Planet Jayhawk: Engineering students to launch satellite, fly weightless

KU engineering students continue to reach for the stars this year with two projects that will put the Jayhawk in orbit.

First, students and faculty expect to launch what will be the first satellite designed, built and launched into space by the state of Kansas. The Kansas Universities Technology Evaluation Satellite (KUTESat) program has developed a pico-satellite that will help accomplish space missions. The pico-satellite, known as a CubeSat, is a 10-centimeter cube that weighs less than 2.2 pounds. The CubeSat's standard design allows for information to be shared freely among satellite development teams.

Pico-satellites carried aboard larger spacecrafts may be used to inspect the main spacecraft and perform various other tasks. Fourteen CubeSats, including the one from KU, will be launched from Kazakhstan with a larger satellite.

Fewer than 50 universities around the world have started designing CubeSats. These universities consider the project an important tool for students to learn about spacecraft and space science while contributing to research.

Second, KU engineering students will have a rare opportunity to test a design project in a weightless environment this summer at NASA's Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston. The team of 11 students will be one of the first in Kansas to participate in this special NASA program for students.

The KU Microgravity Team will test its work to develop a miniature maneuvering control system for satellites. The project will be flown between June 23 and July 2 on NASA’s “Weightless Wonder,” a C-9 aircraft used for astronaut training and experiments. The Weightless Wonder creates a reduced-gravity environment by flying several steep climbs and dives that produce 20 to 25 seconds of weightlessness at a time. While weightless, the control system will be tested by flying a set sequence of maneuvers.

To compete for a spot on the Weightless Wonder, students developed a proposal for a reduced-gravity experiment and submitted it to NASA. More than 100 schools submitted a proposal, and only 50 student teams from 38 universities across the country were selected.

The KU team is an offshoot of the Kansas Universities Technology Evaluation Satellite (KUTESat) program.

For more information, visit http://kuaemt.engr.ku.edu or http://microgravityuniversity.jsc.nasa.gov .