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Student Space Experiment Access - A National Imperative

Explore the history, challenges, and recommendations for student access to space experiments. Industry experts discuss workforce gaps and propose collaboration solutions for future endeavors.

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Student Space Experiment Access - A National Imperative

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  1. NSF Small Satellite Workshop 2007 May 17 Student Space Experiment Access - A National Imperative Starshine Spacecraft Vanguard 1 launched in ’58 (50th anniversary in ‘08) David Yoel & Gil Moore NSF Small Satellite Workshop

  2. Background • From 1973 to 2001 NASA provided free or low-cost rides into orbit for hundreds of high school and university student payloads • Skylab Student Experiment Program • Shuttle Student Involvement Project • Get Away Special Program • Hitchhiker Project • These programs helped attract young engineers and scientists to aerospace during the recovery from the ’70’s crash • Many of those former students now occupy responsible positions throughout the space industry and the scientific community NSF Small Satellite Workshop

  3. The Impending Workforce Gap • Industry leaders decry the magnitude of the problem • Dozens of reports, little action • Rising Above The Gathering Storm, Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, 2004 www.nationalacademies.org/cosepup • This time it’s different • Demographics (aging population) • Declining K-12 STEM interest & skills • Off-shoring not an option in aerospace industry • Our response? • Terminate programs that have inspired the best & brightest students NSF Small Satellite Workshop

  4. Current Realities • All Shuttle secondary payloads de-manifested after Columbia accident • Full cost accounting another major factor • Dozens of university space experiment programs have been terminated • Many students interested in space have moved on • Attempt to fly on NASA ELVs terminated last year • Student Zero-G aircraft access now facing termination • CubeSat and NanoSat Programs NSF Small Satellite Workshop

  5. Informal Coalition of Aerospace Scientists & Engineers • Recommendations to date • There’s no substitute for hands-on approach • Many ways to accomplish this • U.S. launch vehicle companies add provision for secondary educational payloads to all their vehicles • Investigate use of tax credits to reimburse launch vehicle providers for the cost of integrating each payload they fly • Encourage DoD to increase funding and launch rate for the University NanoSat program NSF Small Satellite Workshop

  6. Informal Coalition of Aerospace Scientists & Engineers • Recommendations (cont.) • Encourage NASA and industry to include accommodations for student payloads on all new launch vehicles • Encourage spacecraft manufacturers to donate surplus and prototype flight hardware and make test facilities available to student experimenters • Create bridges between university-level space experiment programs and K-12 STEM initiatives across the country NSF Small Satellite Workshop

  7. Informal Coalition of Aerospace Scientists & Engineers • Universal Space Networks • Has offered to work with student spaceflight programs to downlink data and uplink commands on a capacity-available basis • Tax Credits • Credits more valuable than deductions • Informal assessment is positive • Working to obtain formal expert opinion NSF Small Satellite Workshop

  8. Observations • Focus on students • Compatible with priority NSF places on education • Help find a way to provide access in U.S. • Don’t make empty promises to students • Attached payloads can have value • Don’t necessarily have to deploy a spacecraft • Reduces cost, integration complexity, mission risk NSF Small Satellite Workshop

  9. Issues • Excess capacity exists • Issue is marginal cost of integration (at no mission risk) • Cost of developing Secondary payload accommodations • Robust accommodations • “Auxiliary” not “Secondary” • Cost is trivial if averaged over multiple missions • Non-recurring expense “has” to be paid by 1st customer(s) NSF Small Satellite Workshop

  10. Collaboration • Auxiliary access a shared problem across the industry • No organization can afford the solution alone • Consider Prizes/Cups/Prizes (E.g., “The Vanguard Cup”) • DARPA Challenge, Solar Challenge, FIRST Robotics… • The prize is not access, it’s based on what’s done in space • Untapped resources • Industry • Student space “alumni” • An organization capable of aggregating and channeling resources could break the bottleneck • Focus on student access and student programs • Leverage • Be sure it’s not a “sticky” organization – money flows through NSF Small Satellite Workshop

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