ASU Night of the Open Door
Did you catch the Phoenix Satellite team at ASU's Night of the Open Door? Everyone had a blast! The Phoenix Satellite Initiative was one of more than 200 exhibits at the university's annual night of exploration and education.
Visitors from around the community, mainly elementary and middle school students, were invited to the ASU Tempe campus on Saturday, Feb. 25, for a special up-close look at some of the innovative projects that live at ASU. A few members of the Phx Sat team were present throughout the night, eager to share the details of their project.
Guests who stopped by the Phx Sat table were introduced to a 3-D model of the Phoenix CubeSat and were amazed to see that the satellite would be no larger than a loaf of bread. They were also shown an animated video of what the satellite would look like as it orbited the earth, collecting images of urban heat islands.
Kids were never too far from the exhibit. The Phx Sat team kept younger students engaged with coloring sheets and interactive demonstrations. A crowd favorite was the tire demonstration, which consisted of spinning a bike tire attached to a string to give onlookers a visual representation of how the Phoenix CubeSat would orbit the earth.
Overall, the night was a big success for the Phx Sat team. Dedicated space enthusiasts and casual observers alike were drawn to the exhibit and were thoroughly impressed to learn that ASU undergraduate students were undertaking a NASA-funded initiative. The team's proudest moment came near the end of the night when one mother told them, "You made our daughter interested in science, so mission accomplished!"
Mission accomplished, indeed!