The University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� helped inspire hundreds of keiki and community members at the 24th annual on October 19. Hosted by the (HSGC) in partnership with UH ����ԴDz�’s and Hawaiian Electric, the free STEM event engaged attendees with hands-on activities and workshops highlighting space exploration, Earth science, biology, oceanography, rocketry, robotics and coding.

“This event is all about inspiring �鶹��ý’s students to dream big—just like Lacy did,” said Adria Fung, event coordinator and robotics education specialist with HSGC in the (SOEST). “He grew up right here in Honolulu, had a huge dream, and quite literally chased the stars. We want our students to see that even if their dreams feel far away, they can reach them by staying curious and never being afraid to explore. Lacy Veach Day celebrates discovery and the spirit of lifelong learning.”

Robots, fossils, rockets and more

This year featured 36 hands-on activities and displays led by more than 30 organizations including student groups from UH, community organizations and industry professionals. They featured hands-on learning in the fields of robotics, fossils, marine biology, rocketry, Hawaiian voyaging, cube satellites, architecture, pilot simulation, microscopes and more. Workshops offered opportunities to learn about indoor drones, robotics, telescopes, hybrid cars and meteorites.

“This was Aiea Intermediate School robotics team’s first Lacy Veach Day and the students had a real blast,” said Pete Miller, robotics coach at Aiea Intermediate School. “We brought several robots for the public to play around with in the robotics arena, getting coaching from our team members as needed, plus my students were able to visit the other exhibits–the most popular were the planetarium, the drone display and several of the UH engineering and science exhibits.”

Partnerships propel the event

Veach Day provides a unique opportunity for pre-service teachers to learn from other organizations about how they bring STEM to life, and build connections that might one day show up in their own classrooms.

“Volunteering at Lacy Veach Day was a valuable and rewarding experience for pre-service teachers in our teacher preparation program,” said Stacy George, faculty member at UH ����ԴDz� College of Education. “It provided my students with a rare opportunity to engage in community outreach, network with science organizations, interact with families, and even develop their own interest in science.”

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In early 2025, the provided more than 1,000 students across the state with an opportunity to showcase their technical skills and a chance to advance to the World Championships in Dallas, Texas. The championships are managed by the (HSGC) in the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�’s (HIGP) and supported by funding through .

A total of 111 teams competed in the VEX V5 Robotics Competition and the VEX IQ Robotics Competition Regional Championships, representing public and private schools on Oʻahu, �鶹��ý Island and in Maui County, as well as club organizations and home teams.

VEX Robotics is an educational robotics program that inspires students to excel in STEM principles while encouraging creativity, teamwork, leadership and problem solving among groups.

“Robotics competitions foster these skills and prepare students to become future innovators and global problem-solvers, as well as increase their interest in pursuing STEM careers,” said Adria Fung, HSGC robotics education specialist.

VEX V5 Robotics Competition Championships

The VEX V5 Robotics Competition Championships featured high school and middle school teams at the �鶹��ý Army National Guard in Kapolei on January 25 and 26. This year’s challenge, High Stakes, was a fast-paced game that pits alliances of two teams against another alliance, and requires robots to score rings on stakes, place mobile goals and climb at the end of the match. Robots have a period of autonomous play followed by driver-controlled play.

Advancing to the World Championships were Nānākuli High and Intermediate, Mililani Mechs Robotics, Waialua High and Intermediate and Waiākea Intermediate.

VEX IQ Robotics Competition Championships

The VEX IQ Robotics Competition Championships featured elementary and middle school teams at Pearl City High School on February 15 and 16. This year’s challenge, Rapid Relay, was a teamwork challenge game that required two teams to pass balls between robots, score balls through targets and clear switches. A new student role to this year’s game, the loader, gives students an opportunity to introduce balls directly onto the field, allowing for human-robot interaction.

Advancing to the World Championships were ����ԴDz� Elementary School, Haleiwa Elementary School, Island Robotics and St. Louis School.

Due to double qualifications by teams in both competitions, the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation will select additional �鶹��ý teams to advance to the national competition.

About �鶹��ý Space Grant Consortium

HSGC offers remote and in-person training sessions and workshops for coaches, teachers and students, a robotics curriculum for STEM/robotics classes, and mentors teachers and students in robotics programs. HSGC and HIGP work to inspire and prepare students to enter STEM degree pathways and careers to promote public understanding of NASA’s goals and missions. HSGC and HIGP are housed in UH ����ԴDz�’s .

A University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa student group was as one of 10 small research satellite developers to launch their satellite into space as early as 2025 through NASA’s . This is the second project led by students in the (EPET) certificate program to be granted an opportunity to take their satellite project to the deployment phase. The first student-built satellite was selected in April 2023.

“The two groups of EPET students securing opportunities to launch their satellite with NASA highlights both the science and design strengths of the student research groups, and the quality of the EPET program enabling students to invent, design, and build spacecraft with exciting science and educational outcomes,” said Peter Englert, professor in the (HIGP) and EPET course coordinator.

