8 Things You Might Not Know About MA's International Space Station Project

We all know that there is a team of innovative students that collaborate each year to send a science experiment to the International Space Station. But do we really know what that involves? Here are eight things you might not know about the work these intrepid scientists carry out.

1. The projects aim to solve real problems

This year's team is working on two projects: How to deal with plastic waste in space and space sails. Yes: Like the kind of sail you see on a sailboat. But it's propelled by light. 

Reduce Space Waste

The first project explores the possibility of using PETase, an experimental enzyme that can break down plastic. Their goal is to see whether or not PETase can efficiently break down plastics in microgravity. Why? Plastic waste is a problem both on the space station and when considering future, more extended space travel. If PETase (or another enzyme) can efficiently break down plastics in microgravity this could significantly reduce space waste. 

Among other things, this might provide a viable solution for dealing with all of those plastic meal pouches astronauts go through, especially for one of those long trips to Mars that is no longer just a distant possibility.

Speed Up Space Exploration

The second project uses an unusual product called graphene, which is basically just a sheet of carbon atoms. The students want to see if they can use a red laser to move the graphene in microgravity.

"Laser propulsion is a super small force that can move an object," explains junior Curtis Craig. "Basically it's light as a force."

But why would one want to do this? 

Scientists are currently exploring the use of laser propulsion combined with sheets of graphene to create sails for spacecraft. Not the giant, people-filled spacecraft of Star Wars, but tiny probes no bigger than your cell phone that could fly much faster—and potentially much farther—than conventional rockets. 

These probes could reach Alpha Centauri in just 20 years, in contrast to the 75,000 years Voyager 1 would have needed.

"It's really interesting to try and see how it works on a smaller scale," says Curtis.

2. Students run the show

Nearly every aspect of this class is student led. Students choose the projects, initiate contact with experts, request donations of materials, set their timeline, and coordinate schedules.

"It's like no other class I have ever been in," says junior Tenzin Chosang. "The teachers ask you questions, and the students give direction."

Mr. Swanson and Ms. Reist work to ask good questions and keep an eye on the ultimate deadline, but at the end of the day this is a student-led class in the truest sense of the word.

3. Students consult real (Nobel-Prize winning) scientists

 

This year's project conception included consultation with multiple scientists, including Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Dr. William Phillips.

On the encouragement of Mr. Swanson, senior Halle Whitman decided to try to contact Dr. Phillips.

"I emailed him, just an email found online," says Halle. "He responded and set up a Zoom to answer some of our questions."

The students then traveled to NASA, where they presented a poster on their planned projects at the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) conference.

"[This was] before we had gotten very far in testing or had a really solid understanding of the background information," says Halle. "We received very helpful feedback through that conference."

Students also contacted the researcher who discovered PETase, an enzyme that is so new there is very little literature available on it. 

Through their interactions, the researcher answered questions and also agreed to send a sample to the ISS team to be used in their experiment. 

4. Specialized teams require next-level collaboration

Students work on one of 5 teams: Team Leader, Science, Mechanical, CAD/3D Printing, and Software.

"Every bit of research I do has to be communicated to the CAD team so they can print parts with the correct measurements. They have to be on the same page with software and mechanical," says Team Leader Halle. "I've really grown from that environment of working so closely with others."

5. The project must be fully self-operating

Once the project arrives on the space station, astronauts will hook it into a cabinet supplied with electricity and some basic abilities to receive and transmit code. From there, it's up to the little box itself to run the experiment, record progress, and transmit the information back to the team. More on the challenges with this in item #6!

6. Outdated Space Station Code = Extra Work

 

Each year students work to adapt their code to match the space station's increasingly outdated equipment. 

The code they write turns on the pumps, the lights, the lasers, and all other operations for the experiment, as well as sets them to run within a specified time frame. But in order to work, their code must interface with the mechanical cabinet that their project hooks into.

The hardware AND software in this cabinet are roughly 20 years old. Much has happened in the world of computer science in the past 20 years (long before the first iPhone made its debut!), so students need a certain amount of linguistic flexibility, moving between their current coding knowledge and what was common nearly two decades ago.

"It's been interesting to apply what we learn from other code languages to the system," says Curtis. "It's also been interesting to see how the code has evolved and how it's stayed the same...it took a while to figure it out, but now that we've got it, it's working really well."

7. The project has to survive 3g force

This is the equivalent to being dropped from shoulder height to the hard ground...but that force continues for a sustained period.

Remember all of those egg-drop projects you did in high school? Yep. It's like that, but with minuscule machines that demand complete precision in order to do their job well. This is actually where early ISS teams experienced disappointment...at least one project didn't survive the launch.

One additional real-world risk? In 2015, the ISS team lost their experiment when the unmanned Space-X shuttle exploded. Students go in knowing that all of their hard work could disappear in an instant.

8. MA is one of only 4 US high schools participating in the program

The Minnehaha Academy ISS team is the only team in the Upper Midwest, and one of only four high schools in the United States participating in the program.

MA's ISS experiment joins just seven other schools in sending their project to the space station to orbit the earth for thirty days through the Quest for Excellence program. 

We are especially indebted to Dr. Donna Harris, who introduced Minnehaha Academy to the ISS program in 2012.