On Thursday, March 29, Capitol College celebrated Astronautical Engineering Day on campus with several activities.
The event kicked off with a model rocket contest, with assistance from members of the NARHAMS (National Association of Rocketry Headquarters Astro-Modeling Section) Rocket Club. Students learned the basics of launching model rockets, while seeing which team could land their rocket closest to the designated target.
Following the launch, students heard from Robert Thomas and Bruce Milgram of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Thomas and Milgram discussed several networking and project opportunities that AIAA can provide students. They also detailed some of the activities they’ve been involved with, including helping to reconstruct a Wright Flyer for a museum.
“AE Day gave AE students a sense of community by bringing together undergraduates, graduate students, and full-time faculty,” said Astronautical Engineering Chair Angela Walters. “Students were given opportunities to provide feedback to the full-time faculty regarding the BS and MS AE programs, to interact with faculty outside the classroom, and to network with professionals from the AIAA.”
Capitol also took part in the NASA Lunar and Meteorite Disk Program, which allowed students to view a Lucite disk containing samples of moon dust and rocks brought back on the Apollo missions.
AE day concluded with a star party led by Professor Connor. With the use of telescopes, students observed Jupiter and its moon, Saturn’s rings, the crescent moon in high detail, and several other star clusters.
Capitol College offers both a bachelor’s and master’s degree program in astronautical engineering. Qualifying students are able to work in the college’s Space Operations Institute, in which they work with NASA satellites at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
“Student feedback from this event, will guide the AE Department with respect to changes in both the graduate and undergraduate programs,” Walters said.