We are America’s Space University. And we celebrate 91�Թ��� Space Week to honor our origin as we dare to build what’s next.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

at 91�Թ��� extends far beyond a single discipline.

91�Թ��� students can choose from numerous space-related programs spanning business, engineering, hospitality, medicine, planetary science, optics and policy — preparing them for in-demand careers across the space sector.

Joining a space-focused student organization can strengthen your skills, connect you with like-minded peers and offer opportunities to turn your studies into real-world work.

Learn more about some of these groups and how to get involved.

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Who they are: 91�Թ���’s chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a technical society dedicated to the aerospace profession, welcomes students of all experience levels and academic disciplines. It boasts nearly 400 active members, with many  studying aerospace, mechanical or electrical engineering or computer science.

Ways to get involved: AIAA@91�Թ��� sponsors industry tours, guest speakers, professional development events, socials and creative engineering projects. One is a multi-year effort in partnership with SEDS and Seagate Space to engineer the first sea-based launch by university students in the nation.

How to find them: Join the to stay up to date with announcements and general information, or follow on Instagram.

Astronomy Society

Who they are: The Astronomy Society is dedicated to cultivating a deep appreciation for space while providing valuable opportunities for students aspiring to build careers in astronomy.

Ways to get involved: Members can participate in resume workshops, physics conferences, space-themed social meet-ups, and telescope operation training, and help organize or attend Knights Under the Stars stargazing events at Robinson Observatory on 91�Թ���’s main campus.

How to find them: Attend a general board meeting, follow on Instagram or join the .

Knights Experimental Rocketry

Who they are: Knights Experimental Rocketry designs and builds experimental rockets and payloads for collegiate competitions.

Ways to get involved: Students can get involved in a wide range of projects, from designing and building rockets, developing liquid rocket propulsion systems, and researching and testing electric thrusters.

How to find them: Join the follow on Instagram or visit .

Knights Satellite Club

Who they are: Knights Satellite Club is 91�Թ���’s center for satellite and space systems development. Students can join with little to no satellite experience and gain  engineering skills through low-cost projects that introduce them to spaceflight hardware, integration, testing, communications, recovery, and systems engineering.

Ways to get involved: Members can join progressively more challenging projects as their experience, skills and knowledge develop. Weekly committee meetings also welcome members with interests beyond engineering and science, including fundraising, event management and public relations.

How to find them: Find the latest information at .

Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)

Who they are: SEDS empowers members to make an impact in space exploration through an interdisciplinary community spanning engineering, biology, economics, history, photography and more.

Ways to get involved: Attend speaker series, social events like space-movie viewings, professional workshops, rocketry tutorials and tours of space-industry companies. Members can also take part in research projects ranging from agriculture in simulated Martian regolith and space economics to solving space exploration challenges for NASA.

How to find them: �վ������� , stay up to date  through the or follow on Instagram.

We are America’s Space University. And we celebrate 91�Թ��� Space Week to honor our origin as we dare to build what’s next.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

Since 91�Թ��� first held classes on Oct. 7, 1968, we have always been driven by an ambitious charge: “Reach for the stars.” The first moon landing followed in 1969. Decades later, 91�Թ��� keeps reaching as that founding mission lives on in the Knights developing the talent, discoveries and technologies taking humanity deeper into space — and transforming life here on Earth.

Before 91�Թ��� had a single classroom, we had a mission: provide the talent to help humanity reach the moon.

91�Թ���, America’s Space University, was built for the Space Age. We have spent every decade since building what’s next.

This year’s Mission X Space Game celebrates that momentum during a year of milestones: the 10th anniversary of 91�Թ���’s Space Game, the 20th season of the university’s on-campus football stadium, the 30th anniversary of 91�Թ��� football’s rise to the highest division of collegiate athletics and the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Together, these milestones offer a chance to reflect on how far 91�Թ��� has come — and look toward where Knights are headed next.

Across six decades, every breakthrough has built on what came before. The goalposts have moved from reaching the moon to sustaining life beyond it. New fields have joined the mission. Once-distant ideas have become experiments, breakthroughs and careers powered by Knights.

The moments that follow trace those threads across generations: then, the bold moves that launched 91�Թ���’s space legacy; now, the people and possibilities building on that foundation to push exploration even further.

