For the first time in its history, NASA, one of the most important agencies in the world, invited an international student delegation to tour its facilities. The particular thing about this case is that the students who had such an opportunity study at a Colombian university.
This is the ECCI University, which has a delegation that has participated in the academic events of the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge for some years and whose members had the opportunity to share with professionals who work daily in the development of aerospace missions. The students were able to witness the process by which rockets reach space directly from military bases in North American territory.
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As explained by the educational institution, the logistics were in charge of NASA engineer Felipe Mora, who is in charge of the structural dynamic tests within the organization. Likewise, they indicated that the team is led by Tito Alberto Nuncira, research professor of the electronic engineering program, along with engineer Nicolás Carvajal Restrepo.
The team is also made up of teacher Darío Clavijo and students Samuel Nuncira, Diego Quintero, David Quintero and Johan Encizo, from the Inglés Real school. All members of the delegation remain at the NASA facility in Huntsville, Alabama.
According to engineer Nuncira, the experience included learning about a part of a rocket that will soon depart for the moon, as well as different facilities of the organization.
“It was a wonderful experience to see part of the rocket that will take a citizen to the moon in the Artemis 4 mission, the SLS rocket test platform, the Saturn 5 assembly platform, the operations center of the international space station and the vibration testing laboratories where NASA engineers taught us the critical points to which different parts of rockets are subjected in space,” he stated.
The teacher described the experience as “unique” and pointed out that it helps enrich knowledge. He also indicated that NASA engineers took all members of the delegation to participate in a tornado drill.
Likewise, from the Colombian educational institution they explained that the visit to NASA helped the students understand the scope and complexity of space missions. And it is no wonder, taking into account that the facilities of such an organization “are the epicenter of research and innovation in space exploration, where the ships and technologies that take us beyond space are designed, tested and operated.” Earth,” said one of the students.
Besides, The students participated in the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge 2024, an academic event in which members of the delegation designed a roveran astromobile with which they have participated for five consecutive years in this international tournament.
Engineer Nuncira stated that “it is an honor as Colombians to be invited by NASA and to be the first international delegation of students and teachers to visit the Marshall Space Flight Center facilities.”
NASA, an acronym for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is a United States Government agency responsible for civil space research and exploration. It was founded on October 1, 1958, with the purpose of directing the country’s non-military space activities and conducting scientific research.
NASA conducts exploration missions to other planets, studies Earth from space, promotes understanding of the solar system and beyond, and develops advanced aeronautics, space exploration and satellite technologies. It has also pioneered numerous space exploration missions, including the Apollo missions to the Moon, the Voyager probes to explore the outer solar system, and the Hubble Space Telescope, among other projects.
