Tuskegee Receives $300,000 from NASA to Develop Small Spacecrafts

Courtesy of Tuskegee University

Tuskegee University has received a two-year, $300,000 grant from the NASA Science Mission Directorate Bridge program that will allow students to develop small spacecrafts.

“This award will support the expansion of the Aerospace Science Engineering Department’s academic and research capacity in the space domain,” said Dr. M. Javed Khan, professor and head of the Aerospace Science Engineering Department and principal investigator of the project.  “The department will develop capability for the design, and development of a CubeSat with the ultimate objective of launching it into space. The grant will strengthen interdisciplinary research and includes faculty from Math and Physics departments. The satellite communication facility of the Aerospace Science Engineering Department will also be updated as part of the grant activities.”

CubeSats are small spacecrafts that orbit the earth while conducting small science experiments. They allow schools like Tuskegee to launch their own missions, providing students with experience in hands-on research to design and launch space missions.

Tuskegee’s Aerospace Engineering Department is the first and only Historically Black College or University to offer a bachelor’s degree in the field. This grant will provide additional state-of-the art, high impact academic opportunities and mentoring to support the aerospace students as they excel in the area.

Tuskegee students will participate in workshops at the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado and the NASA Ames Research Center.

“Tuskegee proudly exposes our students to research opportunities with NASA that allow them to excel as scientists, but also conduct meaningful research for society,” said Dr. Charlotte P. Morris, Tuskegee President. “Our goal as a university is to always provide the tools that allow them to explore their academic curiosity. These research opportunities in space continue a legacy of leadership of which our founders would be proud. I’m looking forward to the results of their research.”