Started in 2020 by HIGP and the in the (SOEST), the EPET certificate program is open to undergraduate students majoring in the physical sciences, such as chemistry, earth sciences, physics or astrophysics, and disciplines. The program has empowered undergraduates through hands-on, student-driven development of science payloads and building of small satellites, called CubeSats, that can be launched into low Earth orbit.

“Our team is very excited to have this opportunity and grateful for all the help we have had to make it to this point,” said Sapphira Akins, CubeSat Relativistic Electron and Proton Energy Separator (CREPES) project manager and graduate student in mechanical engineering and aerospace. “We can’t wait to have something we built operating in space within the next few years!”

The CREPES mission is a student-led project that began at UH Mānoa in 2022 and aims to study solar energetic particle events and increase knowledge of the Sun. When they launch their satellite with NASA, CREPES will fly a new type of micropattern gaseous detector to amplify the signals of solar radiation. Data obtained from these measurements is expected to contribute to the understanding of space weather and development of space climatology.

“The student research success is an outcome of the high quality of the EPET curriculum, student engagement with the research topics they have chosen, and the resources provided by HIGP, the SOEST dean’s office, �鶹��ý Space Grant Consortium, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program of UH Mānoa, and private donor support,” said Englert.

A satellite designed and built by a team of more than 60 students and faculty from the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 21. The Hyperspectral Thermal Imager (HyTI) satellite launched aboard the SpaceX commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), deployment from the ISS is expected in May. The mission is expected to last one year.

“It is so special that I was able to watch my first live rocket launch with something I helped make on board,” said Chiara Ferrari-Wong, a UH graduate research assistant who traveled to Florida to watch the launch. “The launch represented a culmination of our team’s hard work and efforts over the past few years, and will remain one of my core memories of my time at UH Mānoa. I am incredibly fortunate to have worked with the team and had the opportunity to see the spacecraft go from concept to reality.”

UH satellite to study volcanic activity, more

The project’s focus is to gather valuable data for understanding Earth’s surface processes, including volcanic activity, wildfires and soil-moisture levels. Led by Principal Investigator Robert Wright, director of the (HIGP), the project began in October 2018, with funding from NASA‘s In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies Program.

“We have a couple of volcanoes here within the state which regularly erupt,” said Wright. “And the kind of data that HyTI will collect will be useful to study the eruptions that happen in the future within the state of �鶹��ý.”

Related story: Students, staff and faculty head to NASA launch of �鶹��ýsatellite, February 2024

The HyTI satellite, officially owned by NASA and operated by the , was selected in 2019 as part of NASA‘s CubeSat Launch Initiative, under the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites program. Equipped with onboard data processing capabilities, the satellite will deliver high-resolution thermal images, surpassing the capabilities of current sensors. These images will enable scientists and disaster response managers to analyze and respond to environmental events with precision and speed.

UH students, staff and faculty have been actively involved in the development of the HyTI satellite, including six faculty members, 15 staff, eight graduate students, two post-docs, 30 undergraduate students and six high school interns.

University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa undergraduate students who have been developing a satellite to launch into space in 2024 earned a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire () In Switzerland for its RD51 Detector School November 27–December 1.

The RD51 Detector School is an intensive one week lecture and laboratory course. The school is primarily for PhD students, making it an incredible accomplishment to have three �鶹��ýMānoa undergraduate students accepted.

“This is an extraordinary success for the undergraduate students, and for the (EPET) program, which has enabled all of this through its student-centered approach to high-quality undergraduate research and through its support to assist students being successful in their learning and research efforts,” said Peter Englert, a professor in the (HIGP).

HIGP developed the EPET certificate to provide undergraduate students with an opportunity to design research projects and build payloads for Earth, Moon and Sun observing satellites with the goal of producing, launching and operating their satellites.

Current EPET students Sapphira Akins, Howin Ma and Chris Freitas applied to participate in the RD51 Detector School. Akins and Ma were accepted for in-person participation in Switzerland, and Freitas was accepted for participation in the online part of the school. All three students are part of the CubeSat Relativistic Electron and Proton Energy Separator (CREPES) project.

“I feel very grateful to be able to study in a community such as the one at CERN!” said Akins. “Programs like these help me to push myself academically. I hope to gain a deeper understanding of micro patterned gaseous detectors, and ways in which we can implement them in space.”

“I believe that the insights and experiences I gain from being a part of such a prestigious institution will serve as a powerful source of motivation, inspiring me to set and achieve even higher standards for myself,” said Ma. “I also love traveling, and experiencing other cultures so I’m excited for my time in Switzerland.”

Mentorship from a leading expert

In spring 2023, to learn more about gas electron multiplier (GEM) detectors and their potential application to space research, EPET turned to Fabio Sauli of CERN. Sauli is the world’s leading expert on GEM and micro-pattern gaseous detectors. Sauli provided four Zoom lectures to the CREPES group with extensive discussion sessions, which provided the background knowledge in advancing the CREPES project.

The RD51 Detector School will provide Akins and Ma with additional skills that are important in the final design and assembly of the CREPES flight detector, which will be built in 2024. The learning modules of the school include gas detector physics and technologies, GEM foil manufacturing techniques, detector read out techniques, modeling and simulations. Akins and Ma will bring back advanced knowledge to help contribute to the success of the CREPES mission plan.

