AISD Students Partnering With Nanoracks to Develop Flight Hardware for Mars Demo 1

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Students from several Aldine ISD schools are receiving an opportunity of a lifetime thanks to a partnership with Nanoracks, a leading provider of commercial space services.

A group of Aldine ISD students is partnering with Nanoracks, a commercial space service provider, to develop flight hardware for the Mars Demo-1, scheduled to take off in June. Pictured are (l-r): Justice Abu-Sanu, Jalen Walker, Carver High Assistant Principal James Schattle, Carver High School Principal Pertricia Ross, Lillian Prier, Carver High teacher Donald Prier and Jordan Nelson.

The students, who hail from Carver High School, Davis High School, Eisenhower High School, and Nimitz High School, are teaming up to develop flight hardware for the Mars Demo 1, Nanoracks’ first in-space Outpost demonstration mission.

According to Nanoracks Project Manager Monikka Mann, the materials will not fly in space. Still, the students’ work will play a key role in the company qualifying its designs, so they are ready to fly in space.

The students are building and operating a self-contained platform that will demonstrate the robotic cutting of second stage representative tank material on-orbit. This test will be the first of its kind to demonstrate the future ability to convert spent rocket upper stages in orbit into commercial habitats.

The partnership was developed by Carver High teacher Donald Prier and Mann, who are married. Prier previously worked in the Aerospace industry, and the two discussed AISD students developing a partnership with Nanoracks to work on the project.

“The kids have been doing a really great job,” Prier said, who is also being assisted by fellow Carver High teachers Landy Fair and Timothy Lewis. “They are becoming great designers.”

The students working on the project are Nelson Jordan, Lillian Prier, Quincy Kemany, Justice Abu-Sanu, Keylor Arreita, Yahir Aram, Carlos Vasquez, Kristopher Freeman, Santiago Ramirez, and Dianna Torres.

The students are working on the Carver project and presented an update to Mann on Jan. 21 and will do a final presentation in the next few months once the project is completed. The Mars Demo-1 is scheduled for liftoff sometime in June.

Mann said she has enjoyed working with the AISD students and hopes the experience inspires some of them to think about engineering careers.

“Providing real-world experience to students can change their future, provide them opportunities they have never dreamed of, and show them why working in the Aerospace industry is such an exciting career path.”

The students are enjoying working on the project and have learned much about teamwork.

“It is a lot of fun,” Lillian Prier said. “It’s a very amazing experience. This is an important milestone in my life. It feels good to say one day that I was part of something that went into space.”

Jordan Nelson said he enjoys working with his fellow students and working as a team.

“I like the unity and working together,” he said. “This project has taught me a lot about patience as well. We’ve been working on this project since November.”

Donald Prier said he and his fellow teachers have enjoyed watching their students grow as they have worked on the project.

“These students are learning that there is an overlap between different disciplines when it comes to engineering projects,” he said. “Our civil engineering and design kids will all have an opportunity to contribute to the project, and more importantly, learn from it during class here on campus. It is important to present real-world problems in the activities that they do daily, and this is a good project because it requires them to use their newly learned design skills.”