LEVEL 1 · TROPOSPHERE · FOLLOW
Prepare the first flight vehicle
Turn the plain bottle into a stable vehicle and create a nosecone that can separate near apogee.
Satellite Services
Keep the payload flying — and bring it home.
Build the flight and recovery systems that keep payloads stable, useful and recoverable.
One agency. Five teams. Your work has to connect with everyone else's.
Your journey
Prove what your team can do. Earn more responsibility. By Level 5, the mission is increasingly yours.
LEVEL 2 · STRATOSPHERE · CONTRIBUTE
Recover the instrumented payload safely
Adapt the nosecone for the sensor package and build a parachute recovery system.
LEVEL 3 · MESOSPHERE · INVESTIGATE
Find the best recovery system for the Test Pilot
Compare parachute and streamer systems using controlled evidence.
LEVEL 4 · THERMOSPHERE · COORDINATE
Keep the weather satellite aloft and recover it
Investigate box-kite and autorotation systems for carrying and recovering the instrument package.
LEVEL 5 · EXOSPHERE · CREATE
Predict and extend flight/recovery performance
Use accumulated evidence to choose or design a system that meets a mission requirement.
Students earn capabilities. Teams earn independence.