“In particular, we are working on a project here at �鶹��ýthat is attempting to put a gas electron multiplier in space, a detector that doesn’t appear to have any flight heritage,” said Akins. “Being able to receive valuable hands-on experience with this detector, and many similar, will be significant when it comes to understanding how to properly integrate it into a satellite.”

In November, the CREPES group will prepare a proposal to the CubeSat Launch Initiative to obtain support for the launch of their GEM detector mission into space at the end of 2024 or early 2025. Writing such a proposal is a significant task for a student research group.

supported the CERN opportunity through providing travel resources for the student’s participation. Students have been supported by internships, internships and conference travel grants.

Undergraduate students at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa have the opportunity to get involved in space exploration and research through academic programs and internships offered through the (HIGP).

Three students who are currently enrolled in the have explored research opportunities through internships with HIGP and (HSGC) and have contributed to space exploration through fields such as physics and engineering.

Student experiences

Stephan Devis, a junior pursuing a bachelor of science in physics, works on the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard NASA‘s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. The Mars 2020 project is in collaboration with Sarah Fagents, a volcanologist at HIGP and a co-investigator on the Mastcam-Z instrument.

“It was thrilling to be so involved in the delta campaign of one of the most momentous missions of our lifetime,” said Devis.

The experience Devis is gaining on the tactical operations team for Mars 2020 is applicable to the operations of any future mission.

“One of my career goals is to become a planetary scientist and to contribute to the future of space exploration and to a crewed mission to Mars,” said Devis. “The research opportunities I have found here at UH Mānoa are directly in line with these goals and are equipping me with skills that will put me in a better position to achieve them.”

Matthew Paulino, a junior in mechanical engineering with an aerospace concentration, is an HSGC intern where he has been able to apply mechanical engineering concepts to understand the process of creating a scientific instrument.

These opportunities provided Paulino with an understanding of what it takes to create scientific instruments, from management level of understanding to engineering applications.

“EPET is a unique opportunity for me because it gives me experience from the perspective of not only an engineer but also the perspective of scientists,” said Paulino. “In other words, scientists commission the engineer to create a scientific instrument and the engineer needs to understand what is needed from the scientist.”

Katlynn Vicuña is a senior in mechanical engineering with an aerospace concentration. As an HSGC intern, Vicuña has gained space exploration experience through working with vertically integrated project teams on satellites and rovers, she worked on a rocket team with a space grant through the NASA First Nations Launch, and worked as an �鶹��ý Space Flight Lab avionics assistant.

“It has been important because this has opened up my path to apply for Brooke Owens Fellowship where I was able to get an internship with Lockheed Martin Space for summer 2022,” said Vicuña. “Without these hands-on experiences, I do not think I would have been hired or chosen.”

More on EPET certification

EPET consists of four sequential courses in which undergraduate students form a team, develop a CubeSat mission concept, and then go on to design and build it as a capstone project, with advising from Peter Englert and others.

The EPET certificate program is for students enrolled in science and engineering undergraduate degree programs at UH Mānoa, UH System campuses, and other universities. The program can also accommodate professionals working in the community who wish to upgrade knowledge and skills.

The next cohort of students for the EPET certification program will begin in spring 2023. .

A team of students and faculty from the launched a 10.5-foot custom rocket they built in the 2022 Come-Back competition in Nevada. This year’s ARLISS competition hosted 15 teams, including teams from Japan, Mexico and Costa Rica. The UH team was the lone U.S. representative.

“Here in the Black Rock desert, we are the only American team representing,” said Caleb Yuen from Honolulu CC. “I think it’s important for all the students of community colleges and universities to come out here to learn the fundamentals and the basic rules of rocketry.”

is a faculty-student enterprise of multiple UH Community College campuses in affiliation with the �鶹��ý Space Grant Consortium. Project Imua’s primary mission is to experiment with high-powered rocketry and to design and fabricate small payloads for space flight.

More Project Imua stories

The September launch, or Project Imua Mission 11, was a mixed success. The rocket flew and one of two parachutes deployed properly. The rocket contained a land rover designed and assembled by that did not exit the rocket and maneuver autonomously as planned. An atmospheric detector designed and assembled by collected data during the rocket flight that will be analyzed by the team.

“That’s rocket science,” said Project Imua Manager Joe Ciotti, a Windward CC professor. “But like the recent Artemis setbacks, each failure is taken as an opportunity to learn and improve for the next flight.”

Seven members of the Project Imua Mission 11 team also launched individual rockets they built in a event to earn various National Association of Rocketry certifications.

“Both Honolulu Community College and Windward Community College have a lot of funding and programs that students can get into. They don’t need to be in STEM-related careers,” said Honolulu CC team member D’Elle Martin. “It’s pretty fun and it exposes you to a lot of the possibilities and research projects you can get into.”

Stay tuned for more about Project Imua Mission 12 in 2023.

—By Kelli Abe Trifonovitch

“Out of this world” is one way to describe the incredible video captured by a University of �鶹��ý Community College experiment nearly 100 miles above Earth.

