The AggieSat organization is also very unique in that it reaches out to educate and involve the local community. Members of AggieSat Lab compose various presentations to deliver to students from kindergarten all the way through twelfth grade. These presentations are geared towards educating the students about space and engineering in order to spark future interest in the field along with informing the students about the purpose of AggieSat Lab.
Current Outreach Programs
The Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley
Starting in January, 2008 and running through April, 2008, AggieSat Team members will be visiting The Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley every second and fourth Friday. Visitors to the Museum will have the chance to take an inside look into the world of designing and building space satellites. Each visit will consist of hands-on activities and exciting learning material related to space and science subjects. All activities will be organized by students from the AggieSat Lab.
During the summer of 2008, one week will be dedicated by the AggieSat Team to space and science education at The Children's Museum. Each day will be an extension of the Spring semester activities. The children will be able to ask AggieSat members questions and get involved in activities that widen their imagination and understanding of science.
Past Outreach Programs
Boys and Girls Club of America
AggieSat Lab has also donated time to the Boys and Girls Club of America. Children from the organization took trips out to AggieSat Lab and spent their time getting tours and participating in activities planned on their behalf. The visiting students had the opportunity to learn about space flight from current AggieSat members and receive demonstrations of the experiments being planned for the lab's missions.
Not only was the opportunity great for the children, but AggieSat team members benefited from the experience as well. The time spent with the Boys and Girls Club of America gave AggieSat members a chance to transfer some of their excitement about space to the next generation of engineers.
Hudnall Planetarium - Public Astronomy Lecture Series
AggieSat Lab sent a student to participate in the Public Astronomy Lecture Series located at the Hudnall Planetarium in Tyler, Texas. The last event occured on April 26 at 7:00p.m. on the Tyler Junior College campus. Our lecture consisted of presenting a 30 minute speech, given by a student, Hutson Betts, about AggieSat Lab and a discussion on how our projects advance space exploration and colonization. This discussion included an overview of AggieSat3's scientific mission, how that mission will be used by our Lab for later autonomous rendezvous and docking missions, and a brief description of the AggieSat2 mission and how it will be conducted. Following the lecture, there was a short Question and Answer session for members of the public to ask any questions they have about AggieSat Lab, its satellites, or how these missions will further NASA's space exploration initiative.
For additional information about the Planetarium, please visit their website at: Hudnall Planetarium