The Discovery Flight is actually a secondary payload on board the SpaceLoft XL rocket that is scheduled to launch May 2 from Spaceport America. The rocket’s primary payload is a group of student experiments.
Spaceport America and the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium are conducting this first annual education launch from Spaceport America via the SpaceLoft XL launch vehicle provided by participating sponsor UP Aerospace. This historic mission will include 11 multi-sensor experiments designed and created by students from New Mexico schools. Student experiments from Connecticut and Washington state are also included.
Students from the participating schools will attend the launch, along with their teachers, state and local officials, New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) staff, and others.
Many schools have experiments in the launch, including:
- New Mexico State University
- University of New Mexico
- Doña Ana Community College
- ITT Technical Institute
- Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute
- Cloudcroft High School, Cloudcroft, New Mexico
- Hatch Valley High School, Hatch, New Mexico
- Hot Springs High School, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
- Las Cruces High School & Mayfield High School, Las Cruces, New Mexico
New Mexico State’s payload, called “OSCER-Sat,” will collect data in terms of altitude, acceleration, temperature, cosmic radiation and magnetic field in order to understand how flight components operate in sub-orbital space. The University of New Mexico payload, called “UNM SmartCan,” will collect data in order to demonstrate the module’s capability to support space-oriented missions by future student designers.
Students in technical programs at Doña Ana Community College, ITT Technical Institute, and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute built and tested payloads as part of an undergraduate course. This payload was developed by the Colorado Space Grant Consortium and is called “RocketSat.” Instruments on this payload include a pressure sensor, accelerometers, a temperature sensor, and a Geiger counter. These instruments are a baseline for future student experimentation and basic rocket characterization.
The high school students are using payloads which collect data on the flight of the rocket. Pressure sensors will collect barometric measures and accelerometers will indicate how high and how fast the rocket flew. After launch, students will analyze their data and present their results.
New Mexico Space Grant Consortium Director Dr. Patricia Hynes said, “This launch marks the beginning of an annual program to help promote space programs throughout educational institutions statewide. By giving our students the ability to launch their experiments, we are generating interest in technology and science that can’t be matched in a classroom setting.”
“The purpose of this program is to develop New Mexico’s workforce by providing students access to space annually from Spaceport America,” said Steve Landeene, Executive Director of the NMSA.
Celestis is proud to be a part of this education launch: Over the years the Celestis Foundation has supported several initiatives in support of education and youth, including Cowboys for Kids, the Houston Urban Debate League, the Frank J. Redd Student Scholarship Competition that assists college students who work on small satellite concepts and missions, and the Zia Tribal Scholarship Program, which assists undergraduate and graduate university students who are natives of the Zia Pueblo in New Mexico.
The Foundation focuses on nurturing entrepreneurial space enterprises, supporting organizations that educate our children and the general public about space, and contributing to charities that create a positive future on Earth. A portion from the proceeds of each Celestis sale is donated to an individual, organization, or institution that embodies the spirit and principles of exploration, planetary conservation, and innovation so prevalent among our mission participants.
