If there is one thing that the Federal Aviation Administration loves, it is aviation and space flight. A very close second, however, is its love for STEM AVSED (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Aviation and Space Education) and developing the next generation of aviation and space enthusiasts. The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC) is excited to announce a new strategic partnership between MMAC, the Air Force Association (AFA), and Oklahoma Career Tech to develop new StellarXplorer initiatives in Oklahoma!
StellarXplorer, a program owned and managed by the Air Force Association, is a "challenging, space system design competition involving all aspects of system development and operation - with a spacecraft and payload focus." Teams of students from high schools, JROTC and Civil Air Patrol detachments, Boy/Girl Scouts troops, and Boys & Girls Clubs from across the nation compete against one another to design and execute a space mission within the parameters of mission requirements, engineering principles, and budgetary limitations.
According to stellarxplorers.org, "Teams are given a scenario describing the system’s mission and constraints and are tasked with providing a solution to a typical space design problem, such as orbit determination, satellite component selection, and launch vehicle planning." Space missions are then executed on simulation software. Winning teams receive monetary grants used to further invest in their organization’s STEM AVSED programs. StellarXplorers continues to be "an exciting, hands-on learning experience that develops commercially valuable skills and increases appreciation for the critical role of space in our daily lives. The competition attracts all types of students with diverse backgrounds who will establish their own experiential base of accomplishment, all while building teamwork and leadership skills. Most of all … it is FUN!!!"
MMAC, AFA, and OK Career Tech are working together to develop two new StellarXplorer opportunities in Oklahoma. Foundational to developing students in STEM AVSED is ensuring that the teachers and youth leaders of Oklahoma are equipped to shepherd students in their exploration of space. To facilitate this, StellarXplorers is creating a "Train the Trainer" program to help teachers and youth leaders understand how to guide their teams through the StellarXplorers competition. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to lead a StellarXplorers team. Anyone can do it!
Even more exciting, Oklahoma has been chosen by StellarXplorers as the location for the first ever StellarXplorers Camp! StellarXplorers Camp will be a week-long opportunity for students to learn together about space exploration and the principles and science behind space missions. They will come away from the camp with a better understanding of how space missions are constructed and will gain insights that will prepare them for the StellarXplorers competition. MMAC is incredibly excited to be a charter member of this new initiative and is working with their community partners to build this exciting new opportunity for students from the ground up! Additional updates will be provided as this program continues to develop.
Oklahoma has long been recognized as a critical hub in the aviation and commercial space infrastructure of our nation and these initiatives will continue to strengthen that reputation. This partnership between Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, the Air Force Association, and Oklahoma Career Tech will further invest in our nation’s air and space future and launch students into new space education possibilities!
