USU Students Attend Nov. 14 Shuttle Launch and Participate in NASA Web Cast

As the world watches NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour launch to the International Space Station Friday, Nov. 14, a group of Utah State University engineering students will have a live, front row seat in Florida.

As grand-prize winners of NASA’s 2008 annual University Student Launch Initiative competition in Alabama, the students have been asked by NASA’s Digital Learning Network to participate in a Web cast hosted by Damon Talley one hour prior to the shuttle launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The USU students will be interviewed by Talley during the Web cast beginning at 6:55 p.m. Eastern time (4:55 p.m. Utah time). To view the Web cast visit http://dln.nasa.gov/dln/ and click on the DLiNfo Channel button on the left menu bar. Endeavor’s launch is scheduled for 7:55 p.m. Eastern time (5:55 p.m. Utah time).

“I am thrilled for the students,” said Tony Whitmore, USU engineering professor and rocket team faculty mentor. “The invitation to attend the shuttle launch and be interviewed by NASA is so exciting. This is huge for USU and the attention we have received has grown beyond our expectations.”

The USU engineering students took home five awards out of seven at the national rocket competition in April, including “Grand Prize,” “Best Manufacturing and Quality Control,” “Most Innovative Payload Design,” “Best Design Documentation and Presentation” and “Best Team Spirit.”

The competition challenged students to design, build and fly a reusable rocket with a scientific payload to exactly one mile in altitude. USU’s group decided to incorporate a unique air brake system on its rocket. As the required payload, the air brake system allowed the rocket to reach the required one mile altitude by deploying a drag device that slowed the ascent of the rocket until it reached the desired position. The USU team was the only school who used this unique approach.

Attending the shuttle launch along with Whitmore are USU professor David Geller and students, including Shannon Eilers, Matthew Fifield, Jacob Haderlie, Nathan Lodder, John Parrish, Michael Phillips, Shane Robinson, Bowen Masco and Jeff St. Clair.

Talley is the Digital Learning Network Coordinator at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center. The Digital Learning Network is an agency-wide education program delivering content from all 10 NASA field centers.

For information about NASA’s Digital Learning Network live Web cast, contact Talley at 321-867-4213, Damon.B.Talley@NASA.Gov. For more information about USU’s rocket team, contact Whitmore, 435-797-2951, swhitmore@usu.edu.

 

Contacts: Tony Whitmore, 435-797-2951, swhitmore@usu.edu
Damon Talley, 321-867-4213, Damon.B.Talley@NASA.Gov