Past Events
Satellite Week Fairmont State 2021
Satellite Week comes to West Virginia
In July of 2021 Destination SPACE with NASA IV&V hosted our first in-residence Satellite Week camp in West Virginia at Fairmont State University. Students built, programmed, and tested their own robotic rover and weather station, built and launched low powered model rockets, and flew tethered weather balloons. Students also received lectures from NASA IV&V Director Greg Blaney, WVU geology department, and a local NASA Student Launch Initiative rocketry team. Thank you Dr. Ensign for organizing this program and helping us expand our program to West Virginia!
Destination SPACE SCGSSM
Destination SPACE SCGSSM
In June of 2021 Destination SPACE partnered with South Carolina Governors School of Science and Math (SCGSSM) to bring a remote space camp to their lineup of summer courses. This week students built and tested their own robotic rovers and weather stations, learned data analytics, and presented their results at the end of the program.
Satellite Week UNCA 2021
We are back!
In June of 2021 we came back to UNCA for our first post COVID-19 in-residence summer camp. This week students build, programmed, and tested their own robotic rovers and weather stations, built and launched their own low powered model rockets, and launched tethered weather balloons. This week students also went through UNCAs pre-college program to help students decide where to go after graduating high school. Students had a lot of fun and we are glad to be offering in-residence camps again!
Homeschool Camp
Space camp from the comfort of home
WRESA
WRESA
The Deep Space team from Nesbitt Discovery Academy produced a video presentation highlighting the learning tools they have developed or used with Destination SPACE and the connections in the industry that they made participating in our programs. The 25 minute video was made available to Western North Carolina teachers so that they can learn about the important teaching aids we use in our stem education and how employing these aids and participating in programs can lead to many beneficial industry connections.
Bridging the Gap
Bridging the Gap
Students presented about their perspective on the importance of industry connections and their participation in Destination SPACE programs in a live web-conference format. The presentation was created by the students for teachers teachers in North Carolina to learn about new resources we are developing or employing so that they can use them in their own classroom and see the impacts they have had on real students who have experienced them.
Destination Aerospace
A Whole New Adventure in a Whole New Region
In August we worked with The Aerospace Corporation to bring Satellite Week to southern California. Students built their own Arduino based weather station and then used to to collect data, preform data analytics, and share their findings in small groups. Students also had the opportunity to virtually attend guest speaker lectures ranging from satellite engineers to astronauts!
West Virginia Satellite Week 2020
2020, a Year of Learning and Excitement!
This year challenged us to bring the same great STEM program to our students from previous years this summer in an all new format. Utilizing innovative remote learning techniques and reengineering our curriculum we were able to make our Satellite Week 2020 more involving and successful than ever before! For this camp we worked closely with Dr. Ensign and Norm Gunderson of the NASA IV&V facility and Global Science and Technologies in Fairmont West Virginia we were able to bring climate science and engineering to 16 students across six states!
Ground Systems Architectures Workshop (GSAW) 2020
Destination SPACE, Inc. founding member Kathy Dooley along with our Deep Space program students Duncan, Eve, Hunter, and Isabella and Nesbitt Discovery Academy teachers Mr. Tucker and Ms. Parker, attended GSAW 2020 in Los Angeles, California. They gave a special luncheon plenary presentation about their experiences with Destination SPACE, including Satellite Week, the ThinSat Program, and the Deep Space CubeSat mission.
Satellite Week 2019
Satellite Week back for year three!
In 2019, Satellite Week was again held at The University of North Carolina Asheville as a residential camp. Students used a new platform to collect weather data from their weather balloons as well as the return of Dr. Knight’s rocketry course!
GSAW 2019
"Building Capacity of NextGen Technology Professionals through STEM Programs"
Destination SPACE, Inc. founders, Kathy Dooley and Dr. DeWayne Cecil, along with interns Austin Gleydura and Lauren Ballard, attended GSAW during February 28th, 2019. Their goal was to network with companies attending the conference as well as discuss the next steps in addressing challenges in STEM education. Kathy Dooley and Dr. DeWayne Cecil served on a panel with Austin Gleydura and Lauren Ballard.
Miles Space, 2018
In August, Dr. Cecil traveled with our interns, Lauren and Austin, to visit Team Miles and help build their Deep Space CubeSat. Lauren and Austin have been interns with Miles Space throughout the summer, but this was their first time meeting in person.
"We helped Team Miles integrate a mockup of the STEM sensor suite into the CubeSat. We also helped dry fit various sensors, such as the plasma probe, star tracker, and the micrometeorite detector. By doing this we were able to verify if the components fit correctly or not, and to determine a procedure for the final integration next year. Also we got a tour of their facilities and all of the equipment they have, such as their vacuum chamber, and their ground station setup. We also got to tour the Tampa Hackerspace down the street." - Austin
Satellite Week 2018
In 2018, Satellite Week moved from a day program at The Collider to a residential camp at the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA). Students lived in college dorms as they learned about satellites, weather, and climate in an interactive environment. The most memorable parts of camp included launching water bottle rockets, soldering and racing JiggyBots, and launching sensors on weather balloons. We also made time for basketball, kickball, and indoor games that kept us moving and laughing all week.
We were lucky enough to have two 2017 Satellite Week students, Austin Gleydura and Lauren Ballard, back as mentors. They provided technical support, photography skills, creative activities, and endless energy throughout the week.
GSAW, March 2018
The 2017-18 Destination SPACE, Inc. - ThinSat students from Nesbitt Discovery Academy (NDA) submitted an abstract to the 2018 Ground Systems Architectures Workshop (GSAW) in CA. Based on that abstract, GSAW, which was organized by the Aerospace Corp. and co-sponsored by NASA and NOAA, opened an evening session to specifically address STEM programs. In March 2018, four of the NDA ThinSat students were selected to travel to Los Angeles with Dr. Cecil to attend the 22nd Annual Ground Systems Architecture Workshop and present their work at the evening session.
Students were exposed to professional writing, and presenting and gained an experience in networking, public speaking, and leadership all which are invaluable soft skills that they will benefit from regardless of their chosen career path. While at the workshop, students were able to attend keynote addresses concerning the real world application of subjects that they are learning about as part of the ThinSat program. Topics as the conference ranged from Space to Ground Communications and Data Analytics to Cyber Security.
Satellite Week 2017
Inaugural Space Camp
During the first annual Satellite Week in August 2017, students created their own remote sensors, launched weather balloons, and conducted their own independent research. We explored the National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI), the weather station at the Grove Arcade, and students were able to present their work in front of established scientists at The Collider (a climate solutions center).
The Great American Eclipse
AMOS Festival in Downtown Asheville
Destination SPACE, Inc. joined forces with the Asheville Museum of Science to celebrate the moon blocking the sun! Visitors filled Pack Square to view the natural wonder while stopping by booths and filling their minds with amazing space facts.