Students, CubeSats and the Importance of a Space Education

Last month, I joined a team of space engineering students from the University of Michigan in an hour and a half-long flight aboard the famous Weightless Wonder aircraft to document the group's participation in NASA's Reduced Gravity Flight Education Program in Houston, Texas.

Flying at 30,000 feet in a state of simulated weightlessness is an outer-worldly experience was the icing on the cake for the young engineers.

They used the flight time to test their nanosatellite experiment, the eXtendable Solar Array System (XSAS), which has been in development since September 2009. The students were able to collect data for this project about 20 times during the 30 parabolas our aircraft executed.

Go ahead and take a peek!

Hands-On, Heads Up!

Recent interest in a type of standardized nanosatellites called CubeSats, which are miniaturized satellites used for space research and are typically built with commercial off-the-shelf components led to the creation of XSAS, the small cube that expanded like an accordion in the air and then was folded back into a cube multiple times in the above video. (It worked!)

This deployable solar array and power system can provide up to seven times more power than current CubeSats. XSAS also provides greater flexibility in the outside design of the satellite. More power means more processing, more data transfer and more science. More flexibility means greater ability to do more when deployed in orbit.

Why is this important? Cheaper satellites have the potential to enhance technology for national defense, scientific exploration, television networks, the Internet, atmospheric studies, mobile phones, and number of other technologies. More power will increase the number of possible CubeSat missions, which could lead to greater options for space commercialization and more use of smaller space vehicles beyond the stratosphere.

In the past, space missions have only been supported by huge companies and federal taxpayer money. With the availability and interest in smaller spacecraft, new entrepreneurial ventures are already surfacing. Smaller companies are beginning to sell small spacecraft parts, and take on designing and building entire space vessels.

The initial concepts for XSAS were developed by graduate students in a space system design class last year at the University of Michigan. After the team produced a paper study and a prototype, Patrick Martincheck, an aerospace engineering student, continued the effort through the Student Space System Fabrication Laboratory (S3FL), took on the role of Microgravity XSAS project manager and team leader, and recruited a group of eight students to complete the project.

Each of the microgravity projects are selected based on 70 percent of the students' technical endeavors and 30 percent of their planned community outreach. Through visiting high schools and colleges, the students set out to inspire other young people to consider careers in aerospace engineering.

Douglas Goforth, program manager of the NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities for NASA Johnson Space Center, says outreach is crucial to the flight program.

"We want what we're doing here at NASA to reach more people than just students who are participating in the program," Goforth said. "We look really closely at the plans the different teams have to visit their high schools and other parts of their communities, and talk about their experience at NASA. This will support continued space research."

Sara Malloy, the lead coordinator of NASA's Reduced Gravity Flight Program, says the hands-on experience the students gain at NASA is invaluable.

"They have an opportunity to do a science project from start to finish," said Malloy. "Coming up with the design and redesigning as much as you need to get the results that you're looking for and then have the opportunity to actually test your experiment again that's something that our higher education really needs."

Space Exploration: More Than a Walk on the Moon

Malloy also shared her views on something NASA needs -- funding. Due to changes in government financing for NASA, the Reduced Gravity Flight Program, which once spanned several weeks, has been diminished to one week in the summer.

When asked what she would say if she had the opportunity to express to Congress and President Obama why it's important to increase funding for NASA, Malloy said the first thing she would do is make sure she has a student with her.

James Cutler, Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at University of Michigan and a key adviser to the Microgravity XSAS team says aerospace engineering, small satellite technology and NASA's educational programs play a "critical role" in our nation's technological and social advancement.

"GPS and satellite-based communication services are fundamental to our technology backbones, from industry down to everyday homes," declared Cutler. "Think of the air travel industry and mobility to reach the ends of the world. Also, space is the high ground, and that is important for defense. But space also has the potential to view the Earth in a very unifying way. All nations are on this world together, and space is a great opportunity to come together on that."

Martincheck, who starts a new job at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in August, agrees that space engineering education is important for our country's development.

"As a new idea and concept, it will take some time before people recognize the full impact of small satellites," said Martincheck. "Innovation is key, and innovation starts with educating future engineers. Small satellites will find a place in everyday life, from weather predictions to communication and entertainment, even to defense and military operations. Small satellites are truly a disruptive technology, and our educational system is currently leading the charge to accelerate just how disruptive small satellites are becoming."

I could write a book about the importance of space exploration and the small glimpse I had of the dedication and technical acumen of the engineering students from the University of Michigan. Perhaps, I'll save that for when one of the Microgravity XSAS team members wins a Nobel Prize. For now, I'll leave you with some more zero gravity eye candy. Enjoy!

Melissa Jun Rowley is a television and online journalist who has covered business news from the New York Stock Exchange for CNN Business News, red carpet glamour from the Oscars for CNN Entertainment, and social good for Causecast and Mashable. Melissa is currently a Cause Correspondent for Whatgives.com. She is the creator and host of the social good web series "Good and Ready," which features celebrities, brands, and non-profits coming together for social good. She also co-produces and co-hosts the celebrity talk show with a twist, "In Bed With...," on Mingle Media TV.