First Missouri S&T Pioneer Virtual Camp is Set to Close with a Satellite Launch Expedition

Students who took part in the Missouri S&T Pioneer Virtual Camp will close with a Satellite Launch Expedition in August.

The Final Frontier virtual summer camp that happened from 12th to 16th July has quite an exciting way to end the sunny season. The closing ceremony will be a satellite launch event with the campers sending off small satellites up on a high-altitude balloon.

The S&T campers will then be responsible for tracking the prototypes in August while receiving pictures and information recorded by the satellites. The campers got all the materials handed to them, but all the ideas on designing, building, and flying the satellite launch were their responsibility. After all the designs were ready, they were all sent back to the S&T facility and are scheduled for lift-off by the end of the month. If the weather is favorable, everything will go as planned.

What Lessons Did The Campers Learn?

The campers who are all in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade went through several video lessons related to the satellite launch. The virtual classes included sessions on satellite building that taught them the basics. The next was on testing instructions, lab trips, and lastly, they had engaging interviews with the facility’s aerospace engineers and some current S&T students.

Due to the current COVID-19 concerns, all the pre-college camps were shifted to digital versions. The “Jackling Intro To Engineering” and the “ASM Materials” camps have also shifted to the virtual world.

Background Info about Missouri S&T

The Missouri University of Science and Technology bases its foundation on STEM research. This facility is one of four other educational and research facilities in Missouri’s system. The University is located in Rolla, and it currently offers close to 100 different degrees in diverse study fields. These degrees are widespread in sciences, business, Information technology, humanities, the arts and engineering.

The facility is known worldwide as having an excellent track record of steering great projects, and this camp is right on top of the list. They aim to guide younger innovative minds into following their dreams and getting hands-on training for the skills they acquire.

The camp director, who is also the assistant teaching professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at S&T, Dr. Jillian Schmidt, was utterly impressed by the campers’ work. 

The feedback from guardians and parents is positive, and the virtual camping project is a success. The camp was engaging and innovative, and this will, for sure, encourage creative young minds to join more space programs. More so after the scheduled satellite launch in August.