1960s | Building the Space Workforce

1963: Florida Technological University, now 91�Թ���, is founded to provide talent for the growing space industry as the United States is challenged with landing a man on the moon before 1970.

Today: 91�Թ��� is the No. 1 supplier of graduates to the nation’s aerospace and defense industries by Aviation Week. That impact is especially visible along Florida’s Space Coast, where 29% of Kennedy Space Center employees are 91�Թ��� graduates.

1968: Classes begin across 91�Թ���’s original five colleges, with aerospace sciences among the university’s earliest degree programs.

Today: Space at 91�Թ��� extends far beyond a single discipline. Students can choose from more than 35 space-related programs spanning business, engineering, hospitality, medicine, planetary science, optics and policy — preparing them for in-demand careers across the space sector.

1968: 91�Թ��� receives its first research grant — $12,500 from NASA — establishing an early connection between the university and the agency.

Today: 91�Թ��� has received $204 million in NASA awards since 1991, supporting work that advances planetary exploration, propulsion, space medicine, technologies and more. This underscores the strong decades-long collaboration between the university and the agency.

1970s | Connecting Education to Industry

1971: NASA employs 18 students through 91�Թ���’s Co-Operative Education initiative, which leverages the university’s metropolitan location to let students alternate quarters of study with off-campus work in their academic fields.

Today: 91�Թ��� students are conducting hands-on research alongside Johnson Space Center astronauts and testing technology on the world’s largest simulated lunar surface.

These experiences strengthen students’ resumes while giving them workforce-ready skills and professional connections to step directly into the fast-growing space industry — and start contributing immediately.

1980s | Developing the Foundation of Space Medicine

1985: As rockets soared off Florida’s Space Coast for NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, 91�Թ��� students were already exploring spaceflight’s impact on people. A group of 91�Թ��� health sciences graduate students, including respiratory health alum Charles Gutierrez ’82 ’85MS, conducted experiments in labs on campus and on a field used as a makeshift launch site to understand how rockets impact heart and lung health. The research, published in The Physiologist, reflects 91�Թ���’s spirit of turning curiosity into action.

Today: Reaching farther into space requires an understanding of how humans will live, work and stay healthy there. As the closest medical school to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, 91�Թ��� established the Led by Emmanuel Urquieta, vice chair of aerospace medicine and associate professor of medicine, the center brings together 91�Թ��� experts across disciplines to lead research and develop technologies that will help humans prepare for longer missions to the moon, Mars and beyond. Urquieta also leads .

1990s | Creating a Place for Space

1990: 91�Թ��� establishes the Space Education and Research Center, which later becomes the . The institute is a hub for space research, education and technology development connected to Florida’s space industry.

Today: FSI research ranges from studying the Earth’s upper atmosphere to the origin of the planets to propulsion technologies for aerospace vehicles. Through research, operations oversight and educational programs, the institute continues to position Florida as a global leader in the space industry and contributes to the state’s economic development.

Among its facilities is the , home to the world’s largest simulated lunar surface. Filled with 240,000 pounds of simulated lunar soil, the lab’s Lunar Highland Regolith Test Bin lets researchers, students and space organizations test how rovers, tools and other technologies perform on a moonlike surface.

1996: Robinson Observatory opens on 91�Թ���’s main campus, providing students and faculty a place to study planetary systems, asteroids and more. By 2004, it housed what the Orlando Sentinel described as the largest telescope in the Southeast open to the public.

Today: 91�Թ��� researchers use observations from some of the world’s most powerful telescopes, including NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, to investigate comets, asteroids, and the origins and evolution of our solar system.

2000s | Entering the Space Renaissance

2009: Engineering alum Nicole Stott ’92MS launches aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, becoming the first 91�Թ��� graduate to fly aboard a NASA shuttle and live on the International Space Station.

Today: 91�Թ��� is preparing students not only to travel to space, but also to build the industries, policies and experiences surrounding it.

Through the Barry S. Miller College of Business, students can earn the nation’s first fully online MBA in space commercialization. A Space Policy and Management course in the College of Community Innovation and Education examines the decisions and administrative mechanisms that help power the space industry. Students can help imagine the future of dining and hospitality in spaceports, shuttles and orbital hotels at the , a global leader in hospitality and tourism education.

