Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew Jackson, a 2003 computer engineering graduate of Missouri S&T, had several pairs of eyes on him Wednesday, as he prepared to take down "a wayward satellite soon to hurtle to Earth with toxic fuel," reports the Kansas City Star.

“I’ve done a whole bunch of these” missile launches, the fire controlman said in a telephone interview Thursday from aboard the USS Lake Erie. “But there was a lot more tension this time.”

Eventually, he set the controls to fire at the precise moment. The result was the latest shot heard round the world — a U.S. Navy cruiser blasting to bits a doomed U.S. spy satellite. The three-stage Standard Missile-3 launched from the guided missile cruiser screamed into space Wednesday to strike the dead and soon-to-lose-orbit spacecraft.

Jackson said all was quiet on the ship after the missile tore more than a hundred miles into the sky, long minutes until the report that it had apparently hit the target.

“Then there was a whole lot of cheering,” said Jackson, who went to North Platte High School in Dearborn and later received a computer engineering degree from the University of Missouri-Rolla. “Lots of high-fives all around.”

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It's not just our alums that have their eyes on the skies. Missouri S&T students too are curious. Here's a post from a group of OURE students who are working with Dr. KM Isaac on a proposed new aircraft.

With a flight profile similar to that of an eagle, the proposed solid-state aircraft could soar for long periods, flapping its wings to regain altitude.

Using thin-film solar arrays and an ionic polymer-metal composite material that can deform in an electric field like an artificial muscle and return to its original shape when the field is removed, the vehicle would be able to flap its wings without using conventional mechanical parts. Designed to complement other types of exploration vehicles, the solid-state aircraft could provide high-resolution data on a larger scale than the Mars rovers.

Continue reading "Crafting a solar-powered unmanned aircraft" »

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Next week marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, the Soviet satellite that shocked America into a cold war battle for space supremacy. Already, the news media are examining the anniversary from all angles. I typed "sputnik" into A Google News' search engine and retrieved 327 articles and blog posts. Expect to read even more about Sputnik 1 (pictured) and the golden anniversary this weekend.

Several of the articles I skimmed look back at the Sputnik launch on Oct. 4, 1957, as a pivotal moment in U.S. history, perhaps as defining a moment for the space race as Pearl Harbor was for U.S. involvement in World War II.

The fact that the Soviets beat us into space was a blow to our collective ego. But it -- as Pearl Harbor 16 years earlier -- was a clarion call for us to get our act together and rally around the cause of beating our cold war adversaries to the moon. It was, as The New York Times puts it, a time When Science Suddenly Mattered, in Space and in Class. Times reporter Cornelia Dean writes:

For many, Sputnik was proof that American education, particularly in science, had fallen behind. Scientists and engineers warned Congress that the cold war was being fought with slide rules, not rifles. In response Congress passed the National Defense Education Act in 1958, providing, among other things, college scholarships and other help for aspiring scientists, engineers and mathematicians. Meanwhile, some of the nation’s eminent scientists were collaborating on new ways to teach high school physics, biology and chemistry.

These days, the cold war is ancient history, the U.S. is not investing in science and technology as it should, and the head of NASA thinks China will be on the moon before we ever return. But if the 50th anniversary of Sputnik 1 teaches us anything, it is that, given the right cause, vision and national leadership, we can pull together and achieve something great.

Continue reading "On Sputnik, the space race, 'when science suddenly mattered' and whether it ever will again" »

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UMR graduate Sandra Magnus -- one of three alumni who have trekked to space as NASA astronauts -- encouraged kids in Collinsville, Ill., to aim for the stars during a recent visit to the Collinsville Public Library. Magnus -- shown here in a 2002 photo from UMR Magazine -- also visited the public libraries in nearby Alton and O'Fallon, Ill., to deliver a similar message.

The Granite City (Ill.) Press Record covered Magnus' visit, in which she described her october 2002 space shuttle flight to the International Space Station and her 11 days in orbit.

She also presented a video about her trip there and then answered questions from children and parents in the audience, such as "What made you decide to become an astronaut?", "What do you do for fun?" and "Where's the bathroom on the spaceship?"

Asked what it was like to be in zero gravity, she said it was hard to describe, but compared it to scuba diving or laying on a lake in an inner-tube.

"It's a very relaxing feeling," she said.

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Some UMR design teams build cars that go fast. Some create canoes out of concrete. Some even put together remote-controlled planes. But UMR's SAT team? It's pushing to take its creation beyond land, water and sky. The team's goal is to send it to space. And at a recent competition, the team came pretty close to achieving that aspiration.

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Magnus (second from left) on Sept. 16.

"We continue to press the limits of our imaginations as we test operational concepts that may be used when we return to the moon," said NEEMO 11 Mission Director Marc Reagan. "Building on the NEEMO 9 and 10 missions, we will explore new challenges and learn to overcome the inherent difficulties of living and working on the moon. These results will allow our designers and engineers to improve designs of habitats, robots and spacesuits."

