A Sponsored Student Space Science Competition in Hokkaido for Suborbital Payload Flights in the XP Spaceplane
- Paper number
IAC-08.E1.3.102
- Author
Mr. Charles Lauer, Rocketplane Global, Inc., United States
- Coauthor
Ms. Misuzu Onuki, Space Frontier Foundation, Japan
- Year
2008
- Abstract
Rocketplane Global (RpG) is one of the leading new suborbital spaceplane development and operations companies, based in Oklahoma City, OK. The XP spaceplane is a horizontal takeoff and landing vehicle which uses conventional afterburning turbojets for takeoff and landing operations and a LOX / kerosene rocket engine for the ascent to space. The home base for RpG is the Oklahoma Spaceport, which has been developed by the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA) from a former USAF B-52 Strategic Air Command base in western Oklahoma. RpG has also initiated a collaboration with the Hokkaido Aerospace Science Technology Incubation Center (HASTIC) for development of a secondary spaceport in Hokkaido Japan in the Tokachi District. The XP flight test program will begin in 2010. A total of 50 flights are planned in the test program, with at least 10 of these flights being full duration suborbital flights that will provide a minimum of three minutes of high quality microgravity. FAA AST regulations preclude carrying any paying passengers or payloads during the flight test program; however the vehicle must fly at full payload flight weight in order provide accurate test data. A unique opportunity for education and outreach activity is thus created through the flight of student space science experiments during the flight test program. The experiments will be contained in standard ISS mid-deck lockers carried in a newly developed experiment rack structure developed by NASA Kennedy Space Center. This FastRack system will be mounted in the XP cabin in place of the passenger seats. Depending on payload weight, 8 to 12 locker experiments can be carried on each flight. As part of RpG’s collaboration with HASTIC, a student science experiment from Hokkaido will be carried on a suborbital test flight, along with other test payloads from Japan. HASTIC has organized a regional student science competition in cooperation with the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, and received over 100 applications for student payloads from junior high and high school students. This paper will describe the methods and results of the HASTIC Student Science Competition in Hokkaido and the public outreach and educational benefits to all parties that have resulted from this collaboration.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.E1.3.102.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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