SPIRIT Undergraduate
Rocket Program
A Space Grant Consortium Success!
Timothy F. Wheeler
Penn State University
National Council of Space Grant Directors
Fall 2006 Meeting
28 October 2006
Outline:
SPIRIT Program features
ESPRIT Rocket report
Role of Space Grant
Consortia in SPIRIT
6 assertions (by way of
conclusions)
SPIRIT Undergraduate Sounding Rocket Program
…Putting rockets to work for education
Characteristics of a SPIRIT Payload:
 Long-duration, vertically integrated,
collaborative small group learning
environment
 Scientific research in service of
undergraduate education
 Hands-on experiences related to
professional development
 Comprehensive program of activities
for students of many majors.
 Complex, open-ended technical
challenges
Besides the payload...
• Companion Course (1 cr)
– Evolves from lectures => working group
– Team building activities (field trips to
industry sites)
• UN-focus on the big picture
– Science tie-in
– Our chance to recruit highly motivated
students to space and atm science
• Levering projects beyond SPIRIT
– Indep. Stdy, Capstone and Honors
Projects
– Core curriculum ‘real-world’ problems
• Publicity Campaign
(w/School of Communications)
• K-12 Outreach
(w/School of Education)
Assertion #1: Project-based courses teach students
(not subjects) through active learning.
Experience
Learning
Growth
Assertion #2: Rockets provide excellent pedagogical
opportunity
•
•
•
•
Highly technical projects
Project length fits a
student career
Professionalism and
rigorous attention to
detail required
Fun and exciting!
Assertion #3: SPIRIT has provided comprehensive
professional development for a decade.
• SPIRIT I: 17 May 2000
• SPIRIT II: 3 Oct 2004
• SPIRIT III (ESPRIT): 1 July 2006
ESPRIT: The 3rd SPIRIT project
… an international collaboration
Educational Goals:
• Prepare the next
generation of scientists
and engineers for spacerelated careers
• Develop the teamwork
and professional skills of
these particular students
through complex projects
• Foster a global view of
man’s quest to
understand the world
Science Goals:
• Investigate the high latitude ionosphere during a
geophysically interesting period (NLC, PMSE, X-ray or
particle event)
• Investigate the physical characteristics of mesospheric
aerosols (NLC) particles and/or PMSE conditions.
Some numbers:
ESPRIT:
• 98 PSU undergraduates over 3 years
• ~40 students in any one semester
• 11 Norwegian graduate students from HiN,
UiO, UiB
SPIRIT:
• 250 PSU participants
• ~10 % women
• 6 Permanent employees at WFF (1 at
– Goddard)
(Study of long-term effect on student careers
remains to be done)
ESPRIT Payload
Composite nosecone & decks (PSU)
Langmuir probes (PSU)
1.5m boom system (UiO/PSU)
Plasma Frequency Probe (PSU)
Aerosol detector (HiN)
Accelerometer/Gyro exp (UiO)
X-Ray det/SSD/Hor sensors (UiB)
NLC detect photometer array (PSU)
NLC imager/sun sensor (PSU)
Pyroless door actuator (PSU)
Rocket power/wiring systems (PSU)
3-axis magnetometer (PSU)
TM and PCM support (PSU/ARR/FFI)
ESPRIT was a success:
Launched on schedule: from
Norway (Andøya rakettskytefeltet)
1 July 2006
167 km apogee
Excellent science conditions
Preliminary assessment:
-- Most instruments got usable data
-- Data set will provide many
opportunities for analysis by
students
Assertion #4: International student collaborations work to broaden
understanding and build relationships for the future
Student interactions
• 12 Norwegians came to PSU, Feb 2005
• 2 students to ARR for HotPay launch (June 2005)
• 2 PSU students to ESA Sounding Rocket Programme
(Sandefjord, June 2005)
•10 Norwegians to WFF,
(March 2006)
•2 Norwegians to WFF,
(May 2006)
•14 PSU students
supported the launch in
Andøya (June/July 2006)
What now?
• ESPRIT Data Analysis class (led by
Dr. Philbrick at PSU)
• Presentation of ESPRIT results by
students
–
–
–
–
–
To delegation from Norway
To Lockheed Martin management
To PSU admininistrators
To PSU CoE Research Symposium
To ESA Sumposium, June 07?
• Establishment of a Student Space
Projects Lab at PSU with Space
Studies Certificate (Dr. Sven Bilén)
Assertion #5: ESPRIT will meet its educational
and scientific goals.
ESPRIT has been a fun and
effective international collaboration
NB: This is not a live booster!
Assertion #6: Space Grant Consortia can have a
fundamental role in nurturing forward-looking
educational agendas
• Role of PA Space Grant Consortium in SPIRIT:
– First ’enabler’, funded a promising idea.
– Subsequent ’sustainer’ role for operational funds as seed money
– Network for collaboration, contacts
• Role of SPIRIT in PA Space Grant Consortium:
– Provided an avenue to address the very goals Dr. Winterton
highlighted
– Provided a technical ’edge’ to PA SGC programs
– Provided concrete successes at regular intervals
– Provided ready resource for outreach activities related to rockets
Our success is your success – Thank you!
Summary of Assertions:
1.
Project-based courses teach students (not subjects) through
active learning.
2.
Rockets represent an excellent pedagogical tool !
3.
SPIRIT has provided comprehensive professional development
for a decade.
4.
ESPRIT (SPIRIT III) will meet its educational and scientific goals.
5.
International student collaborations work to broaden
understanding and build relationships for the future
6.
Space Grant Consortia have a fundamental role to play in
nurturing forward-looking educational agendas
Collaborating Faculty on ESPRIT
• Penn State University
– Dr. Sven Bilén
– Dr. Russell Philbrick
– Dr. David Spencer
– Timothy F. Wheeler
(tfw1@psu.edu)
• Universitet i Oslo
– Dr. Torfinn Lindem
• Universitet i Bergen
– Dr. Johan Stansnes
– Svein Njastaad
• PA Space Grant
– Dr. Lisa Brown
• Andøya Rakettskyltefelt
– Dr. Evind Thrane
– Jorgen Ilstad
• NASA/NSROC
– Philip Eberspeaker
– Bruce Scott, mgr
• Høyskolen i Narvik
– Dr Arne Bjørk
http://spirit.ee.psu.edu
Sponsors of ESPRIT:
• PA Space Grant Consortium
•
•
NASA Wallops Flight Facility
Andøya Rakettskyltefeltet
•
•
Penn State College of Engineering
Corporate Sponsors:
Lockheed Martin
Boeing
YLA Composites
Olympic Machining
•
Thanks also to the U.S. Embassy in Oslo for
support of student travel
Visit our web site at: http://spirit.ee.psu.edu