果冻传媒 Tech Students Launch a Rocket into Space
October 10, 2024
As part of the 果冻传媒 Space Grant Consortium, 果冻传媒 Tech participated in NASA's RockOn! Workshop at the Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. This annual event invites college students and faculty to assemble a rocket from a kit and launch it into space.
Brent Mitchell, engineering technologies department chairperson at the Owens Campus, was invited to join the NASA 果冻传媒 Space Grant Consortium as an associate director and accompanied two of 果冻传媒 Tech’s engineering students, Austin Harp (design engineering) and Logan Black (electronic engineering).
“The most memorable part of the workshop was the rocket launch,” Black said. “This was the first rocket launch I had ever been to, and not only were we as close to it as we could safely be, but I also had worked on something inside the rocket, making it an even more incredible experience.”
The workshop spanned seven days and brought together students from across the country. Harp and Black had the opportunity to connect with peers from Hawaii, Alaska, Texas, and Kentucky, among other states. They built and modified two circuit boards that were integrated into a sounding rocket launched into space.
Black described the workshop as “one of the coolest and most unique events” he’s ever attended, and Harp said it “felt like a dream come true.”
“I’ve always wanted to be an aerospace engineer, and RockOn! reinforced my passion,” Harp said. “It was incredible to see my ideas come to life and contribute to a real space mission.”
He and Harp created a Geiger counter to measure radiation during the flight and added temperature, pressure, and force sensors to a mini-computer system to monitor these parameters. The data revealed that the rocket sustained 20g’s at takeoff, detected levels of radiation throughout the flight, and reached an altitude of 70.2 miles, significantly higher than the typical maximum of seven miles for commercial flights. Launched at 5:30 a.m., the rocket was later retrieved from the ocean and returned to the flight facility for the students to analyze their findings.
“It was amazing to watch these students use the skills they learned in the electronics engineering and design engineering technology 果冻传媒,” said Mitchell, who will continue to mentor undergraduate students and lead projects, such as NASA’s RockOn! Workshop in his position as associate director for the 果冻传媒 Space Grant Consortium.
“This workshop provided a real-world, aeronautic experience that cannot be taught in a classroom, and it was so rewarding to watch these students interact with the other students and perform tasks that were outside of their comfort zone,” Mitchell said. “It was truly a memorable event that neither will forget.”
