Recent Posts

• On The Participatory Approach to Exploration
• Predictions for Commercial Space in 2009
• The FIRST Team
• Rationale and Goals of the U.S. Civil Space Program
• New web site for nanosat community
• It’s a mystery…team
• Space Shuttle Makes a Bow Wave in Twittersphere
• Many Ways To Participate In Space Enterprise
• Cal Poly SLO Students Tour Lockheed Martin, Sunnyvale
• NASA wants your input!

Archives

• February 2009
• January 2009
• December 2008
• November 2008
• October 2008
• September 2008
• August 2008
• July 2008
• June 2008
• May 2008
• April 2008
• March 2008
• February 2008

Links

Meta

• Register
• Log in
• Entries RSS
• Comments RSS

On The Participatory Approach to Exploration

February 26th, 2009   By Matt   Filed Under Big Idea Space, Industry Space  

There has been some discussion online recently about the application of the participatory tool set to the exploration of space.  This is something that I am very supportive of, having seen first hand in the Centennial Challenges program the kinds of unexpected ideas that can come from giving the public a chance to contribute in parallel with traditional development efforts.  The participatory approach creates a wild card effect that helps to ensure that no stone is left unturned.

In thinking about the online discussion of the role for participatory technologies, I am reminded of something that Mike Bailey, a professor at UCSD Supercomputer Center, told us about learning to produce 3D visualization tools based on OpenGL.  He said that we were learning to become “Engineering Batman” in the sense that we were learning to produce and utilize the things that would be on our Batman utility belts as engineers.

I see the participatory approach as another one of these tools that us “Batman engineers” should know how to best utilize and keep on our utility belts.  Like all tools, there are scenarios when they are right for the job and ones when they are not.  Think of things like computers, hand held calculators, and 3D visualization; they don’t add value unless you take the time to learn how to apply them correctly.  Participatory technologies are no different, but since they necessarily involve putting large numbers of human brains in the loop, I would like to think there is great potential here.  After all, we have seen what mass scalability did in the IT world (i.e. web servers), and now we are finding ways to allow large numbers of people to contribute through these rather than just being passive recipients of information.

We may discover new uses as the participatory tool set is more broadly adopted, but the place where I see immediate benefits is at the innovation stage.  This is the phase of any project where you need to develop as many potential solutions, variations and approach vectors as possible before you start narrowing down and focusing on the most promising of them.  This is something that the participatory approach has done well.  There is an inherent value to the input of outsiders at the early stages of problem solving because they are not necessarily bound by the same assumptions that the experts might be, but by the same token, these inputs are still evaluated by subject matter experts, ideally resulting in unbound creativity refined to a very specific purpose.

I hope that others will keep participatory tool set on their utility belts, as there are a great many collateral benefits such as enhanced public awareness, transparency and social relevance that can go along with them.

Predictions for Commercial Space in 2009

February 2nd, 2009   By Matt   Filed Under Industry Space  

Clark Lindsey has posted an interesting article on predictions for commercial space in 2009.  As can be expected, commercial access to space remains a critical issue, and Lindsey outlines a number of companies that are making significant progress on this front, including CSA member SpaceX.

So, you may be asking yourself, is 2009 the year we see hundreds of people flying into space?  Probably not.  But 2009 will be spent queuing up for some amazing achievements in 2010.  Regardless of which milestones are achieved during a specific year or not, it is evident that an ecosystem of commercial space companies is getting closer to that critical mass where it truly becomes an “industry” and includes regular operations as well as R&D.

Commercial air travel made a similar transition during the late 1920s and 1930s when the concept of commercial passenger particpation transitioned from tagging along on air mail flights to dedicated passenger transports called “airliners”.  Luckily there are a few lessons learned from these early and exciting days of commercial air travel that we don’t have to relearn for our ventures beyond the earth’s atmosphere.

