A Space X launch from Cape Kennedy on Saturday will carry two payloads with ties to UCF.
University of Central Florida Physics professor Joshua Colwell and alumnus Jason Dunn will both have their experiments travelling aboard a Space X rocket when it takes off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Saturday and heads to the International Space Station.
Colwell’s experiment will look at slow-speed collisions of dust, which aren’t possible to create in Earth’s gravity, in order to better understand the conditions that lead to the formation of the building blocks of planets.
Colwell, who is also assistant director of the Florida Space Institute, studies the origin of the solar system, including the early stages of planets, Saturn’s rings, and the evolution of comets and asteroids.
His experiment was chosen two years ago.
Engineering alumnus Jason Dunn’s developed an experimental 3-D printer for space that would cut down on resupply missions and would be the first time something is manufactured off the planet. The printer could make replacement parts and other items needed, reducing the need for hauling expensive parts and materials aboard spacecraft.
Dunn’s vision for the printer is to produce whatever is needed for space operations in space via the printer.
The aerospace engineer interned at Kennedy Space Center and co-founded the company Made in Space, which is now based in NASA Ames Research Park at Moffett Field, Calif.
Both experiments were selected as part of NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program.
