5th Grade Space-Enriched Science Curriculum Unit Development Project

This project was to develop a six-week long 5th grade hands-on curriculum unit. It brought aerospace back into the curriculum using a lunar base theme. This project was sponsored by the AIAA New England. The initiative was hosted by Elm Park Elementary school in Worcester, MA, in the classroom of a science-oriented teacher. There, we tested ideas that would become 7 science-concept review stations at an AIAA NE outreach event (at WPI), for 375 fifth graders from 7 schools, called Fifth Grade MCAS Review - on the Moon . This event evolved out of a request for a field trip. Part of the project was to do a cost-benefit analysis of bringing in a guest speaker, going on a field trip, or creating your own event. The Worcester Public Schools liked our event the best, and want it repeated

Design and Analysis for a CubeSat Mission

This project supports the design of a three-unit Cube Satellite (CubeSat) mission pursued by WPI, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Space Research Centre in Poland. The mission goal is to perform solar and terrestrial X-ray spectroscopy using the Sphinx-NG instrument, in a high-altitude, polar, sun-synchronous orbit. Orbital and radiation analyses are performed using the Satellite Tool Kit. The plasma environment anticipated during the mission is assessed for future charging analysis. The selection and integration of a magnetometer and a GPS sensor are presented. The magnetic fields induced by CubeSat’s three magnetic torquers are obtained using COMSOL and guide the integration of the magnetometer. A preliminary design of the command and data handling subsystem is presented