2010s | Return to Liftoff

2017: Invigorated by a new uniform line and excitement around the hiring of Scott Frost as head coach in 2016, 91�Թ��� Athletics decides to debut the Space Game — an idea conceptualized three years prior by 91�Թ��� Athletics’ brand experience department.

“It’s a unique part of the 91�Թ��� story that it was too good of an opportunity not to use the athletics platform to amplify,” Jimmy Skiles ’06 said in a 2022 article about the origin of the Space Game.

Today: The annual Space Game — which has crossed over into 91�Թ���’s other sports — has grown into a spectacular, fan favorite event that promotes our talented people, the revolutionary work done here and has laid the groundwork for what has become 91�Թ��� Space Week.

2019: 91�Թ��� sends five research projects into space with SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic flights after launch activity resumes in full force following the conclusion of the Space Shuttle program in 2011.

Today: 91�Թ��� has worked with NASA on almost 600 projects since the 1990s, including the Lunar-VISE mission led by Associate Professor Kerri Donaldson Hanna and Department of Physics Chair Adrienne Dove. The $35 million project will land a spacecraft on a part of the moon never visited before: the Gruithuisen Domes.

2020s and Beyond

The next era of space exploration is already taking shape — and 91�Թ��� is helping lead it.

NASA is targeting 2028 for the first crewed Artemis lunar landing. At the same time, commercial launches are accelerating — with the White House aiming to enable over 1,000 launches and reentries on American soil annually by 2030 — new markets are emerging, and the demand for space-ready talent and technology continues to grow. Our future on Earth will be shaped by our future advancements in space, and 91�Թ��� will be an influential driver of that progress.

As the next phase of space exploration, launched in October 2024 as a first-of-its-kind partnership with the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, providing a centralized, physical space to advance hypersonic technology.

In May 2027, Knights from Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics aim to launch a rocket from sea through a partnership with Seagate. The ambitious effort aims to be to first sea-based launch by university students in the nation — an example of how we continue to forge a path forward for space exploration.

91�Թ��� is also helping connect Florida’s universities, NASA and industry through the Florida University Space Research Consortium. The partnership creates new paths for shared space research, technology development and workforce preparation tied to Kennedy Space Center — strengthening Florida’s ability to lead the United States’ future space efforts.

Six decades in, 91�Թ���’s space legacy is still being written — in classrooms, labs and places we are determined to reach.

Some of 91�Թ���’s space experts will be on hand to help participants catch the best lunar views from campus. The event will be held 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21, weather permitting. That is before the night sky is the darkest, but you can still see the moon, says 91�Թ��� College of Sciences Assistant Professor of Physics Adrienne “Addie” Dove.

Dove and Professor of Physics Yan Fernandez will be in attendance sharing insight on their research related to the moon, including NASA’s Lunar-VISE mission, which will be exploring a region of the moon to identify minerals and chemical resources.

91�Թ��� Libraries and a few student organizations will have booths and activities for attendees to learn more about astronomy and physics — from meteorites to water rockets and exploring moon craters. Attendees can also learn about the moon as they collect stamps for a lunar passport at each of the space stations, staffed by 91�Թ��� planetary scientists, science librarian and members of the university’s Astronomy Society.

Help 91�Թ��� continue to provide stellar experiences for students and the Central Florida community by .

Sponsored by 91�Թ���’s , Observe the Moon Knight is just one of many events hosted by Robinson Observatory and the student-run Astronomy Society.

91�Թ��� is known as SpaceU since it was founded in 1963 to develop science and talent in support of space research. The university continues its strong tradition of “reaching for the stars” — from producing its own simulated Martian soil to more than a dozen projects aimed at getting people back on the moon safely, many of which directly support NASA’s Artemis program. In fact, nearly 30% of Kennedy Space Center employes graduated from 91�Թ���. More than a dozen 91�Թ��� researchers have asteroids named after them, and 91�Թ��� has a planet named in its honor.

Honoring 91�Թ���’s long-standing history of work with space industry carries into 91�Թ��� athletic programs with themed Space Games that first launched with football in 2016. On Oct. 18, the No. 2 91�Թ��� men’s soccer plays its Space Game against Coastal Carolina. Women’s soccer and volleyball have also played Space Games this year.

