Not many people are lucky plenty to say, “For the entire calendar month of July, my reality existed inward a meliorate house than my dreams at night”, but that is just how Reynolds pupil Kent Ritchie describes his summer.
It all started 1 twenty-four hours concluding saltation when a friend inward a calculus course of educational activity shared an electronic mail well-nigh an chance for a four-week summertime internship at NASA.
Ritchie, who is majoring inward physics as well as minoring inward astronomy, plans to transfer to Virginia Tech subsequently completing his associate score at Reynolds. His long term destination is to pursue a PhD inward astrophysics. For the concluding pair of years he has enjoyed “tinkering” alongside edifice things, as well as developed an involvement inward rocketry. For this argue he idea the internship looked “pretty neat.” He applied as well as was 1 of 20 students accepted. The Launching 2 Learn (L2L) project, a four-week hands-on sense at the NASA Kennedy Space Center inward Florida, teaches the scientific discipline as well as math behind high ability rockets as well as is designed for undergraduate freshman as well as sophomores majoring inward STEM as well as related fields.
The computer programme enabled students to build, simulate, as well as successfully launch as well as recover their rattling ain rockets, both flat 1 as well as flat 2 high powered rockets (HPR). Students were too given the chance to earn flat 1 certification during the internship.
For their flat 1 projection students built their ain rocket as well as and thus participated inward heavy pre-flight analysis as well as predictions. Ritchie’s flat 1 rocket flew to an apogee of 2,000 feet as well as recovered beautifully past times parachute nether 100 meters from the launch site, earning him flat 1 certification on his rattling origin flying attempt.
The flat 2 projection consisted of working inward teams of four. Ritchie teamed alongside students from Worcester State University, University of Florida, as well as Tennessee Tech. Their rocket reached an apogee of 4,500 feet as well as was recovered over 2 miles away due to the primary parachute deploying at apogee past times non correctly friction plumbing fixtures the olfactory organ cone.
The students too witnessed 2 full-scale launches during their stay. One was an Atlas V afternoon launch as well as the other was a Delta IV launch simply earlier sunset. Ritchie noted, “The instant launch was unbelievable equally I viewed the launch from the absolute closest signal unless within the launch bunker side past times side to the pad.”
They were too given a total access tour of launch complex 39 which was the site used for the Apollo as well as shuttle programs, as well as is currently undergoing transition for SpaceX’s Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy as well as the Space Launch System that which volition bring humans to Mars. In addition, they visited the Astronaut Beach House, Hangar AE, O&C Crew Quarters as well as the Vehicle Assembly Building.
In discussing the internship Ritchie said, “I am motivated to a greater extent than than e'er to consummate my score as well as move towards past times PhD. This sense has allowed me to witness where I volition hold out subsequently my schooling. I desire to move at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.”