Courtesy of NASA/Bill Stafford.
Hi, my name is Reese Allen. I am a senior studying mechanical engineering and data
science as well as the president of WVU’s Microgravity Research Club. The club
was inspired by and currently centers around NASA’s Micro-g NExT Challenge, an
opportunity that brings engineering students from around the country to NASA’s
Johnson Space Center to test devices built to solve problems on the moon or in
space. Last year the club travelled to Houston, Texas and tested our device in
the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (the 40-foot deep pool NASA uses to train astronauts).
They have the whole International Space Station (ISS) down there broken up into
its different parts.
The challenge focused on taking samples of the moon’s surface, what they call regolith, and our device stamped the surface and protected the sample until it could be safely returned to Earth. This year we are bringing two challenge teams to Houston, inspired by two new challenges. Our first team is creating an adjustable tool cart handle for NASA’s upcoming missions to the Moon. In years past, an astronaut’s tool cart only had one setting. But for astronauts of varying heights (between 5’7” and 6’8”), a suitable cart must have multiple handle settings. So, we are designing a simple mechanism that can stand up to repeated use without posing any risk to the integrity of a spacesuit. Our second team is taking on Micro-g’s passive capture challenge. On the ISS, astronauts, rather than having a utility belt like we have on Earth, have a utility bar that runs across their torso with two branching arms. Our team is designing an attachment unit for their “belt” that easily stows tools but, if a tool is hit with a stray elbow, won’t send the tool flying back down to Earth. Only by flipping two switches at once can the tool be released.
Courtesy of NASA/Helen Arase Vargas.
How the LaunchLab has Helped
Exposure and resource availability. The LaunchLab’s connected space, the MakerLab, is a great resource for creating outreach materials. They allow us to produce the stickers, flyers, and promotional materials that spread our message. As for the LaunchLab team, we rely on their expertise to make eye-catching designs that communicate the significance of our work. The LaunchLab created high-quality videos and audio for our challenge proposals, providing insight into the impact of visuals and the value of consistent messaging. As media professionals, their guidance helped us shape our public image and create powerful statements about our purpose and mission.
Check out the Microgravity Research Club on Instagram @microgravity_research_club_wvu and keep up to date with Reese Allen on LinkedIn
Courtesy of NASA/NBL Dive Team