Magnus flew to the International Space Station in October 2002 and used the station's robotic arm to help attach a new segment to the station's truss structure.

Click here for more information about NEEMO, including mission imagery, crew journals, and links to webcams and the Digital Learning Network.

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With terror alerts adding to the restrictions airline passengers face -- and those restrictions slowing people down even more at the airport -- it might be quicker and easier to fly yourself to your destination.

UMR's mechanical and aerospace engineering department can help you with that. This fall, Bob Oetting will offer a Private Pilot Ground School to teach prospective pilots everything they need to know to pass the FAA's Private Pilot, Recreational Pilot and Sport Pilot written tests. The group will meet on Monday and Thursday nights in September and October.

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U.S. Sen. Kit Bond's latest announcements of appropriations from the Senate Defense spending bill includes funding for two UMR projects:

If you missed last night's KOLR-10 broadcast, you can catch the story about UMR's aerospace camp here.

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Tom and Huck were pretty resourceful, but they didn't have to build their raft out of cardboard and duct tape. Cardboard boat racing is one of the highlights of UMR's aerospace camp for kids, which also features robot design (see image below), NASA simulations and homemade rocket launches.

At first glance, cardboard boat racing might seem out of place at an aerospace camp. But the idea is to get the boys and girls interested in design and engineering; and they also have to learn how to work on a problem in teams. Here’s what each team had to work with: a couple of big cardboard boxes, a few trash bags and a roll of duct tape.

Most of the boats sank, which was great fun. But a few teams managed to paddle their cardboard contraptions across the swimming pool and back. In addition to possibly majoring in aerospace engineering some day, methinks some of these kids might have a future on the concrete canoe team.

P.S. KOLR-10 in Springfield visited aerospace camp yesterday. Their story should run during newscasts this coming Monday.

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Science Dude reports that NASA is expected to telecast the announcement of the final configuration for the International Space Station. You can watch the announcement live on NASA TV at 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (noon Rolla Standard Time).

By the way, three UMR grads are NASA astronauts: our very own Colonel Tom -- Tom Akers (Math'73, MS Math'75) -- and Janet Kavandi (MS Chem'82) and Sandra Magnus (Phys'86, MS EE'90).

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Remember the X Prize? Now, a U.S. company is moving forward with plans to build a public spaceport in the United Arab Emirates. The idea is to launch anyone with astronaut envy into near space -- as long as they can afford to buy a ticket.

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Bill Fahrenholtz and Greg Hilmas, both assistant professors of ceramic engineering at UMR, are working to develop ultra-high-temperature ceramic tiles – tiles that could be used on future space shuttles. Although their research is funded by a three-year, $300,000 grant from the Air Force, NASA and Boeing would benefit from their studies by applying the findings to plans for future space travel.

Continue reading "Expert Insight -- Space shuttle tiles" »

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Growing up in Sidney, Mont., Tom Barnett dreamed of earning his wings and becoming an F-16 fighter pilot.

Continue reading "Student View -- Tom Barnett" »

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Forget about Mr. and Ms. Pac-Man. The 21st century couple may be MR SAT and MRS SAT, a pair of microsatellites being created by UMR engineering students.

Continue reading "Team Watch -- A celestial couple for the 21st century" »

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A new flight-control method originally created by UMR researchers to launch missiles and aircraft may one day send unmanned space vehicles on voyages to the moon, Mars or beyond.

Continue reading "Faculty View -- It's all about control" »

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Let's break that speed record

Known as the X-43A, the first hypersonic, air-breathing vehicle made its first successful test flight in March at Mach 7 and will try for Mach 10 this fall, according to a UMR researcher who helped design and analyze the vehicle’s propulsion system. The technology will likely be used to help vastly improve the efficiency of current vehicles used in high-speed atmospheric flight as well as to revolutionize access to space.

Continue reading "A Quick Look -- Aerospace" »

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As NASA continues to focus on sending explorers to Mars, two UMR scientists are working on ways to house the astronauts when they arrive on the red planet by building with Martian minerals.

Continue reading "Eye on Research -- Extreme home: Construction on the red planet" »

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Kids generally aren’t supposed to have their heads in the clouds. But just try telling that to the more than 140 middle school students coming to the UMR campus this month.

Continue reading "Kidz View -- An out-of-this-world experience" »

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For the past decade, Philip Whitefield, professor of chemistry and director of the Center of Excellence for Aerospace Propulsion Particulate Emissions Reduction at UMR, and Donald Hagen, professor of physics and director of the Cloud and Aerosol Sciences Lab at UMR, have been studying aerosols produced by aerospace activities, such as aircraft operations and rocket launchings. Last year, they received a $3.15 million appropriation to establish the center for excellence. The center coordinates research conducted by UMR and a consortium of private and public interests to characterize the “particulate emissions" -- soot or smoke particles -- from aircraft and rocket exhaust, gather data from various aircraft and rockets, and interpret that data.

Continue reading "Expert Insight -- Aircraft emissions" »

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