On August 11, a 44-foot NASA sounding rocket blasted off from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia carrying a scientific experiment designed by Project Imua Mission 10 students into space.

Project Imua is a joint faculty-student enterprise of multiple UH Community College campuses in affiliation with the that provides students with real-world, project-based learning opportunities. students designed and built a camphor-powered sublimation rocket (named ScubeR, for Super Simple Sublimation Rocket) that was deployed at the peak of the NASA rocket’s flight—at 99 miles altitude. The team designed two cameras and measurement devices to monitor the sublimation rocket’s motion.

Project manager Joe Ciotti, a Windward CC professor, calls the video captured by that Project Imua camera in space “visually spectacular.”

Ciotti continued, “The opening shows the limb of the Earth against the blackness of space and clouds covering the Atlantic. It then pans to show the second stage (of the sounding rocket) that separated moments ago, spinning as it falls back to Earth. Nearby is the outer protective skirt, tumbling after being dropped from the payload section. …(later), ScubeR begins to be deployed in the straight direction it was designed to follow.”

Project leader and Windward CC student Jared Estrada said, “Working the math and sticking with the science and engineering process we believe we have something that works and ultimately leads to success within the mission. I think it’s very successful.”

It’s been an amazing experience for the aspiring research and development physicist and the 15-member team.

Estrada said, “I would say Mission 10 is an excellent opportunity for students and overall awe inspiring for the scientific and engineering process.”

For Caleb Yuen, the Honolulu CC student responsible for developing the video cameras, the views of space were breathtaking.

Next up, Project Imua Mission 11. The team plans to launch a custom-built rocket equipped with a land rover and atmospheric detector at the ARLISS 2022 Come-Back competition in Nevada in September.

—By Kelli Abe Trifonovitch

Mission accomplished! At 12:08 p.m. HST on August 11, 2022, a 44-foot NASA sounding rocket blasted off from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia carrying a scientific experiment designed by University of �鶹��ý Community College students about 91 miles into space.

Project Imua is a joint faculty-student enterprise of multiple UH Community College campuses in affiliation with the that provides students with real-world, project-based learning opportunities. Students from Windward CC and Honolulu CC had been working on Project Imua Mission 10 for months and were delighted to see their “baby” finally take flight.

students designed and built a camphor-powered sublimation rocket that was deployed at the peak of the NASA rocket’s flight—at approximately 91 miles altitude. The team designed a camera system and inertial measurement unit devices to monitor the sublimation rocket’s motion.

Project leader Jared Estrada, a Windward CC student, said, “The launch was an amazing spectacle that served as a crowning achievement for the scientific endeavors of Project Imua.”

Project Imua provided hands-on rocketry experience both in �鶹��ý and at NASA. In June, two students traveled to the Wallops facility to run final tests on their Project Imua payload.

• Related UH News story: Payload for space launch tested at NASA facility, June 26, 2022

A few days prior to the launch, the rest of the Project Imua team was in Virginia for fine tuning and final integration.

“The hands-on, authentic research conducted by our UH Community College students challenges them to set their sights on lofty goals, while building the demanding skills required in high-tech, STEM careers,” said Project Manager Joe Ciotti, a Windward CC professor. “They’ve learned through their intense year-long collaboration with NASA engineers that, when it comes to dreams and achievements, the sky’s the limit.”

More Project Imua stories

After reaching its peak, the payload carrying the experiments descended by parachute and landed in the Atlantic Ocean, off the Virginia coast. Plans were for the students to receive their flown experiments and any stored data after the payload was recovered from the ocean.

More Project Imua missions are scheduled to fly for UH’s future rocket scientists.

—By Kelli Abe Trifonovitch

Editors note, August 10: NASA postponed the August 10 launch until August 11, due to bad weather at Wallops Flight Facility.

Editors note, August 9: NASA postponed the August 9 launch until August 10, when payload recovery conditions are projected to be more favorable.

A team from the has spent the past week at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia preparing for a rocket to launch the scientific experiment they designed and built into space. Launch is scheduled for August 9, between 5:30–9 p.m. EDT (11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. HST), with live coverage on the .

is a faculty-student enterprise of multiple UH Community College campuses in affiliation with the that provides students with real-world, project-based learning opportunities. This includes experimenting with high-power rocketry, and designing and fabricating small payloads for space flight. In the Hawaiian language, imua means to move forward.

The students have been collaborating for months. students designed and built a camphor-powered sublimation rocket that should be deployed at the peak of the NASA rocket’s flight—at approximately 91 miles altitude. The team designed a camera system and inertial measurement unit devices to monitor the sublimation rocket’s motion.

Their experiment is one of six developed by college and university teams across the nation that will launch on a 44-foot-tall Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket. After reaching its peak, the payload carrying the experiments will descend by parachute and is expected to land in the Atlantic Ocean, about 64 miles off the Virginia coast. The students will receive their flown experiments and any stored data after the payload is recovered from the ocean.

“I’m looking forward to launch because of all the hard work we’ve put into this project to really make sure it succeeds,” said Honolulu CC student Frank Bolanos IV. “There’s a lot of work that went into it and a lot of time and waiting and excitement. So to see it actually go up is going to be incredible.”