Rationale and Goals of the U.S. Civil Space Program

January 12th, 2009   By _randall   Filed Under Babble Space, Big Idea Space, Industry Space, Political Space, Student Space  

The Presidents of the National Academy of Science and the
<http://www.nationalacademies.org/>  National Academy of Engineering have
commissioned a study
<http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ssb/rationale_goals_civil_space.html>  on
the Rationale and Goals of the U.S. Civil Space Program.

In short, the Academies are asking why the nation has a civil space program
(including human, robotic, commercial, and personal spaceflight). 

The study is intended to provide a strategic framework for the nation's
activities in space that can provide consistent guidance in an increasingly
interconnected world. The members of the study committee are interested in
the views (positive or negative) of the general public, particularly those
people with a scientific and/or technological interest.

Please provide input by January 30, 2009!

<post originated from Slashdot>

It’s a mystery…team

December 11th, 2008   By Matt   Filed Under Industry Space  

Discovery Channel Blog has an interesting look at the mystery surrounding the Google Lunar X PRIZE Mystery Team.

It’s good to see a bit of fun and intrigue around space activities.  It will be interesting to see who is behind this team and if they come out as a frontrunner.

Cal Poly SLO Students Tour Lockheed Martin, Sunnyvale

November 10th, 2008   By Thend   Filed Under Industry Space, Student Space  

The California Space Education & Workforce Institute arranged for 5 students from California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo to visit Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale on Friday October 24, 2008. The students  received a warm welcome, luncheon presentation, and a mock up tour from the young professionals and staff that currently work there.

The students, accompanied by the Director of the Math Engineering Science Achievement Program (MESA) at Cal Poly SLO, were attentive with lots of questions for the Lockheed Martin employees about the aerospace industry. Most of the students in attendance were at the Junior level in college, and the majority had never visited an aerospace company before.  While all of the students were seeking a career in Aerospace prior to the tour, all felt that the tour sparked their interest even more.  When asked what they gained from the tour the following were some of their responses:

“Before this tour I had little to no prior experience with missiles and defense systems”

“Lots of information about jobs & opportunities”

“Talking with people that actually work in the fields I am considering to get an idea of what they do”

NASA wants your input!

November 3rd, 2008   By Matt   Filed Under Industry Space  

Wayne Hale at NASA has created a blog post asking for your input.  I don’t want to paraphrase the whole thing, but the main point is that NASA is preparing to inform the next president of the agency’s current status and issues.  Dr. Haile is asking for your input on what the largest issues facing NASA are.  This is a great opportunity to participate in your space program.

Sometimes Workforce Development Is Rocket Science

October 22nd, 2008   By Matt   Filed Under Industry Space, Student Space  

MOJAVE, CA – Learn by doing has long been the motto of many California State University campuses and at the Long Beach campus (CSULB), that’s just what they are doing. In conjunction with Garvey Spacecraft Corporation (GSC) and the California Space Authority (CSA), 42 students from numerous campuses have successfully launched a 500 pound liquid-fueled rocket over the skies of the Mojave Desert. Funded by the US Department of Labor’s Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative, the project was heavily focused on demonstrating the effectiveness of ambitious hands-on opportunities in preparing the next generation of the nation’s technical workforce.

“The space enterprise community has expressed the need for hands-on lessons that will teach to the workforce issues it faces,” stated Andrea Seastrand, Executive Director of CSA. “This exercise is exactly the type of opportunity to provide real-life, real-time learning.”

The rocket, known as Prospector 12A (P-12A) and developed by GSC and CSULB, carried payloads that were designed and developed by students of CSULB, Santa Clara University, Saratoga High School and the University of Kentucky. Their mission was to collect data about the rocket’s aerodynamic performance, the rocket’s trajectory, and to record video for further study.

“It was an exciting experience and learning process for these students and their mentors,” said Professor Bob Twiggs of Stanford University. “The Saratoga High School students asked me to say ‘thanks’ to the WIRED program for this opportunity.”

Recognizing the activity as an experience the students will remember, Dr. Eric Besnard, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at CSULB, commented that “this launch represented the culmination of weeks of close collaboration between industry mentors, students and faculty and as a result its lessons about systems integration are all the more valuable.”

