Setting the Standard for Space Exploration
UCF researchers and educators are recognized leaders in space science. They 麻豆精品 S檙e NASA veterans, scientists and engineers that hail from some of the biggest and most important programs in U.S. space history. These global thought leaders conduct advanced research to help get us back to the moon and then onto Mars. They 麻豆精品 S檙e diving into microgravity environments and discovering how planets form.
At UCF, we ask the big questions and delve into the unknowns of our infinite universe 麻豆精品 S� exploring the possibilities of mining the moon, simulating Martian soil, and understanding space dust, which is a bigger problem than you may think.
Our most recent space research entails more than a dozen projects aimed at getting back to the Moon safely 麻豆精品 S� many of which directly support NASA 麻豆精品 S檚 Artemis mission and other lunar operations. These projects help the future of flying and landing spacecraft, mining fuel, and protecting astronauts and their equipment from lunar dust.
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Meet Philip
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Philip Metzger 麻豆精品 S�00MS 麻豆精品 S�05PhD
A planetary scientist with nearly 30 years of experience at NASA, Philip Metzger now conducts research at UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Florida Space Institute. His research covers a significant amount of solar system exploration 麻豆精品 S� predicting how rocket exhaust interacts with extraterrestrial soil, investigating the mechanics of soil, characterizing lunar and martian soil simulants, and modeling the migration of volatiles on airless bodies.
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Meet Adrienne
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Adrienne Dove
Associate Professor of Physics Adrienne Dove has made significant strides in space research, from examining asteroids to learning more about space dust. In April 2021, her research blasted off on Blue Origin 麻豆精品 S檚 New Shepard Rocket to study charged dust behavior in microgravity. This will inform strategies to keep lunar dust from damaging electronics, solar cells and mechanical equipment during moon missions.
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Meet Humberto
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Humberto Campins
Professor Humberto Campins, an expert on asteroids, was recently named Jefferson Science Fellow. He is the fourth UCF professor to receive the national honor that builds STEM expertise within the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development. During his year advising the U.S. Department of State, he 麻豆精品 S檒l make significant contributions to our nation and bring that STEM expertise back to the classroom.
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UCF is a Recognized Leader in Space Science
Two UCF grads have become astronauts
Five space-related programs in the top 100 U.S. News & World Report
Eight experiments sent to space since 2019 aboard Blue Origin, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic
Innovative Space Research Centers in Orlando
World-class facilities with the latest technologies are imperative to help us explore the unknowns and answer the big questions. They are where researchers, educators and students make new discoveries and push boundaries. Advanced facilities help make us continue to make an impact on our state, our nation, and outer space.
Stephen W. Hawking Center for Microgravity Research and Education
The university 麻豆精品 S檚 Stephen W. Hawking Center for Microgravity Research and Education 麻豆精品 S� the first American research center to bear his name 麻豆精品 S� builds on Hawking 麻豆精品 S檚 groundbreaking discoveries about how the universe formed and fulfills his wishes to advance microgravity research. It also explores ways of making space travel safer and inhabiting Mars or the Moon.
Florida Space Institute
The Florida Space Institute (FSI) supports space research, development, and education activities. In addition, we support the development of Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 space economy 麻豆精品 S攃ivil, defense, and commercial. This collaborative partnership comprises of researchers and educators from UCF and other state universities.
Space Research and News
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Research in 60 Seconds with Aerospace Engineering Student Jillian Gloria
Jillian Gloria 麻豆精品 S檚 research helps prove how water evaporates on the moon, which may aid NASA in finding the liquid as they work to develop a sustainable presence there.
Day in the Life of a NASA Intern
Mechanical engineering student Jaden Chambers shares what it 麻豆精品 S檚 like interning at NASA, how he got there and why he 麻豆精品 S檚 interested in the STEM field.
Space News
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