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Thanks to a University of Arizona student and her childhood dream, visitors to the UArizona campus now can take a walk through the solar system at the same time.

Zarah Brown, a doctoral student at the UArizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, led the installation of 11 plaques depicting various objects of the solar system true to scale. Designed to show the relative sizes and distances of solar system objects at a 1:5 billion scale, the outreach project aims to make space science accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds and to highlight UArizona’s accomplishments exploring the solar system.

Dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 8, the stations comprising the Arizona Scale Model Solar System are spaced out across two-thirds of a mile of campus between the Kuiper Space Sciences Building and the intersection of East University Boulevard and North Euclid Avenue.

A project website, accessible by QR codes at each stop, will provide information via screen readers for the visually impaired, as well as additional details as new scientific discoveries are made.

The project is the result of collaborative efforts made possible by the support of the NASA Space Grant program and an anonymous benefactor.

Read the full article on the University of Arizona News Page.

Author Credit: Daniel Stolte

Image Credit: Harry Tang/University of Arizona

The Interplanetary Initiative at Arizona State University unites academia, industry and government to launch space research projects with tangible real-world impact. These collaborative efforts have given rise to a series of pilot projects, which engage broadly across the ASU ecosystem and extend globally for maximum impact.

The projects arise from immersive workshops using the “big questions” teaming method. The method is designed to drive cross-sector innovation, using structures and incentives that support teams, goals and outcomes. During these workshops, teams are forged, project ideas are born and the path to secure annual seed funding from the initiative is paved.

Read the full article on the Arizona State University News Page.

Author Credit: ASU News

Image Credit: Interplanetary Initiative

KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) — The 58 Hometowns tour is taking a close look at another historic educational institution within your hometowns, and this time, it’s a little south, about halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee: Carthage College.

Natalie Shepherd will showcase Carthage on CBS 58 news on Tuesday and Thursday, featuring the school during a time that is particularly exciting on campus, as it gears up for its 149th annual Christmas Festival this weekend.

Beyond the joy of music, Natalie will also showcase some of the more unique aspects of Carthage’s academic portfolio, including its status as the school heading the state’s NASA Space Grant Consortium, leading the way on many Space Science initiatives from childhood through adulthood.

Read the full article on CBS58.com.

Image Credit: CBS 58 Newsroom

Author Credit: CBS 58 Newsroom

Picture soaring over a rugged canyon on another world, strapped into an imaginary hang glider. Or getting a bird’s eye view of craters that stretch on for miles and following along the same paths as the robotic rovers that have explored the surface of Mars. All of this is possible – virtually – thanks to specialists at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.

A team at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory has created realistic terrain models of Mars’ surface using specialized software and high-resolution images taken from space. Known as digital terrain models, or DTMs, these renderings allow mission planners to examine landing sites for landers and rovers and scout routes across the alien terrain, laying the groundwork for ongoing and future Mars exploration campaigns.

Read the full article on the University of Arizona News Page.

Author Credit: Penny Duran, NASA Space Grant Science Writing Intern, University Communications

Image Credit: Kevin Gill, JPL-Caltech

KU Engineering alumna Loral O’Hara arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 15, joining the crew of Expedition 69.The fourth Jayhawk astronaut and KU’s first woman astronaut, she graduated from NASA’s astronaut candidate program in 2017.

She will stay on the space station for six months, according to NASA.

Chair of Aerospace Engineering Richard Hale taught three of O’Hara’s classes during her time at KU.

“What stood out for her is her passion for being an astronaut because she said that was her goal as a freshman,” Hale said. “And she stuck to that goal, had a long term plan.”

Read the full article on The University Daily Kansan.

Author Credit: Cara Barone

Image Credit: NASA

In May, Frederic A. Priff Elementary School students, guided by teacher Brent Cunningham, won an award for the Best Crop Growth in the Elementary School division of the competition in the Plant the Moon competition, sponsored by organizations such as the Institute of Competition Sciences, NASA SSERVI and the Space Grant Consortium.

Cunningham described the work that he is doing with his fifth- and sixth-grade students:

“During the course of the year, we focused heavily on planetary science, the development of life on the early Earth, and the needs of living things. During the winter, I found a competitive science program called Plant the Moon through the Institute of Competition Sciences. This program sought to challenge elementary students and above with the task of growing viable crops in lunar or Martian regolith simulant. The program also collaborates with NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) and is supported by the NASA Space Grant Consortium and the Mosser Lee Company (through Soil Master). It contained over 700 teams from five different nations.

Read the full article on the New Jersey Education Association website.

Author Credit: NJEA

Image Credit: NJEA

A Mercer University team of engineering students will launch a high-altitude balloon into near space during the Oct. 14 annular solar eclipse, as part of a nationwide NASA mission. In an annular solar eclipse, the sun’s outer edges can be seen as a bright ring around the moon.

The team will broadcast on NASA TV live, high-resolution video of the eclipse and collect data that will help scientists measure the eclipse’s disturbance to Earth’s atmosphere, said Dr. Anthony Choi, professor of electrical and computer engineering.

The mission is part of the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, which includes 75 participating institutions and over 750 students. Mercer is among about 30 teams participating in the engineering track, Dr. Choi said.

Read the full article on the Mercer University website.

Author Credit: Jennifer Falk

Image Credit: Photo courtesy Ashley Tyler

Trinity College engineering majors Kevin Clark ’23 and Ananya Swamy ’23 recently received student project grant awards from the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium (CTSGC).

Working on their senior capstone projects this year, the students have the opportunity to develop innovative engineering projects with the help of their group members, project advisers, and now the added support of NASA grant funds. The CTSGC is a federal program that provides funding and internship opportunities for students and faculty in Connecticut.

As the representatives for their projects, Clark—a physics and engineering major with a concentration in mechanical engineering—and Swamy—an engineering major with a concentration in computer engineering—submitted their grant proposals in October 2022. Clark received a $1,500 grant for his group’s project, “Geothermal Energy Systems,” and Swamy received a $1,075 grant for her group’s project, “Muscle Activation Visualization System for Microgravity Environments.”

Read the full article on the Trinity College website.

Image and Author Credit: Trinity College