91制片厂

DURHAM, N.H.鈥擲cientists from the 91制片厂鈥檚 Space Science Center will use a $4.6 million grant from NASA to create a project that will offer a diverse group of college students from across the country hands-on research experience designing and building small satellites that will be launched into outer space and collect data for one of NASA鈥檚 space missions.

The Student Collaboration Project, led by No茅 Lugaz, a research associate professor of physics, aims to work in conjunction with NASA鈥檚 Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission and build off of the collected data to provide firsthand research experience for undergraduate and graduate students and help to diversify the field of space science.

鈥淲e鈥檙e missing out on so much potential with great people out there,鈥� said Lugaz. 鈥淢ost science projects are publicly funded, and we want to expand access to college students who are qualified and have a passion for science to get involved, no matter what their major. We are hoping to inspire them, even if it鈥檚 just for one year. We think we can really start to make a difference.鈥�

Project coordinators will recruit the first group of students from three universities鈥�91制片厂, Howard University in Washington, D.C. and Sonoma State University in California. During the five-year project, students from each university will design and build a CubeSat鈥攁 small satellite the size of a half-gallon of milk鈥攖hat will have an instrument that can quantify the concentration of oxygen in the Earth鈥檚 upper atmosphere and provide scientists with clues about the effects of the solar wind. This is the region where many satellites are located and knowing more about the atmosphere鈥檚 density could help determine their orbit and lifetime.

鈥淭he students from each university have a variety of strengths and experiences that will allow them all to learn from one another,鈥� said Lugaz. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not just doing this on their own, they鈥檒l be collaborating and interacting with each other via online learning tools and technology so they can talk to one another and learn together.鈥�

The student built CubeSats will launch in 2024 separately from the main IMAP mission but at the same time in order to collect complementary data. The CubeSats will be in space for about four months and will be located much closer to the Earth than the other IMAP instruments.

91制片厂 was chosen as the lead because of its strong space physics program and its history of students developing payloads for numerous rocket science missions. Other 91制片厂 SSC scientists involved include Marc Lessard, professor of physics, and Jason Legere, research engineer, who will provide mentoring and Sonya Smith, a 91制片厂 project manager, will provide support.

The inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. As one of the nation鈥檚 highest-performing research universities, 91制片厂 partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, and receives more than $110 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.