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UCF has diligently and methodically been making a name for itself in the world of planetary exploration, and it 麻豆精品 S檚 beginning to pay off in big ways.

Not only are two UCF professors part of the upcoming NASA OSIRIS-REx mission to collect asteroid samples 麻豆精品 S� a first for the United States scheduled for launch Sept. 8 麻豆精品 S� 聽but scientists are playing critical roles as NASA and private space companies race to get people back into space.

Recently UCF physics professors Dan Britt and Humberto Campins were named to a team of NASA experts who analyzed an idea for the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) before NASA puts it out for bid. It 麻豆精品 S檚 a very select process to be named to one of these think-tank-type teams and practically unheard of to have two individuals from the same university named to the same team. Only Arizona State University 麻豆精品 S� considered by some as the university leader for planetary science in the nation 麻豆精品 S� has achieved this feat, until now.

麻豆精品 S淥ther than Arizona, I can 麻豆精品 S檛 think of anywhere else that has this level of expertise, 麻豆精品 S� said Phil Metzger, a scientist at the Florida Space Institute, which is based at UCF. He worked on several NASA missions until 2014, when he moved to FSI where he works with many of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 space scientists.

NASA recognized UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 expertise in 2013 when it made the university the base for the Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science (CLASS), one of nine virtual institutes NASA funds to focus on questions concerning space science and human space exploration. CLASS finds itself in a unique position because its experts happen to be in hot demand as NASA and private space companies prepare to send people to other planets.

麻豆精品 S淣ASA is starting to get serious about Mars, so they are looking to do more research in the area of airless bodies [asteroids and planets with barren surfaces] as part of the highway to Mars, and that 麻豆精品 S檚 where we come in, 麻豆精品 S� said Dan Britt, the UCF geophysicist who leads CLASS. 麻豆精品 S淲e are a virtual institute that is a compilation of skills that look at surfaces of airless bodies like asteroids and the moons of Mars. We look at everything from dust to microgravity. We offer the best scientific advice so the engineers at NASA can design the hardware needed to keep people alive in these alien environments. 麻豆精品 S�

Members of CLASS at UCF are creating asteroid simulant (asteroid fake dirt) to help private companies and NASA develop the machinery and protocols to mine minerals and other resources from asteroids. Some of the team members are studying how dirt interacts with microgravity in anticipation of spacecraft approaching and landing on other planets.

麻豆精品 S淪pace exploration isn 麻豆精品 S檛 cheap, 麻豆精品 S� Britt said. 麻豆精品 S淭here are some real challenges and that takes money. Since putting a man on the moon, NASA has been underfunded. It 麻豆精品 S檚 no surprise we haven 麻豆精品 S檛 done more that 麻豆精品 S檚 exciting for the American public since then. 麻豆精品 S�

Britt sees private companies entering the field of space exploration as a great catalyst.

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Commercial space entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk of SpaceX and Jeff Bezos of Blue Origin have poured millions of dollars into their programs to develop vehicles that can get people back into space since the shuttle program retired in 2011. They 麻豆精品 S檝e had some public mishaps, but they 麻豆精品 S檝e also created two vehicles that in just a few years are on the cusp of meeting their objectives.

Professor Josh Colwell, who is also a CLASS member, is taking advantage of the opportunities provided by these private companies, too. Colwell has had two experiments fly aboard the new spacecrafts developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin.

麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 a great way to get experiments completed quickly, 麻豆精品 S� Colwell said. 麻豆精品 S淎nd what we 麻豆精品 S檙e learning can really help us answer how our planets were formed. That will help us understand what we encounter as we begin to explore other planets. 麻豆精品 S�

Britt and UCF professor Humberto Campins, who is prepping for the unmanned OSIRIS-REx mission launch in September, are eager to see the NASA 麻豆精品 S檚 request for proposal for the ARM, which they evaluated for NASA.

ARM aims to send a spacecraft to a nearby asteroid, pluck a 10-ton boulder from it, and then take it to the moon 麻豆精品 S檚 orbit. According to NASA, ARM will help develop a number of new technologies and capabilities that will directly enable future missions to Mars.

According to NASA, a human mission to and from the Mars system could last two years, 聽or longer, including six to nine months of transit each way. Unlike trips to the International Space Station, there is no quick way home. Those missions will have to be independent of Earth and its resources.

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