The experiments are being flown through the in conjunction with the Colorado Space Grant Consortium. RockSat-X gives students at post-secondary institutions the experience of building experiments for space flight.

“RockSat-X provides students an opportunity to improve their skills through experiment development and then analyzing their data following the launch,” said Giovanni Rosanova, chief of the Sounding Rockets Program Office at Wallops. “Programs like these are vital in preparing students for careers after graduation.”

Mission 10 represents the fourth time that a UH Project Imua payload will be launched into outer space. The first Project Imua payload was launched from Wallops in 2015.

includes a list of other participating institutions and descriptions of the students’ spaceflight technology projects.

—By Kelli Abe Trifonovitch

Two University of �鶹��ý Community College students and their advisor spent more than a week at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to prepare their scientific payload for a space launch in August. They are part of a team of students who have been collaborating on this project for months.

students designed and built a small, light-weight rocket that will convert camphor to gas to propel its release into space at the peak of the NASA rocket’s flight. The team designed a camera system and inertial measurement devices to monitor the motion of the small experimental rocket. The entire payload is less than a foot long, weighs less than 15 pounds and is almost entirely encased in aluminum.

• Read more UH News stories on the Project Imua program.

Students trouble-shoot payload

After the payload failed an initial power test, Windward CC student Nikki Arakawa, the rocket team lead, had to rewire the interface and power connections. Following another successful power test, Arakawa was able to turn the payload over to the Wallops integration team for placement in the rocket to be launched in August.

Arakawa, who graduated with her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UH ����ԴDz� in May 2022 and was recently part of an award-winning rocketry team, said she is now considering going to graduate school to study aerospace mechanical engineering.

“I only just had a chance to start trying out all these things, and it just feels like—gosh I just wish I started this a lot earlier,” she said.

While at NASA, D’Elle Martin, the team lead for Honolulu CC, ran checks on the various systems, including the video capture units.

“What I realized throughout this project and through my previous project with Honolulu Community College—through both electronics programming and model rocketry—is that even though you might have a major that may not be necessarily towards engineering, you can still learn a lot about working in a team, but also different pathways to STEM careers,” Martin said.

The current UH ����ԴDz� architecture student said the Project Imua experience has inspired her to consider the nascent specialization of space architecture.

Arakawa and Martin were accompanied by mentor Jacob Hudson from Windward CC. Mentor Shidong Kan, a Honolulu CC associate professor of physics, will escort four students to the NASA facility for final integration of the payload onto the rocket and launch, which is tentatively scheduled for August 9.

Mission 10 is funded through the and represents the fourth time that a UH Project Imua payload will be launched into outer space.

The first Project Imua payload was launched from Wallops in 2015.

A NASA rocket scheduled for space launch in August will carry a scientific payload designed and built by students. When the rocket launched from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia reaches sub-orbital flight, it will release the student-built experiment.

The students have been collaborating on this project for months. students designed and built a camphor-powered sublimation rocket that will convert the camphor to gas to propel the small, light-weight rocket once the payload is released at the peak of the NASA rocket’s flight. The team designed a camera system and inertial measurement unit devices to monitor the sublimation rocket’s motion. The entire payload is less than a foot long, weighs less than 15 pounds and is almost entirely encased in aluminum.

“Project-based research like Mission 10 offers UH Community College students unique opportunities to explore and prepare for high-tech, STEM careers while working alongside NASA engineers,” said Project Manager Joe Ciotti, a Windward CC professor. “For these students, this really is rocket science and one powerful confidence builder.”

Project Imua (to move forward in ʻōlelo �鶹��ý) is a joint faculty-student enterprise of multiple UH Community College campuses in affiliation with the that provides students with real-world, project-based learning opportunities. Students experiment with high-power rocketry and design and fabricate small payloads for space flight. and have been part of earlier missions.

Later in June, Windward CC faculty mentor Jacob Hudson, Windward CC team lead Nikki Arakawa and Honolulu CC team lead D’Elle Martin will travel to the NASA facility to run the Project Imua Mission 10 payload through rigorous testing. Mission 10 represents the fourth time that a UH Project Imua payload will be launched into outer space. The first Project Imua payload was launched from Wallops in 2015.

Read more UH News stories on the Project Imua program.

Four students are participating in a global mission to send 500 small satellites to the moon by 2023.

Associate Professor Jung Park and students Angelica Juarez, Delaun Prentice, Tishri Prentice and Christian Falcon recently returned from a four-day workshop called the (GLEE) at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

GLEE is a mission to the surface of the Moon that will conduct science and test technology with hundreds of five-gram satellites called “LunaSats” built by students around the world. The workshop was split into 12 modules that introduced the GLEE 2023 mission and analyzed every individual component of the satellites. It concluded with each team creating a unique science mission that will be performed on the Moon.

“The GLEE workshop was incredibly inspiring and introduced our teams to a whole world of programming, circuits and sensors, and their applications on our planet and in Space,” said Falcon. “I am grateful to have been a part of such an informative hands-on workshop, where we’ve been inspired to expand our knowledge in engineering.”

