MSU Texas team chosen to compete in NASA challenge
The Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students — NASA SUITS — is a design challenge in which college students nationwide help design user interface solutions for future spaceflight needs.
The MSU Texas team, Team Selene, submitted a project proposal to NASA to develop and test an interface for a space suit and an interface for the lunar rover.
The announcement was made by NASA with a video. Students held a watch party and were excited to hear Team Selene announced along with teams from Columbia, Purdue, Indiana State, Brown and Rice universities, the University of Michigan, and the University of Texas at Austin.
Team Selene members include Zachary Barrentine, Rykir Evans, Zachary Lewis, Kerry Manolagas, Ryan Mathews, Mierhamza Sly Rahimi, Adrian Robledo and Jack Tsui. Robledo is the team leader. Kyle Garcia, Jarett Green, Victoria Heredia, Carlos Polanco and Ethan Saenz are alternates.
'It's truly surreal and an incredible honor to have been selected among so many universities,' Robledo said in the media release. 'Knowing that we're going up against such big schools is both exciting and intimidating, but it also fuels our determination. I feel proud to represent our institution on this stage, and I can't wait to rise to the challenge.'
The MSU Texas team is paired with Team Space from the University of California, Irvine.
Faculty adviser Tina Johnson, professor of computer science, said that UC Irvine will work on the spacesuit display, and Team Selene will work on the rover interface.
'The students will work on the project throughout the spring semester and then travel to Johnson Space Center in Houston May 18-22 for testing," Johnson said in the media release.
Testing for the lunar mission will be at night at the Johnson Space Center rock yard to simulate the low lighting levels at the lunar south pole.
The team received an intramural grant through the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research at MSU Texas to fund equipment purchases and the travel to NASA in May.
'The Department of Computer Science is proud to be represented by Team Selene in the NASA SUITS challenge. Given the importance of the project, it should be something to celebrate as these types of accomplishments set MSU Texas apart from other small colleges," Johnson said.
"This remarkable achievement highlights not only the talent and hard work of our students but also the strength of our university's STEM programs," she said. "Despite being a smaller institution, our team's success in this competitive challenge emphasizes that size does not define impact — passion and dedication do.'
NASA's Artemis missions seek to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon and build a sustained human presence on the moon and ultimately, Mars. This is the eighth year of the SUITS program.
More: Former Wichita Falls city manager lands new job
More: Wichita Falls fire chief among those leaving city's staff
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: MSU Texas team chosen to compete in NASA challenge
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Northern lights could be visible in more than a dozen US states tonight
Another dazzling display of northern lights could be visible Monday night with the prediction of a minor geomagnetic storm, according to space weather experts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center has forecasted a minor geomagnetic storm that could produce auroras in more than a dozen U.S. states. MORE: NASA to launch 2 new satellites that will help forecast solar storms People in states like Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine could see the northern lights, according to NOAA's aurora viewline map. Some of the northernmost states could witness more displays on Tuesday night, the map shows. The auroras could appear especially vibrant due to the current phase of the moon. This week, the moon is expected to rise in the early morning hours, which will make the night sky appear even darker. Streaks of pinks and greens may be more visible against the dark canvas. MORE: How to increase your chances of seeing the northern lights as the current solar cycle peaks The best times to see the northern lights in the U.S. will be between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., according to NOAA. Northern lights occur when atoms and molecules in Earth's atmosphere clash with a solar flare, which causes the atoms in the upper atmosphere to glow, creating a spectrum of color in the night sky. In October, the sun's magnetic field reached the solar maximum phase in its 11-year cycle, according to NASA. The increase in number of sunspots and intensity of magnetic activity from the sun has led to more northern lights activity over the past year. Sunspots with intense magnetic activity are expected to last through 2026, according to NOAA. MORE: This is when peak northern lights activity will occur The Space Weather Prediction Center recommends traveling away from city lights and traveling to the darkest location possible for the best viewing. Smartphones and digital cameras may be able to capture the light shows even if they are not visible to the naked eye because they are more sensitive to the array of colors, according to NASA. The citizen science platform Aurorasaurus allows users to sign up for alerts of northern lights that are being seen in real time, based on user reports.
