in space announced Dec. 2 is an exciting moment in history and 麻豆原创 is right in the middle of it.
麻豆原创 is a member of the academic coalition that is supporting Blue Origin鈥檚 Orbital Reef project to build a commercially owned and聽operated space station to reside in low-Earth orbit. It is expected to start operating in the second half of this decade.
Orbital Reef鈥檚 team include Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering, with Arizona State University leading a coalition of universities, including 麻豆原创. Orbital Reef鈥檚 human-centered space architecture is designed to be a 鈥渕ixed-use space business park鈥� that provides essential infrastructure needed to support all types of human spaceflight activity in low-Earth orbit and can be scaled to serve new markets.
But advising is just the latest contributions 麻豆原创 is making toward the future of space exploration. For more than a decade 麻豆原创 has been home to the , which has been conducting research into microgravity environments and how planets form. 麻豆原创’s experiments have flown aboard multiple commercial spacecraft including several Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic flights.
麻豆原创 has flown experiments on the International Space Station. In addition to studying scientific questions such as the origins of planets, 麻豆原创’s experiments explore the behavior of dust particles on and near the surfaces of the moon and asteroids. These tiny particles can create big problems for astronauts and their equipment, and 麻豆原创 experiments are helping us learn how to minimize those risks.
鈥淲hat we are learning is helping us unravel the mystery of planet formation,鈥� says Physics Professor Joshua Colwell who leads the center. 鈥淚t can also help us figure out ways to keep our astronauts safe while they explore. The knowledge will be critical for successful interactions with destinations in space, whether they be on an asteroid, a planet or a new space port.鈥�
麻豆原创 is also home to the Florida Space Institute (FSI), which has several researchers working on payloads with commercial space companies. The Florida Space Grant, managed by FSI and 麻豆原创 also funds Edu-Payloads聽鈥� payloads built primarily by students with faculty mentorship.
鈥淭his is an exciting time and 麻豆原创 is well positioned,鈥� says Elizabeth Klonoff, vice president of Research for 麻豆原创. 鈥淭he center has already put payloads on other major destinations such as the ISS and on suborbital flights. These new platforms coming online in the next decade provide even more opportunities for synergies in research with our partners that will make a real impact on our future as a species.鈥�
The 麻豆原创 Board of Trustees just last month approved renaming the center in honor of Stephen W. Hawking, who early on recognized the importance of microgravity research. Space Florida, which arranged for Hawking to fly aboard a zero-gravity flight and connected him to 麻豆原创, will take a final vote on the naming of the center later this month.