The workshop was organized and led by undergraduate students from the University of Colorado who guided participants in testing the first iteration of LunaSat production. Almost 40 students from universities and colleges across the country participated and formed 19 teams.

Park said that he and the UH Maui College students enjoyed sharing their love for astronomy and space exploration with dozens of like-minded students and faculty. They are looking forward to joining the worldwide workshop in April 2022.

“I loved meeting other students from around the county and working with my team,” said Juarez. “I feel that I learned a lot about coding and about different sensors and I’m excited to join the workshop again in April and hope to encourage others to join as well.”

The sponsored the bulk of the workshop trip, with additional support from the Colorado Space Grant Consortium.

The 19th annual tribute to �鶹��ý astronaut Charles Lacy Veach, hosted by the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa (HSGC), pivoted to a virtual event this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The was a success, as the since it was presented live in late October.

“The virtual format created unique opportunities as we reached out for workshops and speakers from �鶹��ý and well beyond, including direct from the International Space Station,” said Art Kimura, event co-organizer and educational specialist at the HSGC.

Keynote addresses were given by astronaut Chris Cassidy from the International Space Station, master navigator Nainoa Thompson, astronaut Stan Love, astronaut and crewmate of Veach Bill Shepherd, educator and astronaut Joe Acaba, Hawaiian Electric President Scott Seu and family members of Veach.

Participants, including Veach’s grandsons in Florida who were part of Veach Day for the first time, joined the virtual event from all the Hawaiian islands, across the U.S., and around the world, including Canada and Japan.

Space science experts offered workshops on making an air battery, learning computer code to rendezvous a spacecraft with the International Space Station, using a cell phone camera to paint with light; and demonstrations on electrolysis, convection, density, center of gravity and more.

“We appreciate our colleagues and alumni who graciously supported and contributed to this redesigned virtual event,” said Rene Kimura, event co-organizer and educational specialist at the HSGC in the UH Mānoa . “The is available to all. We hope this will serve as a valuable resource for teachers who are seeking ideas for their science classes and for parents looking for enrichment in this stay-at-home environment.”

Future events

To continue encouraging students and community members to innovate and explore, Veach Day organizers are offering a series of live virtual field trips throughout November and December to learn about frost and wind on Mars, tower gardens, Space Station air scrubbers, the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Oceanit and more.

For more information including dates and times, descriptions and login information on these virtual field trips, email art@higp.hawaii.edu.

See for more.

–By Marcie Grabowski

Neutron-1, a small satellite involving more than 100 University of �鶹��ý students, faculty, staff and volunteers, will be launched on October 1 on the ELaNa 31, NG-14 International Space Station (ISS) resupply mission from NASA’s in Virginia. During the mission, Neutron-1 will measure neutrons in space and radiation coming from the Sun.

The science mission was proposed in 2011 by Peter Englert, a (HIGP) researcher and principal investigator for the Neutron-1 Mission, and Lloyd French, (HSFL) researcher and project manager for the Neutron-1 Mission, to study neutrons in orbit. It was accepted in 2012 by NASA‘s CubeSat Launch Initiative.

Through the 2015 RockSat-X mission, , , and were also involved with the development of this mission. The Project IMUA community college collaboration led to the development of a functioning neutron detector, however it was lost during a suborbital test launch from Wallops Flight Facility. This set back the project until Arizona State University (ASU) became a collaborator on this mission by providing the neutron detector in 2018.

“Neutron-1 is a 3U CubeSat [small satellite],” said Amber Imai-Hong, an avionics engineer at HSFL and ground station coordinator for the Neutron-1 mission. “It’s approximately the size of a loaf of bread and the data gathered by the satellite will be used to understand the relationship between the Earth and the Sun by mapping neutrons in the low-earth orbit.”

Designed by UH ��ā�ԴDz�’s HSFL team, Neutron-1 went through a vigorous proto-flight environmental testing process. Undergraduate students from departments such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and more gained first-hand experience in aerospace research with the design and testing of a spacecraft.

“Neutron-1 will demonstrate that the �鶹��ý Space Flight Lab has the ability to design, test and launch and operate small satellites,” said Imai-Hong. “We’re hoping that Neutron-1 is able to operate in space and that we can prove to the aerospace community that UH is a great place to do aerospace research.”

Neutron-1 is launching on a rideshare mission, which includes other satellites, and will be in space for approximately one year. UH delivered the small satellite to NanoRacks, LLC in Houston, Texas on August 20.

Operating in space

When astronauts set up the deployer pod for launch out of the ISS around mid-November, HSFL will continue to be the primary driver for the Neutron-1 mission.

“We expect it to be ejected from the ISS in mid-November, from that day on it will take no more than a few hours for the satellite to pass over �鶹��ý and that’s when we should expect the first contact with the satellite,” said Miguel Nunes, an assistant faculty at HIGP, deputy director of HSFL, systems engineer and assistant project manager for the Neutron-1 mission.

HSFL will control Neutron-1 via the GlobalStar network, and partner with amateur radio operators to communicate with the satellite through HSFL’s Kauaʻi CC ground station. Researchers are currently upgrading and fixing the ground station to prepare for when the satellite passes over �鶹��ý. This will allow amateur operators from the community to send and receive data from the satellite while it is in space for the next year.

