Australian Space Design students work with NASA space engineers

12 Oct 2018

Parramatta Marist Westmead

As part of the Australian Space Design Competition (ASDC), aimed at fostering student interest in space and engineering, 12 students were required to submit an extensive tender document for a settlement and research facility in space.

This is one of the first instances that allowed PMHS and Catherine McAuley to combine forces in a national STEM competition. While collaboration is rarely easy, our collective skill sets helped us create a proposal which was teeming with innovation... and gave us the opportunity to Skype with NASA space engineers!

We were asked to design a sustainable settlement on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. Each tender is sectioned off into different departments. These include Business, Human Factors, Structural engineering, Automation and Operations. Each of these departments are given their own set of unique requirements and challenges that need to be overcome for the proposal to be deemed successful.

Along the way, we received help from space industry professionals. We were lucky enough to meet NASA space engineers via Skype, and four of our team got to quiz Paulo Younse (from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory) while at Macquarie University’s ‘Meet the Scientist’ event. Paulo designed parts of the current and future Mars Rovers and it’s unbelievable that we were gifted this opportunity.

2018 Space Design 3

A massive thanks must got to Mrs Susan Sheldon-Collins, Mr John Phillips and Mr Louis Bortoluzzi for all of the time they dedicated arranging authentic connections with industry experts and keeping tabs on each department. These teachers spent many hours outside of class time to support the team.

Thanks must also go to our mentor throughout the project Fatima Jamal Khan. Fatima generously who gave up a considerable amount of time reviewing our work. Her feedback was brutally honest, but that’s exactly as we like it. Our proposal was so much stronger due to being directed by thoughtful and knowledgeable people.

Moving forward, we hope to progress to the Australian Finals of this competition in January 2019.

Irrespective of the result, the Australian Space Design Competition has been an amazing experience. I urge any student who is interested in space and STEM to contact Mr John Phillips to be involved in ASDC 2019.