STEM Program Selected for NASA’s SunRISE Mission
Posted on August 1, 2023
Along with four other high schools across the United States, Trinity Christian School (TCS) was selected to participate in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) SunRISE mission. The Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment, or SunRISE, is an array of six toaster-sized spacecraft that will work together to study solar activity. The mission will observe low radio frequency emissions so scientists can learn more about how the sun can generate intense space weather storms. SunRISE will be launched no earlier than 2024 and is led by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
TCS was selected to develop and operate a radio telescope (aka Ground Radio Lab (GRL)) that will study radio emissions from Jupiter, the Sun, the Milky Way Galaxy, and Earth. TCS’s telescope aims to complement SunRISE’s measurements in space.
Interested students will build and operate the telescope during the 2023-2024 academic year. Students will be trained in topics ranging from radio astronomy to space physics to science data collection and analysis. Upon completing the training modules, students will receive certificates of completion approved by the University of Michigan College of Engineering and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Office of Education. Students will participate in monthly webinars and will be responsible for operating the telescope, taking measurements, and communicating the data back to NASA every week. The participating students will write up their observations in scientific papers and have the opportunity to participate in a NASA conference.
High school students and any parents who are interested in participating need to contact Marcus Fisher at mfisher@tcswv.org
