Students in the Project DaVinci Cubesat program at North Idaho STEM Charter Academy want to go to space . The students have launched a satellite into space via a Rocket Labs program ( with NASA ) called Venture Class Launch Service , which is impressive enough . But the ideas about good business held by these students is better than most teens . The small group of eight to twelfth graders met in a courtyard recently to track their breadbox-sized satellite flying overhead at 17,000 miles per hour .
Firm handshakes , direct eye contact , and being able to clearly define their names is how these students have been trained by their teachers . Each one knows their role on the team and how to tell others what they are doing .
These skills come in handy with the opportunities this project has afforded . Some of the students have been asked to speak at national astronautical conferences and other related events ! Students have job titles like space ambassador and educational lead , development lead , and spacecraft systems lead , and they have regular “ team ” phone calls directly with NASA .
Beth Brubaker and David Moon serve as educational leads for Project DaVinci Cubesat at the school . As instructors , they work together to foster the students in this program . Moon cites that he enjoys , “ watching the kids grow and get out of their comfort zone .” He reflected on the shy and quiet students who bloomed with the program , “ Now they are speaking in front of hundreds at conferences .”
Could that be you ?
The program is in the small town of Rathdrum , Idaho . A town known for a cute city park , and several homestyle restaurants , good when your parents don ’ t want to cook .
In 2015 , teacher , David Moon received a tip that they could apply for an opportunity to participate in a new kind of satellite launch program ; their school could use it as a student educational program . They applied — along with the support of community members like Ross Welburn , a retired engineer and patent holder , and Burt Rutan , aeronautical engineer — and were accepted into the program along with nine other groups nationwide .
Other schools and universities around the U . S . are involved , such as : West Virginia University , New Mexico Tech , the University of Florida ; military installations like the U . S . Naval Academy , Langley Research Center ; and commercial partnerships with NASA such as the NASA Independent Verification and Validation Program .
WINTER ISSUE — 2022 | 2023 — ISSUE NO . 01 7