an hour ago
Northern lights could be visible in more than a dozen US states tonight
Another dazzling display of northern lights could be visible Monday night with the prediction of a minor geomagnetic storm, according to space weather experts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center has forecasted a minor geomagnetic storm that could produce auroras in more than a dozen U.S. states. People in states like Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine could see the northern lights, according to NOAA's aurora viewline map. Some of the northernmost states could witness more displays on Tuesday night, the map shows. The auroras could appear especially vibrant due to the current phase of the moon. This week, the moon is expected to rise in the early morning hours, which will make the night sky appear even darker. Streaks of pinks and greens may be more visible against the dark canvas. The best times to see the northern lights in the U.S. will be between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., according to NOAA. Northern lights occur when atoms and molecules in Earth's atmosphere clash with a solar flare, which causes the atoms in the upper atmosphere to glow, creating a spectrum of color in the night sky. In October, the sun's magnetic field reached the solar maximum phase in its 11-year cycle, according to NASA. The increase in number of sunspots and intensity of magnetic activity from the sun has led to more northern lights activity over the past year. Sunspots with intense magnetic activity are expected to last through 2026, according to NOAA. The Space Weather Prediction Center recommends traveling away from city lights and traveling to the darkest location possible for the best viewing. Smartphones and digital cameras may be able to capture the light shows even if they are not visible to the naked eye because they are more sensitive to the array of colors, according to NASA. The citizen science platform Aurorasaurus allows users to sign up for alerts of northern lights that are being seen in real time, based on user reports.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
ISS National Lab and NASA to Highlight R&D on Next Cargo Mission to Space Station
Register for the August 18 webinar featuring tissue engineering research, technology for data processing in space, and a project studying bone loss KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., Aug. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory and NASA will host a webinar to discuss research launching on SpaceX's 33rd commercial resupply services mission for NASA. The webinar will showcase some of the exciting science sponsored by the ISS National Lab and NASA—from studies that could lead to new treatments for heart disease, neurodegenerative conditions, and bone loss to research testing valuable new capabilities for in-orbit data processing. These projects benefit humanity and drive a sustainable market economy in low Earth orbit (LEO). The webinar is scheduled for Monday, August 18, 2025, at 1 p.m. EDT. Media who would like to participate must register for Zoom access no later than one hour in advance. The general public may watch the webinar through the ISS National Lab livestream channel. Those who have questions for panelists can submit them before or during the webinar utilizing #askNASA. During the webinar, Michael Roberts, chief scientific officer for the ISS National Lab, and Heidi Parris, associate program scientist for NASA's International Space Station Program, will provide general insights and updates. Speakers will then join them to highlight specific research projects on this mission: Liver Tissue in Space: Anthony Atala, director for the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine, will discuss a project to study engineered liver tissue containing blood vessels in microgravity. Results from the project, which was part of NASA's Vascular Tissue Challenge, could lead to new regenerative therapies for patients on Earth and, eventually, to the production of human tissues in space for organ transplants. Orbital Data Center: Tony James, chief architect for science and space at Red Hat, will discuss a project in collaboration with Axiom Space that seeks to increase in-orbit data storage and edge-processing capabilities with the Red Hat Device Edge platform. These capabilities would enable near real-time analytics to support scalable expansion and iteration of experiments while they operate in space—which will be paramount to scaling R&D and manufacturing on future space platforms. Microgravity-Induced Bone Loss: Abba Zubair, medical director and scientist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, will discuss an investigation to assess the effects of microgravity on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. These bone-forming cells are known to play a role in creating and repairing skeletal tissues. This investigation could provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind bone loss that occurs during long-duration spaceflight and from normal aging on Earth. Stem Cell Manufacturing in Microgravity: Arun Sharma, director of the Center for Space Medicine Research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, will discuss the team's latest stem cell research. The project aims to determine whether human induced pluripotent stem cells grow faster in microgravity, resulting in a larger number of cells for therapies to treat conditions like heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and more. Following the webinar, a recording will be available on the ISS National Lab YouTube channel. Additional information about investigations launching on this mission will be made available in the coming days on our launch page. The mission is slated to launch no earlier than 3:55 a.m. EDT on Thursday, August 21, 2025, from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Join us to learn more about the exciting investigations heading to the space station to advance science and benefit humanity. For more information about ISS National Lab-sponsored science and its impact on Earth, visit our website. Download a high-resolution image for this release: NASA's SpaceX CRS-31 in 2024 About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory:The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Laboratory® allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve quality of life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology, and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space® (CASIS®) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative Agreement with NASA, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit our website. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CASIS accepts corporate and individual donations to help advance science in space for the benefit of humanity. For more information, visit our donations page. Media Contact: Patrick O'Neill904-806-0035PONeill@ International Space Station (ISS) National LaboratoryManaged by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space® (CASIS®) 1005 Viera Blvd., Suite 101, Rockledge, FL 32955 • 321.253.5101 • original content to download multimedia: SOURCE International Space Station National Lab
