Undergraduate experiential training in space science and space engineering

As the space science and space engineering workforce ages, and many individuals with long careers begin to transition into retirement, the most qualified entrants to the workforce will be those who have had direct experience in the fabrication and operation of space flight systems during in their university training. A program at Montana State University has been established whereby undergraduate student teams design, build, test, fly, and operate Earth-orbiting, payload-carrying scientific satellites. Through this program students learn through first hand experience the rigorous process of trade studies, documentation, design reviews, and procedures by which interdisciplinary teams conduct successful scientific satellite missions. Frequent opportunities to develop and test hardware throughout the long process of satellite design are provided by low-cost and frequent high-altitude balloon flights. Over the course of the past three years a student team has developed a 1 kg microsatellite that is manifest for launch in October, 2004. During this time 19 successful balloon flights have been conducted, with full payload recovery, to altitudes in excess of 110,000 feet, providing rewarding and exciting developmental test flights for satellite subsystems and mini-science missions to the edge of space. One factor in the success of this program for student experiential training is the complete delegation of responsibility to the students for the conduct of their missions.