NDSGC Solar Eclipse Team Information
What: The North Dakota Space Grant Consortium is participating in the National Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP)
UPCOMING EVENTS:
- The next meeting will be held sometime in March 2023 at UND. All are welcome, even if you didn’t attend the first info session.
PAST EVENTS:
- An info session was held Wednesday, February 15, 2023
- Download the info session flyer here
- Watch the Zoom recording here
Lead Facilitators/Sponsors:
- NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and NASA Space Grant is providing $6.5 million for these efforts
- Lead: MTSGC, with other co-lead Space Grants across the country. The NDSGC will fund ND’s involvement.
- Check out the eclipse.montana.edu website!
- View the tentative timeline
Goals:
- ~55 teams nationwide will launch high altitude balloons during the 2023 annual eclipse and 2024 solar eclipse.
- There are two tracks: Engineering and Atmospheric Science. The NDSGC will pursue the Atmospheric Science track.
DEIA:
- The NDSGC and the national network are focusing on increasing DEIA efforts as we prepare these eclipse missions. This includes involving more MSIs, early-career faculty, and non-research institution participation.
- The NDSGC team will collaborate with the ND Vision Services/School for the Blind during late spring STEM engagement events.
Timeline:
- Fall 2022
- NDSGC will submit a proposal to the national organizers, due October 2022
- Recruitment! Team proposals due; Teams selected
- Spring 2023
- Students start participating
- Summer 2023
- In-person student launches; Regional meetings
- Fall 2023
- In-person student launches
- October 14th launch!
- Spring 2024
- April 8th launch!
- 2024-2025-Beyond
- Data analysis, conferences, publishing, etc.
Students
- All majors and experience levels welcome
- Numerous student roles may include: technical leads (atmospheric science, etc.), communications roles (social media, photography, STEM engagement), event logistics (managing timelines, lodging, travel support, etc.), risk management (safety officer, risk analysis, etc.), and more!
Staff/Faculty Mentors
- Depending on the location of the sub-teams, mentors may need to lead practice launches without the NDSGC core team present (We’ll do our best to hold group-wide practices!)
- Mentors must be early-career professionals.
Faculty/staff mentors:
- Dr. Jared Marquis: jared.marquis@und.edu
- (no longer at UND, but) Dr. Marissa Saad is serving on NEBP’s Leadership Team