Off to NASA Glenn Research Center for Training

Early in 2018, Space St. Croix received an education grant from the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) to offer their Engineering Design Challenge (EDC) to students here in Hudson. Part of the grant award requires facilitators to travel to the GRC for on-site training. A key part of the training will consist of a tour of Glenn’s Photovoltaic Lab from the lab’s staff. This is where we can see the cutting edge work that NASA is working on right now, and bring that back here to the students. The NASA “Powered and Pumped Up” EDC were offered at the Hudson Area Library, YMCA Camp St. Croix, and the Hudson Middle School during the February/March timeframe.

Participating students learner about the history of Mars exploration, how NASA hopes to make use of local Martian resources for mission consumables, and thereby reducing mass and costs. Solar panels, ways to control and shape rays of light, and problem solving for a pumping plant station were all part of the class.