On Nov. 11, 91�Թ��� football will play its seventh annual Space Game, with Oklahoma State as this year’s opponent. 91�Թ���’s 50-yard line at the FBC Mortgage Stadium lines up on the exact latitude as Launch Complex 39A, NASA’s most historic launch pad, located about 35 miles east of the university.

The moniker applies to the Christian description of the “Bethlehem” or “Christmas Star” that was said to have appeared in the night sky at the birth of Jesus Christ. But for the moment it refers to the lining up of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, which from Earth’s perspective will appear almost like one very bright star on Monday, Dec. 21.

“It’s pretty rare for Jupiter and Saturn to get as close as that in the sky. Every 20 years they are sort-of close when Jupiter passes Saturn in the sky, but every so often at one of those passages they get really close, like what’ll happen on Monday,” says Yan Fernandez, a professor of physics and astronomy at 91�Թ��� and director of the .

The gap between Jupiter and Saturn on Monday evening will be just a fraction of the width of the full moon. The planets won’t blend into one, but they will come close enough to make for a spectacular view, either with the naked-eye or through binoculars or a telescope. You will need to look low in the southwestern part of the sky soon after sunset to catch the pair.

Fernandez says December is already a great month for stargazing. The Geminid meteor shower arrived last week, Mars tops the sky all month, and the famous winter constellations –  such as Orion, Taurus, and Canis Major – with their many bright stars are spread across the eastern sky in the evening.

The Geminid meteor shower occur every December, but it peaked in the wee hours of Dec. 13-14 this year. This is when meteors dance across the sky and appear like white fast streaks of light originating from a common place in the sky, in this case the constellation Gemini. During its peak you can observe up to 50 meteors per hour, assuming there are no clouds and the light pollution is minimal. Even those without a telescope or binoculars can see these meteors, and in fact optical aids are pretty much useless because the meteors appear so quickly and in any part of the sky.

Mars also appears as a bright orange light all month long. It is high overhead soon after sunset and is one of the brightest objects in the night sky right now. And it will be a fixture of our evening sky for months to come.

If you live in an area that has just too much light pollution, you can also check out pictures online. One of the images you’ll find on the is that of the unusual centaur P/2019 LD2 (ATLAS), also known as LD2. A centaur is a solar system object that behaves like a comet and an asteroid. Centaurs are fast-moving icy objects with unstable orbits found between Jupiter and Neptune.

A team of 91�Թ��� researchers is responsible for capturing the image and publishing a journal article about it, which was featured in The New York Times earlier this month. The image captures the centaur during its transition to a comet.

The 91�Թ��� team members include Fernandez, as well as Florida Space Institute post-doctoral researcher Charles Schambeau and Planetary Scientist Maria Womack.

The free event culminates a week of activities at 91�Թ��� leading to the celebration of International Observe the Moon Night. Across the world, organizations big and small are providing similar opportunities to view space.

Faculty and students from 91�Թ���’s Robinson Observatory, 91�Թ��� Libraries, the Department of Physics and the Astronomy Society will be on site to help attendees with the telescopes, identify what they see through the lens, and share their passion for space science and research. Not only will visitors get a zoomed-in view of the moon, but they can sneak a peek at Saturn’s rings and the moons of Jupiter.

“The goal of the international celebration is to share the wonder of astronomy with youngsters and potentially inspire a new generation of space explorers with STEM degrees,” said Yan Fernandez, a 91�Թ��� physics professor and director of the Robinson Observatory on campus.

Physics Assistant Professor Adrienne Dove says the night is one of her favorites.

“Each year our moon night gets better and better,” she says. “For the past few years we’ve partnered with 91�Թ��� Libraries to expand our outreach with cool hands-on activities and lectures. Our Lunar Knights club and Students for the Exploration and Development of Space group participate, too. Our goal through all these activities and the amazing night of moon viewing is to raise awareness about space sciences and to inspire students and the community to pursue and support science.”

Among this week’s free activities at the library:

• Wednesday, Oct. 2, noon to 2 p.m.: Make your own moon-phase calendar and check out meteorites.

• Thursday, Oct. 3, 3:30-4:30 p.m.: “Looking Forward to the Moon” a talk by Assistant Professor Kerri Donaldson Hanna, who is working on multiple NASA lunar missions.

Weather is always a threat and if rains or there is a strong potential for rain, the event will be canceled and rescheduled. For weather updates, follow the Robinson Observatory on or .

