How Our MakerSpace Provided the Tools and Environment for Us to Reach New Heights
By Patrick Gagnon
I couldn’t have succeeded without it. We wouldn’t have reached the heights we did without its support. The payload would have struggled to come to fruition without its resources. Because of its help, we were able to go where only few have gone before. Of course, I’m talking about our MakerSpace. As an aerospace engineering student at College of the Canyons, my team and I have sent experiments to space on payloads which were designed and created out of our MakerSpace.
We’re participants in the Louisiana State University’s NASA HASP (High Altitude Student Payload) program. We began designing payloads in 2016, and this marks our fourth consecutive year in the program, a rare feat for a community college. I’ve had the pleasure of serving on all four of our student teams, and it’s been my privilege to act as the project manager for the past two years. We’re collecting further data on the efficacy of actively neutralizing harmful acids in the stratosphere, and our goal is to develop a means of mitigating some of the effects of climate change by removing these acids before they’re able to cause more harm to the ozone layer.
Our experiment SOLARIS (Stratospheric On-board Laminar-flow Acidic Reduction and Inspection System) is a miniature laboratory with a suite of sensors and instruments used to analyze samples of the atmosphere. We’ve produced a basic aqueous solution that interacts with the acids in the samples and produces reactions that break down those acids into simpler forms. The experiment is contained in order to preserve the samples and collect data with minimal threat of contamination to both the outside environment and our experiment.
The MakerSpace on campus has been imperative in the design and prototyping of our payloads since its conception in 2016. Our first payload failed to see much use out of the space, which at the time was a couple of hand tools and some woodworking equipment. We’ve since greatly grown the MakerSpace to contain two huge laser cutters, half a dozen 3D printers of various sizes, a resin printer, soldering stations, drawing tablets, and a full woodshop.
Prime for Collaboration
Because of the open availability to such equipment, the space is always alive with the buzzing of creative minds. Our architecture department uses the available resources for prototyping structures the students have designed, the art department uses it for a slew of creative projects ranging from abstract art to theater costumes, and those of us with a STEM background have used it as a place to assemble our meetings and conduct work. The 3D printers are used for rapid prototyping and, in some instances, are utilized to make flight components. We flew a 3D-printed intake manifold on last year’s payload to the stratosphere, where it endured and survived the harsh environment of near space for eight hours.
The MakerSpace also serves as a hub for the team’s organization and workspace, and because of its open-door policy, we’ve been able to collaborate with other students from various departments. Our team has grown over the years, and the exposure of being in the MakerSpace attracts all sorts of creative energy, which has been instrumental in the design and testing of these payloads. The space is an incredible resource to all the students on campus; to have the ability to bring ideas to fruition in a physical medium provides limitless opportunity for what can be achieved.
Where else can one go to bring their ideas to life without having the burden of cost? The budget of a typical community college student is not high, and basic necessities are sometimes too much for a student to bear, so the MakerSpace becomes a proverbial sanctuary for students to be adventurous and creative without having to foot the bill. Over the years of working with and in the space, the talent of our students and their respective confidence has increased, leading up to our busiest and most challenging year yet.
Future Opportunities
This year we’re attempting to fly two payloads: SOLARIS and MAPLE. MAPLE (Mesospheric Autorotational Payload Lander Experiment) is being flown on RockSat-X, a student platform that allows experiments to run tests in the outer atmosphere, at 93 to 110 miles high. MAPLE will attempt to demonstrate the validity of using autorotation to slow a reentry craft to a safe landing velocity without the use of any contingent systems such as a parachute or boosters. We’re dealing with factors such as reentry temperatures, RF (radio frequency) communication, multi-axis positioning, and rotational inertia. Both of these payloads are complex in their own ways and slated to launch just a couple months apart. The data collected will support future missions of College of the Canyons’ payload team, and it’s all happening in the MakerSpace.
To be able to access these resources has been beneficial to all of our students, but some have definitely taken the opportunity to new heights. Many of our teammates have acquired internships at prestigious companies and organizations due to the work they contributed to the payloads and the skills gained from the experience of working in the MakerSpace.
I personally had never used a 3D printer before, and I certainly didn’t have the means to buy one. The skills I gained using the printers in the space helped me secure an internship at NASA this past spring, where I used a 3D printer weekly to complete tasks. The MakerSpace has been an important part of my development as a student, an engineer, and a leader. Being able to help other students bring their visions to reality while learning how to do things in different ways has contributed to the success of the payloads and the students who built them.
Sometimes, all you need are the proper resources and a communal, friendly environment to bring your dreams to reality. That’s what our MakerSpace is providing for so many students. Whether they’re just starting their journey as makers or are experienced visionaries, the MakerSpace provides the scaffolding that supports the ambitions of our team while lending us the tools required to make it happen.
This article first appeared in the CCC Maker publication titled “Makerspace Impact: Implementation Strategies & Stories of Transformation” (2019).
