The IMAP Student Collaboration (StC) Project aims to augment the science return of NASA’s IMAP satellite mission by developing hands-on research experiences for students, at least half of whom are women and/or members of underrepresented monitories (URMs), thereby contributing to the diversification of space science. The IMAP StC Project is led by the University of New Hampshire in collaboration with Sonoma State University, a Hispanic Serving Institution, and Howard University, a Historically Black College. IMAP StC is designed to meet these goals through a collaborative hardware program that involves students at these three universities in designing, building, testing, calibrating and delivering to NASA for launch at least one CubeSat with at least one student-built instrument.
In this first year of the IMAP StC, SSU has contributed to the effort in the following ways.
• Science and CubeSat presentations to the team, including students
• Student learning progressions
• Evaluation support
• Developing a process for cross-institutional mentoring plans
• Technical aspects of bus design
• Work on the Interface Control Document (ICD) between the CubeSat bus and instruments
• Testing of ground stations
• Research into and purchasing of a CubeSat radio transmitter.
SSU has also provided a suggested overall implementation plan to the CubeSat efforts, that aims to both build and launch a successful CubeSat and provide meaningful and hands-on research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students.
This work was supported by a grant to Sonoma State University as part of NASA’s IMAP Student Collaboration project led by University of New Hampshire