If unable to make it Saturday, keep an eye on the Robinson Observatory website for future events.

“That’s something that won’t happen again here until May 2022,” says Yan Fernandez, a professor and director of 91�Թ���’s Robinson Observatory. “It’s a pretty cool event regardless. This particular eclipse also happens to occur when the moon is at its closest to the Earth, which some people call a ‘super moon.’ The total eclipse itself gets called a ‘blood moon’ since it’s casting that reddish hue while in Earth’s shadow. And because it is happening in January, the Farmers’ Almanac calls it a ‘wolf moon.’ But whatever you call it, watching the moon change color as it creeps its way through the shadow is a terrific sight.”

“[The total lunar eclipse] is something that won’t happen again here until May 2022.” – Yan Fernandez, director of 91�Թ���’s Robinson Observatory

The observatory, the library, and the student-run Astronomy Society are hosting the free public event on the main campus to give the community an opportunity to take it all in.  Telescopes and volunteers will be ready to help the public find the best view of the moon and answer questions.

In addition, there will be one telescope set up with a camera feed that will be projected on a screen so experts can share specific features of the moon with the public. Weather permitting, other planets or star systems may be visible as well.

The eclipse totality is expected to last from 11:45 p.m. Sunday to 12:45 a.m. Monday. Weather permitting, volunteers will be on hand from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. The eclipse begins about 11:30 p.m.

For weather updates, follow the observatory on or . If you’re unable to make it to this event, keep an eye on the Robinson Observatory website for more upcoming events.

To help get you ready for the event, the John C. Hitt Library on the main campus will host two activities on Thursday, Jan. 17. From noon to 3 p.m. the public can visit the main floor of the library and visit a craft table to create a moon-phase calendar, which helps track the phases of the moon. Then at 3:30 p.m., join Assistant Professor Adrienne Dove, who will present “New Insights into an Old Moon.” The one-hour talk will be held in Room 223. For more information about these events .

91�Թ���’s Robinson Observatory will host International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday, Oct. 20, in front of the Reflecting Pond. Started in 2010 by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission office, this annual event invites communities to celebrate lunar science and exploration.

Adrienne Dove, an assistant professor in the physics department, hosted the event as a graduate student at her previous institution before bringing it to the 91�Թ��� campus.

“Part of it is getting people to recognize that we have this big celestial neighbor that is commonly seen in the day and night sky, but many people don’t know much about the science behind it,” she says. “So we are trying to both engage the public in looking at the moon as part of our lives and our history, but also thinking about the cool science that’s being done.”

Telescopes and volunteers will be at the ready to help the public find the best view of the moon. In addition, there will be one telescope set up with a camera feed that will be projected on a screen so experts can share specific features of the moon with the public. With a little luck, Mars and Saturn will be visible as well.

At 91�Թ���, International Observe the Moon Night is just one of many Knights Under the Stars events hosted by Robinson Observatory and the student-run Astronomy Society.

“We couldn’t run public events without the Astronomy Society’s students. They’re super helpful and very enthusiastic. Plus it’s a great learning opportunity for them,” says Yan Fernandez, the director of Robinson Observatory.

Students and the community can watch the moon through powerful telescopes this Saturday at 91�Թ���.

The event serves as an opportunity for student-volunteers to develop public engagement and science communications skills.

Beyond having experts on hand to guide the public to the best lunar views, the library and a number of clubs will be on hand hosting booths and activities to engage audiences of all ages. From meteorites to water rockets to exploring moon craters, there will be lots of opportunities for visitors to learn more about astronomy and physics.

Dove and Fernandez are excited to bring this event to 91�Թ��� for the fifth year, expressing that it is a great way to not only highlight the planetary sciences group and the observatory, but to also bring families and students of all ages to campus to see the research that is being done.

The event will take place from 6:30-9:30 p.m., weather permitting. For weather updates, follow the observatory on or .

It is free and open to the public. If you’re unable to make it to this event, keep an eye on the Robinson Observatory website for more upcoming events, including the 91�Թ��� football team’s Space Game on Nov.  1, and a lunar eclipse next semester.

The event, organized by the 91�Թ��� physics department, Robinson Observatory and student organizations including the Astronomy Society, is being held as part of the worldwide celebration of lunar science and exploration. The 91�Թ��� gathering, led by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Education and Communications team, will be held the day after the annual International Observe the Moon Night because of a Knights football game on Saturday.

