Send us to Space

Who knew that a community college could work with NASA?  As it turns out, LBCC's own Parker Swanson did.  

In fact, for the second year in a row Parker's pride and joy, the Space Exploration Club at LBCC, is working on a project with America's space agency.  This time their goal is to send a cosmic ray detector into space.  But first, they need your help.

For those who don't know, a cosmic ray is high-energy radiation that originates mainly outside of our solar system.  What makes understanding these rays important is that they produce showers of secondary particles that penetrate and affect the Earth's atmosphere.  Though the atmosphere absorbs most of the radiation, the pieces that do make it through wreak havoc on software, CPU units and even flight control systems on airplanes, increase ozone depletion, and increase the overall radiation exposure for humans.  

Though at least part of the above paragraph probably gave you a momentary pause, it turns out that are a group of student at LBCC that think about cosmic rays daily.  They think about them so much that even NASA believes that they can help in the collection necessary to better understanding their  harmful ways. 

As one of only two community colleges nationwide chosen to participate in the annual "RockOn" rocket-instrumentation workshop at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, the sights of this years’ team is to build off of the success of the 2014 “Rocket Women” team (Hazel Betz, Ariel Stroh and Ashley Trout) that literally launched the aerospace program at LBCC. 

Led by holdover Betz, a passionate organizer who wears her enthusiasm for the cosmos on her sleeve, the goal of this year’s team is to improve upon the issues currently plaguing cosmic ray collection technology.  This means creating not only their own detector (with the help of three mechanical engineers at OSU), but also designing and programing the software and hardware necessary to make it function properly.  

If their design works as envisioned, students at LBCC will actually change the way space agencies around the world collect data on cosmic rays.  As current member Levi Willmeth, a soft-spoken but insightful sophomore put it, “Where else are you going to build something and send it into space?”.

As amazing as this opportunity seems, NASA is still a struggling entity and cannot afford to cover all of the costs associated with this dream.  This is where you come in.  

Currently $6000 short of the funding necessary to make all of this a reality (and with a rapidly approaching deadline of Feb. 15), making a donation of even $1 can make a difference in the lives of your fellow Roadrunners and help LBCC continue to set itself apart from community colleges across the nation. 

To help out, and to learn more, go to: http://GoFundMe.com/LBCCRockSatCteam

Remember, college is not all about classes and grades, it is also about branching out beyond your comfort zone by finding things that challenge and intrigue you, just as the 14 members of the Space club have.  As you walk around campus, look up and read the posters and bulletin boards around you.  There are clubs and projects all over campus that you can join.  As Brianna Sparks, a high-spirited blond driven to study nuclear engineering puts it, “What a great stepping stone for my future”.


At a Glance:

Who:  LBCC Space Exploration Club
What:  Help them fund their sending a cosmic ray detector into space
Where:  GoFundMe.com/LBCCRockSatCteam
When: Fundraising deadline is Feb. 15
Why:  Help out your fellow Roadrunner.  Where else can you help someone work with NASA?