2008 Woodie Awards
Hendrix Grad Helps with Pluto Mission
Lara Morrow
Issue date: 2/10/06 Section: News
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On Jan. 19, more than just atmospheric boundaries were broken as the New Horizons spacecraft not only embarked on NASA's first-ever trip to Pluto, but also carried with it the first-ever interplanetary instrument designed and built entirely by students.
Hendrix alumni Chelsey Bryant '01 is part of the team of about 15 students at the University of Colorado at Boulder that developed the Student Dust Counter, which will map the dust density of the solar system from Earth to Pluto, as well as beyond into the Kuiper Belt, an area of the solar system within the orbit of Neptune that contains many asteroids. With a total of six instruments aboard, New Horizons will collect measurements of atmospheric density as well as photographic data. It will take nine years for the spacecraft to reach Pluto, but the dust counter will continue collecting data past Pluto into the Kuiper Belt until it can no longer receive information.
The team of students dedicated 20 hours a week to their project during the school year and 40 hours a week during the summer, and worked overnight and on weekends much of that time. They spent two years on the project before delivering it to NASA in Cape Canaveral, Fla. for integration into the spacecraft.
Originally from Fort Smith, Ark., Bryant came to Hendrix as a participant in the dual-degree program. Essentially, the program allowed her to, after three years at Hendrix, attend Washington University for two years in order to complete her bachelor's degree in engineering. From there, she went to UC-Boulder in the fall of 2002 to begin working toward her master's degree in aerospace engineering, where she started working on the NASA project.
Physics professor Dr. Ann Wright remembers Bryant as a student who not only got the experience needed, but as one who always had strong potential.
"Chelsey was a very good student and pleasant to be around," Wright said. "She also worked well in small groups of students, which definitely contributed to her ability to work on the [NASA] project, since teamwork is a major factor."
Hendrix alumni Chelsey Bryant '01 is part of the team of about 15 students at the University of Colorado at Boulder that developed the Student Dust Counter, which will map the dust density of the solar system from Earth to Pluto, as well as beyond into the Kuiper Belt, an area of the solar system within the orbit of Neptune that contains many asteroids. With a total of six instruments aboard, New Horizons will collect measurements of atmospheric density as well as photographic data. It will take nine years for the spacecraft to reach Pluto, but the dust counter will continue collecting data past Pluto into the Kuiper Belt until it can no longer receive information.
The team of students dedicated 20 hours a week to their project during the school year and 40 hours a week during the summer, and worked overnight and on weekends much of that time. They spent two years on the project before delivering it to NASA in Cape Canaveral, Fla. for integration into the spacecraft.
Originally from Fort Smith, Ark., Bryant came to Hendrix as a participant in the dual-degree program. Essentially, the program allowed her to, after three years at Hendrix, attend Washington University for two years in order to complete her bachelor's degree in engineering. From there, she went to UC-Boulder in the fall of 2002 to begin working toward her master's degree in aerospace engineering, where she started working on the NASA project.
Physics professor Dr. Ann Wright remembers Bryant as a student who not only got the experience needed, but as one who always had strong potential.
"Chelsey was a very good student and pleasant to be around," Wright said. "She also worked well in small groups of students, which definitely contributed to her ability to work on the [NASA] project, since teamwork is a major factor."