Helping prepare for future missions to the Moon

For the electronics inside Neutron-1, UH collaborated with ASU on the payload. Neutron-1 will provide prolonged exposure to the space environment for technology evaluation and serve as a test platform for ASU‘s payload.

ASU‘s payload instrument is scheduled to fly on the Mission to the Moon. The LunaH-Map mission is a miniaturized, fully functional interplanetary spacecraft the size of a shoebox, that will map hydrogen enrichments within permanently shadowed regions of the Moon’s south pole. This will be the first CubeSat mission to the Moon.

“Neutron-1 will be collecting neutrons in space and this [technology] will allow us to understand if there’s water in the moon in the future,” said Nunes. “So that’s one of the most interesting aspects of this mission.”

The Neutron-1 mission was primarily supported and funded by the . Other organizations contributed via funded research projects with HSFL. See HSFL’s website .

The launch is scheduled for Thursday, October 1, 3:38 p.m. HST and will be .

At the , it IS rocket science! The college’s Engineering Technology Program fielded two teams in the international . Team Onipaʻa placed first, and Team Pakaʻa, placed 23rd. (See complete team rosters below.) Thirty-three teams from more than a dozen countries competed to design, build and launch a container holding a science payload.

Jung Park, UH Maui College engineering technology associate professor and NASA �鶹��ý Space Grant Consortium, who was the faculty advisor, said, “The CanSat competition is designed to reflect, on a small scale, a typical aerospace program. The competition includes all aspects of an aerospace program from the preliminary design review to post-mission review. The mission and its requirements are designed to reflect various aspects of real world missions. This includes the telemetry requirements, communications and autonomous operations.”

This year’s launch, scheduled to take place at Virginia Tech in June, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s entries were judged on all criteria except for launch.

“The CanSat project was an excellent way for us to showcase all that we have learned at UHMC,” said Team Onipaʻa leader, Arthur Agdeppa. “It pushed us to be creative on our CanSat design, be resilient on failures, be a team player, and be receptive to the process involved in creating a real-world engineering project. It was a great learning experience overall.”

Team Pakaʻa leader, Alexander Meyer, said, “CanSat Competition was an extraordinary opportunity for the members of my team to gain aerospace industry experience. They rapidly adjusted to working in a collaborative environment and learned how to rely on one another to work towards a greater goal. Their effort paid off and earned them a seat amongst the finalists of the prestigious competition, an achievement they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

The competition is organized by the . The UH Maui College teams were sponsored by the NASA �鶹��ý Space Grant Consortium and Park. The team members thanked Director Luke Flynn for his tremendous support.

Learn more about the UH Maui College .

Team name: Onipaʻa, 1st place

• Arthur S. Agdeppa (Team Leader) – Senior, Engineering Technology (BAS)
• Jhaymar Mendez – Senior, Engineering Technology (BAS)
• Guillermo Martin – Junior, Engineering Technology (BAS)
• Tim Marcello – Sophomore, Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology (AS)

Team name: Pakaʻa, 23rd place

• Alexander T. Meyer (Team Leader) – Senior, Engineering Technology (BAS)
• Noah E. Franco – Junior, Engineering Technology (BAS)
• Jerico Mark Olpinodo – Sophomore, Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology (AS)
• Eleomar N. Cabbat – Sophomore, Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology (AS)
• Randolf D. Rayo – Sophomore, Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology (AS)

In a bold new initiative to inspire the next generation, NASA has awarded $2.4 million to six universities, including the , as part of its . UH Mānoa received $500,000 to create to create an affordable 1U CubeSat kit, which will help develop a robust aerospace program starting at the undergraduate level, including hardware, software and an online lab course.

UH Mānoa will generate hands-on learning opportunities related to orbital and suborbital CubeSats, miniaturized satellites for space research, containing all of the subsystems of fully functioning passive satellites. Each CubeSat will include onboard computing, communication components, dynamic sensors, an infrared camera and an electrical power system. Undergraduate students will help develop all aspects of the project under the guidance of (HSFL) engineers, and will have paid internship positions.

“We are proving that smallsats are absolutely within the realm of an undergraduate education and will develop this course into a national online course in the public domain through a popular online learning platform,” said Frances Zhu, assistant researcher.

The hands-on learning opportunities will be supplemented with online learning resources. The grant will also be used to assist CubeSat projects from states that are not yet part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. This team will include a broad network of students from �鶹��ý and Washington to perform the initial evaluation of the learning products.

“This topic is not typically taught and further, a spacecraft lab course is extremely rare,” Zhu added. “By reinforcing the theoretical curriculum with direct ties to hardware, students can truly engrain the subject matter learned from a conventional classroom setting, a feeling so often felt in classes solely based on lectures.”

The has been working for decades to encourage hands-on STEM education in �鶹��ý‘s K–12 schools, which has helped to develop a robust robotics program that feeds into UH Mānoa. This project will help continue the STEM pipeline and train undergraduate students in the aerospace industry.

