Two teams of student engineers from NCSSM participating in the NASA HUNCH (High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware) program traveled to NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, this spring to pitch projects for possible flights to the International Space Station.
Juniors Michelle Bao, Angela Chen, Deven Jahnke, Adithi Rao, and Emily Spero are collaborating on a vibration isolation device to house delicate experiments and protect them from vibrations encountered during the liftoff and reentry of space vehicles. Fellow juniors Jonathan Kelley and Madeline Paoletti are building a device that will partner with a 3D printer already on board the space station to create tools and parts from a 3D-printed mold.
Myra Halpin, NCSSM chemistry instructor and longtime NASA aficionado (she was part of NASA’s Teacher in Space Program), brought the HUNCH program to the attention of the students and served as their advisor along the way.