With 30 seconds to go before two satellites they built were due to rocket into space, the 20 students or so gathered early this morning in a University of Michigan lab grew quiet.
There wasn’t a large celebration when the rocket blasted off.
Instead, there was a sense of fulfillment in the lab and an acknowledgment that the work wasn’t over – the satellites would soon be deployed in space and need monitoring.
U-M put two satellites into space this morning – M-Cubed and RAX. They hitched a ride on a NASA rocket and satellite. U-M was one of three universities across the nation to send satellites into space on this rocket.
M-cubed, which about the size of a square tissue box, – 10 cm by 10 cm by 10 cm – is designed for taking pictures of Earth. But more importantly, it is also flying a prototype of a specialized computer that private industry is testing for future space flights. RAX, which is about three times the size of M-Cubed, will be conducting a variety of experiments and measurements of the atmosphere.
U-M has a long tradition of being involved in the space program. It currently has one satellite in orbit. It has funding for two more missions.
It’s taken four years to build M-Cubed. Ken Gmerek, now a senior and the project manager, joined the team the second week of his freshmen year.
“I’m excited and a little nervous,” he said about 5:40 a.m. this morning, eight minutes before the launch. “I’m also a little relieved to get to this point. It’s been a long time coming.”
Students Ken Gmerek, Jessica Schwartz and Jake Peyser await the launch of the satellites.
Much of the material to build the M-Cubed satellite came from materials purchased in local hardware stores, Gmerek said.
Having students build satellites that are actually launched into space is a great combination of teaching them how to do research, the engineering skills needed and also how to work with industry, said James Cutler, an aerospace engineering professor at U-M who has been guiding the students.
Many of the students that have been involved in the program and graduated have gone to work directly for a variety of space-related companies.
Some of those former students were in California near the launch site this morning to watch the launch and called the lab a couple of times to celebrate.
The satellites were expected to start broadcasting signals mid-morning. U-M has set up a couple of tracking stations on campus to get those signals.
Watch video of the rocket launch from NASA:
Tags: Michigan, NASA, Satellites, Student, University, University of Michigan