According to John Garvey of GSC, “this launch represents another important step in our long-term goal of developing a dedicated nanosat launch vehicle that can put these kinds of student payloads into orbit. The P-12A rocket reached an altitude of 3,000 feet before returning to earth.” All payloads survived the launch and returned intact and the student investigators were intensely focused on retrieving their hardware and data.

“To ensure we retain our leadership in the global space economy, it is imperative that we step up our workforce training efforts to fill the coming gap that will be caused by retirements from the existing workforce,” concluded Mrs. Seastrand. “It is exciting to know that CSA was instrumental in providing this highly relevant opportunity for students.”

Calling all Aerospace Industry Professionals

July 10th, 2008   By Thend   Filed Under Industry Space, Student Space  

The California Space Education & Workforce Institute would like to personally invite you to participate in our new virtual mentoring program!!!

Our goal is to encourage current university students to choose a career path in aerospace, and to offer them guidance on their pathway to success from an industry professional.
We have partnered with an organization called Icouldbe.org to bring you a virtual mentoring website that will provide you with a CONVENIENT yet effective way to make a positive impact on a university student’s life.  You can mentor a university student via email- requiring up to only 1 hour of your time per week.

STEP 1

Please register as a CSEWI MENTOR through our secure website below:
www.icouldbe.org/csewi

Cal Poly Pomona visits Kelly Space & Technology

June 26th, 2008   By Thend   Filed Under Industry Space, Student Space  

The California Space Education & Workforce Institute arranged for 11 students from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona  to visit Kelly Space & Technology in San Bernardino. The students received a 2 hour tour from the Program Managers there. The tour was held from 3:00pm-5:00pm on Friday May 23, 2008.

In spite of the rainy weather, the students, accompanied by the Director of Maximizing Engineering Potential (MEP) at Cal Poly Pomona, were there with lots of questions for the program managers. In fact, they remained after the tour ended asking questions and listening to the experiences and stories of the engineers there. The group consisted of the full range of students from freshmen to graduating seniors. For less than half of these students this was a 1st time visit to an aerospace company. Every student stated that the tour was excellent and sparked their interest even further in the aerospace industry. When asked what they gained from the tour the following were some of their responses:

“Good insight into how a real aerospace company works & what to look for in my first job”

“I experienced a work environment”

“Enlightening towards idea of what engineering is really about”

“Showed me how propulsion and rocket testing worked which was something I’ve always considered”

“Interesting look at R&D”

“I obtained a better understanding of an engineer’s duties and responsibilities. Also, I received advice on what types of education to pursue”

“Very real information and experience from engineers and life stories that were very beneficial to my career choices”

“I received very helpful insight to what direction I will take in the next few years in school as well as my career”

University of California, Irvine tours Northrop Grumman Space Technology, Redondo Beach

June 26th, 2008   By Thend   Filed Under Industry Space, Student Space  

On May 23, 2008 CSEWI set up innovation tours at 2 aerospace companies for university students from Cal Poly Pomona University and University of California, Irvine to encourage them to seek a career in the Aerospace Industry.

5 students from UC Irvine visited Northrop Grumman Space Technology and received a tour from the University Relations & Recruiting Manager there. The tour was held from 11:00am-12:30pm on a very rainy day. In spite of the weather the students, accompanied by the Director of the Center for Opportunities and Diversity in Engineering (CODE) at UCI, were there on time and excited to see what Northrop Grumman had to offer.

The group consisted of a couple sophomores, one senior and a couple of juniors. For one of the students this was a 1st time visit to an aerospace company. All five of them agreed that the tour sparked their interest even further in the aerospace industry. When asked what they gained from the tour the following were a couple of the responses:

“Acquired knowledge of past/present/future outer space technology & its objectives”

“It gave me a perspective on the diverse opportunities offered at this company”

“Showed different applications for my chosen degree/career path”