Everyone is welcome to participate in the free event that is geared toward getting people excited about the moon, said Adrienne Dove, assistant professor in the physics department, who researches planet formation, microgravity, dusty plasmas and collisions.

“My research is focused on understanding dust on the moon, and how the surface is shaped, and how dust gets everywhere,” Dove said. “I’ve always been fascinated by the moon, which is both our nearest neighbor and the only other planetary surface that humans have visited. It’s actually a really dynamic place.”

To make sure others can see the orb as closely as possible, organizers plan to use a camera and projector to beam images from a telescope onto a large screen. Several other telescopes will be at the venue as well as 91�Թ��� researchers who will speak about lunar science. The Students for the Exploration and Development of Space will have water rockets to launch and the Lunar Knights club will have the mining robot that participants can take for a test drive.

“We just want to see kids, families, students, faculty, staff and the general public come out and enjoy a beautiful evening and learn something they didn’t know about the moon,” Dove said.

The activities will be 6-9 p.m. weather permitting.

For more about Knights Under the Stars events, visit here.

Hurricane Matthew interfered with the originally scheduled event in October, which coincided with International Observe the Moon Night. But organizers wanted to make sure the community had an opportunity to get a close view of the night sky before the university’s winter break. The viewing normally is held at the Robinson Observatory on campus.

If the weather cooperates, the moon, Venus and several other planetary bodies will be visible through the telescopes. Check the group’s Facebook page for weather updates, especially if rain sneaks into the forecast.

The event is just one of the many events the Department of Physics group coordinates. It also hosts a student-run Astronomical Society, weekly seminars, and biweekly “Knights Under the Stars” sky viewings at the observatory, which are open to the public.

Yan Fernandez, director of the observatory and a physics associate professor, said the program’s mission is one of education and outreach to share the wonder of the stars with the world at large.

“I feel like it’s part of the overarching mission of a university to educate people to become better citizens, and that means knowing something about lots and lots of things,” Fernandez said. “Astronomy is well-placed for that because it’s easy – compared to some other sciences – to draw people in thanks to that gee-whiz factor. You can show them pretty pictures from the Hubble Telescope, for example, but then they can come down to the observatory and see these things with their own eyes.”

The Robinson Observatory on the main campus was established in 1995 after members of the Central Florida Astronomical Society discovered a 26-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope in storage in Gainesville, according to the Planetary Sciences Group website. Orlando benefactors Herbert and Susan Robinson helped raise half of the $500,000 necessary to build an observatory to house the telescope, where it resides to this day.

“It’s a good training ground for some of our graduate students,” Fernandez said. “It’s a good place to get a feel for how data collection and experimental methods in astronomy actually work before they get into the professional world.”

“I love looking through telescopes,” said Zoe Landsman, a Ph.D. candidate in planetary sciences who works as a graduate teaching assistant at the observatory.

“Being able to see the rings of Saturn or Jupiter’s moons with my own eyes is amazing, and I love the excitement in other people’s eyes, in the visitors who come to the observatory and see those same things. I enjoy being able to foster that appreciation, especially in the younger generation when they first see these objects magnified and close up.”

It’s that sense of amazement that caught the attention of Jeff Jorges, president of the astronomical society and a senior physics major. He and the club members regularly host events at schools, where they teach elementary and middle school students how to use telescopes and how to identify constellations.

“There’s a social element to the club of people being together and talking about their interests, there’s an outreach element where club members help out at local events and there’s a teaching element where, even if you don’t know anything about astronomy, you can come and have fun and learn something,” Jorges said.

Every year, the society launches a bearing a payload of cameras and sensors into the upper atmosphere. Since the balloon is at the mercy of Earth’s prevailing winds, the team has to examine atmospheric data the day of the launch to determine roughly where their payload will land after descending from heights of around 85,000 feet. This year, the society is attaching a device called Tracksoar that will provide telemetry data such as altitude, pressure and temperature readings while still in flight.

“It’s definitely one of our more popular events,” Jorges said. “We spend nearly a year planning each launch. It’s really rewarding to build something from scratch, to send it up and to retrieve it and have video proof, like seeing the curvature of the Earth, to show for our efforts.”

