these computer models represent real-time flight behavior."
The team has spent months preparing: booking travel, coordinating logistics, building their hardware, and conducting flight-readiness tests in collaboration with NASA engineers. Regular meetings with Wallops staff ensure the project stays within mission parameters and doesn鈥檛 risk spinning apart mid-flight.
The project stands as a testament to collaboration and hands-on learning. The team expressed gratitude to Dr. Nichols for his mentorship, HVAC Professor Chad Petrie for opening the Mat-Su Robotics Lab after hours, and to each other for seeing the project through. As they head to NASA this summer, they carry not only a scientific payload鈥攂ut the hopes of a successful mission and future opportunities in aerospace research.