“As a Native Hawaiian and lifelong �鶹��ý resident, it is so important to diversify our economy and bring high paying jobs that are ecologically sustainable,” said Amber Imai-Hong, HSFL outreach and engineer specialist. “By creating this foundation enabler, we can build a homegrown aerospace workforce in �鶹��ý.”

—By Sarah Hendrix

The University of (HSGC), a participant in NASA’s National Space Grant College and Fellowship Project, invites undergraduate students to apply for (URI). These mentored internships can provide funding of up to $9,000 per academic year through a competitive application process. Applications for fall 2020 are due June 15.

HSGC URI positions are available at UH Mānoa, UH Hilo and UH Maui College campuses. Students’ proposed projects must support NASA‘s broad goals in space, planetary research or aeronautics.

Kayli Chun, a senior in mechanical engineering, is currently enrolled in the second semester of her HSGC URI project with mentor Mehrdad Ghasemi Nejhad, a professor in the UH Mānoa .

Chun is researching ways to optimize strength and toughness of nanocomposite materials for improved mechanical performance, to avoid delamination during use in space.

“I am greatly humbled and grateful to be a part of this highly esteemed program,” Chun said. “The students are provided clear instructions on the actions needed to fulfill the programs requirements while also given the freedom and flexibility to conduct their research projects according to their needs.”

Past HSGC URI students have worked in engineering, geology, biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, oceanography, mathematics, computer science, medicine, education and other fields.

How to apply

Applicant requirements:

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Full-time undergraduate students (at least 12 credits per semester) at UH Mānoa, UH Hilo or UH Maui College.
• Sponsored by a mentor who is willing to guide the student for the duration of the award. Most mentors are UH faculty but senior researchers or other qualified personnel at UH or elsewhere are eligible.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be difficult for students to discuss their applications and project plans with mentors. So applicants can contact Marcia Nii mars@spacegrant.hawaii.edu and Peter Englert penglert@hawaii.edu for help in finding a prospective mentor.

For more information on the internships see the .

—By Sarah Hendrix

Fourteen students from , and Community Colleges and the , from the Mission 6 team, have been recognized for rocketry excellence.

The UH team launched its rocket and payload in Alabama in the April . UH won the Rookie Award, given to the top new team in the competition.

The Project Imua team also finished in the top 10 out of 45 teams in the college/university division, at No. 9. Vanderbilt University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Akron, Ohio, were the top three finishers.

“The real-life engineering skills and confidence that our students developed in this challenging competition will launch them onward to exciting careers,” said Project Imua Manager Joe Ciotti, a professor at Windward Community College. “For them now, not even the sky is the limit.”

• Read more about previous Project Imua launches.

This year’s challenge, hosted by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, tasked student teams to propose, design, build and test a reusable rocket with a payload. The rocket had to reach a team-selected altitude between 4,000 and 5,500 feet. Once reaching its highest point, the rocket deployed a recovery system and landed safely. The payload had to be a drone or rover that autonomously deployed from the rocket after landing. NASA engineers face similar questions as they design the Space Launch System rocket to send astronauts and payloads to the Moon.

—By Kelli Trifonovitch

UH students launch rocket in NASA competition

With triumphant shouts and phones aimed skyward, University of �鶹��ý Project Imua students achieved liftoff, launching the rocket and payload they designed and built for the near Huntsville, Alabama, on April 6, 2019.

“Iʻm so excited that our flight went so well,” said Katherine Bronston, Windward Community College team leader. “It really went just as it was supposed to.”

Ten students from , and Community Colleges and , comprised the Mission 6 team. They continued a tradition of UH rocketry excellence.

“Iʻm super excited,” said Honolulu CC student Craig Opie. “Totally stoked that it actually worked. We put a lot of effort and a lot of just collaboration, lack of sleep into this thing, especially over the last couple of weeks. And just seeing it go up and perform so beautifully was just amazing.”

NASA Student Launch competition teams are challenged to “call their shot” and predict before launch day how high their rocket will fly. The Project Imua rocket flew to 4,338 feet, and the team had predicted a peak height of 4,700 feet The 10-foot-tall rocket is named “Fissure 8” after the prominent volcanic vent in the 2018 Kīlauea eruption on �鶹��ý Island.

“To be able to see it in person, it was really beautiful to see it work the way itʻs meant to and see those ʻchutes come out and just watching it come down,” said Mia Fong, Honolulu CC team leader. “It was amazing.”

The payload, a four-wheeled rover named “Hoʻomau” (the Hawaiian values of perseverance and persistence) was designed to travel 10 feet before collecting a soil sample. The entire experience was inspiring.

“I might become an astronaut,” said Leomana Turalde, Windward CC student. “Iʻve always kind of wanted to become an astronaut since I was a kid, and watching this rocket fly, Iʻm kind of finding confidence in myself that itʻs possible.”

Project Imua’s primary mission is to develop small payloads for space flight while providing undergraduates with project-based learning opportunities in STEM fields. awarded Project Imua a grant of $65,931, which covered materials, student stipends and travel expenses.

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Follow the Project Imua team:

Read more about previous Project Imua launches.

—By Kelli Trifonovitch