Blast off: Colorado Springs college students' experiment to launch to ISS
A science experiment by a group of local college students could lead to out-of-this-world applications.
This week, the experiment designed by three current University of Colorado Colorado Springs students and one Pikes Peak State College alum will be sent to the International Space Station as part of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program.
"Getting the opportunity to work on actual flight hardware has been incredible," UCCS student and experiment designer Luke Davis said. "And just the opportunity to be able to do this has been special."
Davis and two other students' experiment, titled Calcium Sulfate Crystal Growth, was among 37 programs selected across the world to be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 Dragon rocket in Florida on Monday, Nov. 4.
It will mark the first time for both campuses that a student project has been launched into space.
It also marks the first time that either school has participated in the program. The partnership began when UCCS was invited to participate last year and contacted PPSC to assist with funding the $17,000 approximately needed.
UCCS associate professor of teaching Lynnane George said the collaboration made sense given the two schools' history of partnerships and pathway students.
"We work closely with Pikes Peak, because a lot of students go there and end up transferring here, so I've known McKenna Lovejoy for a long time," she said.
Lovejoy is PPSC's director of engineering and said she and her campus provided instructional guidance and resources, in addition to the funding assistance, while UCCS provided the students with the labs and equipment needed for testing.
The experiment was developed by three current UCCS students and one PPSC alum and will specifically monitor the formation of calcium sulphate crystals in microgravity. The chemicals and water that create the crystals will be taken to the space station, orbiting 250 miles above Earth's surface and traveling at 4.5 miles per second and monitored by astronauts for two to four weeks.
Meanwhile, the students back on Earth will be monitoring their own ground-controlled crystal growth to measure the differences microgravity has on their formation.
Davis, an aerospace major, explained that numerous variables, like Earth's gravity, affect the pressurization and crystallization of the chemical.
"So, what we're looking to see [is], 'Let's take gravity away from this equation.'" he said. "How is it going to form that chain? What's it going to look like?"
Calcium phosphate is commonly used in products ranging from construction materials like drywall and plaster to fertilizer. Although simple in its design, the experiment could potentially yield breakthroughs in the process of food production in space.
Lovejoy explained that, since human exploration in space and on other planets is anticipated to increase, experiments such as this could lead to solutions for growing food beyond Earth.
"If we're going to start sending humans to space, they're going to need to know how to grow food and they're going to have to be efficient," she said. "So, finding out ways to maximize the growth potential ... that's kind of where it fits in that realm. Because we can't just be shipping everything everywhere once we're up there."
The experiment was one of three selected from 10 local teams drawn from the two schools and later selected as one of the final 37 by the program, which is under the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education Internationally.
The program also provided local K-12 students to design a mission patch for the flight. The patch will be sent into orbit along with the experiment.
Following multiple delays, the launch is slated for Monday from NASA's famed Kennedy Space Center where the students and campus faculty involved in its development will be in attendance to view.
The two schools are already planning to participate in next year's experiment cycle, with experiment proposals due by Nov. 10, and will be joined by other schools across the state including Colorado School of Mines.
The collaboration and coordination between all the parties was repeatedly mentioned as being integral to literally getting this year's project off the ground.
"I don't think either of us (schools) could have pulled this off alone," Lovejoy said. "And we have such a good partnership with our engineering degrees ... and even getting younger kids involved with the art contest just brings awareness that this stuff is possible here in Colorado Springs."
The launch is scheduled will be livestreamed on both NASA and SpaceX sites.
