UA Fort Smith Engineering Students Gain Insight Into Space Exploration

Kevin Lewelling and a trio of his engineering students from the University of Arkansas Fort Smith recently went to the Kennedy Space Center to watch a Starlink by SpaceX satellite launch. The Aug. 14-17 trip offered an immersive experience into the world of space exploration. The trip was funded by the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium.

Issair Rodriguez, Alexandria Yang and Dylan Jetton, who are working on a lunar rover for NASA's upcoming mission to the moon, met with retired astronaut Kathy Thornton, a veteran of more than 975 hours in space and four spacewalks.  She shared her insights and experiences about being in space.

The students study engineering at UAFS through a remote campus program offered by the U of A Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Information about the department's remote campus is available at electrical-engineering.uark.edu/academics/undergraduate.

For Dylan Jetton, the visit was a game-changer.

"The trip definitely made me think a bit more about going into the aerospace industry," he said. "I'm currently looking for an internship in the power sector over the summer, but I'm absolutely considering looking for an aerospace engineering internship more now than I did before the trip."

The UAFS students also toured Lockheed Martin's facility and got a hands-on view of the Orion spacecraft that is currently under construction. Jetton described this experience as the best part of the trip.

"Not a whole lot of people will ever be able to see those things up close like that. It was also great to see what the general atmosphere is like in those environments. It surprised me how generally laid-back a lot of people seemed," he said.

While visiting Lockheed Martin, the students met with U of A mechanical engineering graduate Anthony Ming. Currently, Ming is contributing his expertise to the Orion project at Lockheed Martin and discussed his experiences and insights into the aerospace industry.

 "Getting to see actual engineers working on some of the most advanced projects in the world was simultaneously an incredibly motivating and humbling experience," Jetton reflected. "You see these people working on these amazing things, and you're dreaming of being in their spot, but it also reminds you of how much you have left to learn and of how much responsibility such a position has."

The Arkansas Space Grant Consortium funded the trip as part of the students' Lunar Terrain Vehicle project. The project aims to explore and develop technologies for future lunar missions.