The 91�Թ��� associate professor of physics is one of the scientists working on the OSIRIS-REx mission, a first-of-its-kind U.S. mission to retrieve a sample of a nearby asteroid. Fernandez is just as giddy about space exploration now, a month before the launch from Kennedy Space Center, as he was as a teenager growing up in Cape Coral.

“I watched Halley through binoculars,” Fernandez said. “And I was just hooked. I’d always had an interest in space, but Halley clinched it.”

He finished high school and went on to earn degrees from the California Institute of Technology and the University of Maryland in the ’90s before landing a job working at the University of Hawaii. That’s where he had routine access to some of the world’s most powerful telescopes.

“I was really lucky,” he said. “Many astronomers don’t typically get access to that much telescope time, but I did thanks to UH, and I made sure to take every opportunity to use them.”

When he moved to 91�Թ��� in 2005, he joined a growing Planetary Sciences Group and met Pegasus Professor Humberto Campins, now his colleague on the OSIRIS-REx mission.

Fernandez works on multiple research projects funded by a variety of agencies including NASA, the California Institute of Technology’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the National Science Foundation and the Universities Space Research Association. The focus of his research is on comets and asteroids.

One of Fernandez’s favorite projects since arriving at 91�Թ��� has been a survey of comets. He spent most of 2006 and 2007 leading a team of 15 other astronomers around the world gathering data from the then new Spitzer Space Telescope. The telescope, which uses infrared instead of visible light, was able to give the team a wealth of data that they continue to analyze today.

“It was really fun,” Fernandez said. “We found out so many things, things we didn’t know and things we thought we knew that we found out weren’t quite right.”

For example, most comet scientists thought nearly all the big comets that travel through our part of the solar system had been found, but the data collected suggests that there are plenty of other big comets out there waiting to be discovered.

And while spacecraft visits to a few comets had given scientists clues about what their surfaces are like, they weren’t sure about comets in general. Perhaps the surfaces of some types of comets were different. Turns out most comets do indeed have low-density, porous surfaces and “fluffy” soil, some of which they lose as they travel through space, Fernandez said.

Fernandez’s work largely involves making observations with telescopes and interpreting the data. Translation: That’s a lot of math. He can analyze streams of numbers that provide a lot of information, from the likely physical features of a comet to the likely chemical makeup.

Looking at all that data and working to solve the mystery of how comets and other space bodies work takes a lot of concentration. It’s a mental challenge that Fernandez enjoys, but he also balances those hours in front of a computer screen with time on his bicycle.

Fernandez averages about 50 miles a week commuting to 91�Թ��� on his bicycle from his home in Winter Park. When the weekend hits, he is known to spend up to seven hours on runs through Central Florida including nature trials in Lake County.

“I do a lot of riding, even in the awful heat,” Fernandez said. “I’m a strict amateur, no racing for me. I do it because it feels good to be outdoors. It gives your brain time to breathe.”

Teaching is just as important to Fernandez as is the research. He teaches students each semester and also runs 91�Թ���’s Robinson Observatory. The observatory on the main campus offers academics and the general public access to the night sky. The observatory’s Knights Under the Stars program offers weekly opportunities (except for the rainy summer season) for the general public to see the night sky through powerful telescopes. Some of the events have drawn more than 200 people.

Fernandez joins students to staff those events to broaden the public’s knowledge of space. The teacher in him takes front and center when he explains to people what they are seeing through the telescope on those clear nights. His enthusiasm and passion for space especially come to life when he explains to young children what they are seeing.

He says exploring space and making discoveries is part of humankind’s DNA. That’s why he’s so excited that the OSIRIS-REx mission is finally ready to launch Sept. 8.

“I’ve been excited for a long time because OSIRIS-REx has been going for a while,” he said. “And now that it is launching, it is real. When it launches, it is time for us to really get to work. Our crunch time is when the spacecraft makes its rendezvous with asteroid Bennu.”

Fernandez will help Campins analyze data the spacecraft sends back to Earth when it arrives at the asteroid. Campins and Fernandez will look at the color and reflection of the surface of the asteroid along with other data to provide project leaders their best recommendation for where the spacecraft should pluck its sample.

“I’m excited, but the pressure is on too,” he said. “You don’t want to be the guy on the team that messes up. So I’ve been getting prepped and am ready. Can’t wait for launch.”