The work of the Engineering Club at Bishop O’Connell High School
in Arlington reached new heights April 17 when their ThinSat project
“DJOSpaceToast” satellite was launched into space at NASA’s Wallops Island facility.
Seven of the student mission leaders, along with Melissa Pore,
faculty adviser and engineering teacher, received a private tour of the
facility and stayed beyond the launch of the Northrup Grumman (NG-11) rocket.
Sophomore Kathryn Howard reflected on the experience. “I was very
excited when I first saw the burst of flame under the rocket,” she said. “I
will never forget how it felt to see it launch.”
This was the inaugural launch of the Virginia Space ThinSat
program that allows students to design, build and launch a picosatellite within
a year. NG-11 is delivering several tons of cargo to the International Space
Station.
The ThinSat was deployed during the second stage of the Antares
rocket. The satellite will transmit data for five days before burning up upon
re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
Junior Aidan O’Donovan felt blessed to be part of the experience.
“It was a start of a new beginning in space exploration,” he said. “As we
watched this NG-11 rocket lift off, we became a part of history.”
O’Connell students will analyze the science and engineering data
that is transmitted from the satellite.
A select team from the engineering club has made a dream a
reality for our community,” said Pore. “Through long hours of work, dozens of
tests, and being challenged with intermittent design changes, they have been
able to produce a satellite that has successfully reached orbit on its maiden
mission to space. Through their leadership and determination, they are setting
a new standard for what students at Bishop O'Connell can achieve.”
Pore said the magic of this project is that “we can complete it
in a single academic year, empowering the students with a satellite of their
own. Until now, satellite projects have taken multiple years with those who
started it graduating before launch, and others inheriting a project they
hadn't designed.”
“Seeing the rocket launch was incredible, especially knowing that
something I helped build as a high school student is now orbiting the Earth,”
said junior Thomas Howard. “Meeting all the people who helped create the
ThinSat program was an unforgettable experience.”