On the evening of March 1st, students participating in the GDST Space Technology Programme from Oxford High School, as well as Sutton High School and Sheffield High School, enjoyed an engaging seminar and virtual workspace tour by Dr Jin Kang, Director of the US Naval Academy Small Satellite Program, live from Maryland, USA.
Dr Kang is also founder of the USA’s Maru Space Technology, and co-developer of the USA Institute of Earth Observation’s new ‘CubeSat’ satellite-inspired student initiative, the ‘A3Sat’. Our students were treated to an insightful careers talk covering both multiple facets of Dr Kang’s own professional career, as well as developments in his department working on space devices for NASA, which encompass small satellite launches and high-altitude balloon payload test experiments.
The students were also offered the opportunity to engage in discussion on the growing expectation of computer science skills in the booming commercial Space Technology sector, for which applicants with sufficient training are currently in great demand. Dr Kang delivered an interactive presentation looking at board system interiors of lunar payload sensor devices being prepared for missions to the moon, and the ‘shake and bake’ process of space payload rocket-vibrational analysis followed by thermal vacuum chamber testing.
In addition, he elaborated on the various connections required to send space science data via radio signals back to earth. Students were walked through coding approaches used to develop computer applications for high-altitude balloon test calculation methods, known as ‘balloon marching’, used to anticipate accurate balloon launching up to 100K feet, and predicting travel route flow, balloon rupture and landing location.
The students very much look forward to the upcoming task of programming their own reduced computer boards to operate sensors and imagers targeting earth observation data in their own local areas of the UK.