Project Lead: Jasper Halekas
Funding Approved: Fiscal Year 22
Project Status: In Progress
Funded amount: $3.6M over three years
The Extending Iowa's Success in Space-Based Research Across Campus project has laid the groundwork for enhancing one of the university's research strengths while also increasing access to transformational educational experiences for undergraduate students.
The project draws on the expertise of faculty across multiple departments to create interdisciplinary research teams that strengthen the University of Iowa's ability to compete for NASA funding.
Activities to date:
- Instrument development for Earth and lunar science, including:
- Development and launch of the NightHawk instrument for fire detection and pollution monitoring
- Working on instruments for NASA's Lunar Vertex mission
- Successful proposal on air quality monitoring and funding from NASA and NOAA
- Development and submission of several additional funding proposals
- Established new collaborations with several NASA centers
- Infrastructure upgrades for spaceflight capabilities
- The new equipment allows facilities to be used by the TRACERS mission
- Creation of Edge of Space Academy for undergraduate students, which provided a diverse group of students from across the country with hands-on learning experiences and guided mentorship.
- The second Edge of Space Academy took place July 12-29, 2023.
Next Steps:
Year three of the project will feature the continued development of instruments and the submission of additional funding proposals, expansion in the use of new spacefilight facilities, continued growth in cross-campus and external collaborations from faculty members, and tracking the outcomes and success of Edge of Space Academy students.
In the News
Iowa academy inspires next wave of space researchers
Undergraduate students from across the United States came to the University of Iowa in July, enticed by the prospect of stewarding a mission to explore Earth or space. The students were the first group to enroll in a new class, called the Edge of Space Academy, offered by Iowa as another marker of its living, breathing legacy in space-based research.
NASA touches down in Iowa to talk TRACERS
Delegates from NASA visited the University of Iowa to learn about progress on TRACERS, the largest externally funded research project in institutional history. P3 funds have helped build infrastructure to support TRACERS and provide the opportunity for the university to be involved in future near-Earth and space missions.