91勛圖厙 Space Week celebrates this mission annually by welcoming global space leaders, researchers, students, partners, and fans to campus for collaboration, discovery, and the development of Florida���s growing space economy.

Take a look back at some of the standout sights and celebrations from 91勛圖厙 Space Week 2026.

Knightro brought SpaceU spirit to the Celeste Hotel, welcoming industry partners gathered for 91勛圖厙 Space Week 2026.

91勛圖厙 Libraries hosted several events, special programs and multiple exhibitions built from University Archives and Special Collections in celebration of 91勛圖厙 Space Week 2026.

One exhibit in the Digital Exploration Center’s Immersion Studio, curated by graduate research assistant Eric Thompson ���19, brought six decades of 91勛圖厙, United States and international space history and culture beyond the archives and into visitors��� hands.

The inaugural 91勛圖厙 Innovate Day showcased how 91勛圖厙 transforms research into impact through entrepreneurship, technology commercialization and strategic partnerships. During the event,��representatives from the City of Orlando and Orange County government presented 91勛圖厙 with a special proclamation honoring 91勛圖厙 Space Week.

A featured panel during 91勛圖厙 Innovate Day brought together (from left) moderator Ben Patz ’85MS, co-founder and general managing partner of DeepWork Capital; Joe Sleppy ’18, CEO of Capacitech Energy; Guifang Li, 91勛圖厙 professor of optics and photonics; Jason Eichenholz ���95MS ���98PhD; Melanie Coathup, a professor in 91勛圖厙’s College of Medicine; and Jonathan Reyes ���15 ���17MS ���19PhD, CEO of Halo Engines.

91勛圖厙���s Florida Space Institute and its Exolith Lab hosted NASA’s Lunabotics Challenge. The Exolith Lab is home to the world’s largest simulated lunar surface, where NASA tests rovers and equipment for upcoming moon missions. from Exolith Lab Chief Engineer Max Kuehn ’22.

91勛圖厙 honored seven contributors helping shape Central Florida���s thriving space ecosystem at the 2026 SpaceU Awards. 91勛圖厙 President Alexander N. Cartwright (center left) joined the honorees and their representatives. From left: planetary exploration research scientist and 91勛圖厙 physics alum Jared Long-Fox ���26PhD, accepting on behalf of Daniel Britt; mechanical engineering major Noah Brockhoff; 91勛圖厙 Associate Professor of Medicine Emmanuel Urquieta; 91勛圖厙 Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering Paula do Vale Pereira; mechanical engineering major Keanu Brayman; Tahllee Baynard, Lockheed Martin���s vice president of system prototypes; and Michael Edmonds, Blue Origin���s chief commercial officer.

hosted its fall career fair, which welcomed some of the world’s top companies, including Pegasus Partner Universal Orlando Resort, Marriott International, Walt Disney World Resort’s Swan and Dolphin Resort, and SpaceX.

Drone shows on 91勛圖厙’s main campus and at Acrisure Bounce House commemorated 91勛圖厙’s identity as America’s Space University, including a special show presented by BNY that brought the community together on Memory Mall.

Space Week’s grand finale was marked by the 10th anniversary of the 91勛圖厙 Space Game. This year’s unique uniform theme paid tribute to 91勛圖厙’s origin story as America’s Space University.

A Citronaut robot is one of several inventions built by 91勛圖厙 students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science that make the game day atmosphere uniquely 91勛圖厙.

91勛圖厙 President Alexander N. Cartwright and 91勛圖厙 donor, consultant and space visitor Marc Hagle take in the atmosphere at Acrisure Bounce House.

In recognition of the 10th anniversary of the Space Game, 91勛圖厙’s Go Baby Go program, Orlando Health and 91勛圖厙 Athletics partnered to build 10 space-themed vehicles (like the one pictured above) customized for children with mobility challenges.

91勛圖厙 took on Baylor at Acrisure Bounce House for the Mission X Space Game.

The 91勛圖厙 football team’s Space Game has become a fan favorite.

The dance team helped lead the “Lights Up, Lights Down” tradition during the Mission X Space Game.

We are America���s Space University. And we celebrate 91勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 extends far beyond a single discipline.

91勛圖厙 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勛圖厙���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勛圖厙 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勛圖厙���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勛圖厙’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: 博勳莽勳喧���, stay up to date�� through the or follow on Instagram.

Landing humans on the moon was just a dream when 91勛圖厙 was founded in 1963. But we dared to believe ��� developing the talent and inventing the technologies to make it reality. That same spirit still drives us today.

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

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

91勛圖厙 Professor Anish Roshi Damodaran is investigating a new approach for a virtual super telescope that could allow scientists to observe planet formation and the early universe in unprecedented detail.

Damodaran previously led radio astronomy for the Arecibo Observatory, which 91勛圖厙 began co-managing in 2018 under an agreement with the U.S. National Science Foundation. Following the telescope’s structural collapse in 2020, he continued to advance his research activities at 91勛圖厙.

Damodaran is now one of 18 researchers in the U.S. selected for Phase I of NASA���s 2026 Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. The nine-month, $175,000 award funds early development of technologies that demonstrate transformative potential and possible feasibility for eventual implementation.

���Having the opportunity to explore such a bold idea at its earliest stage, and to do so with the support of NASA and the NIAC community, is both professionally and personally inspiring,��� Damodaran says.

The concept is known as PHOENIX ��� short for Photonics-Enabled Heterodyne Submillimeter/Far-Infrared Interferometer.

PHOENIX proposes using advanced photonic technologies to connect up to 25 spacecraft into a powerful space-based interferometer. Working together, the spacecraft could effectively function as a much larger telescope, capable of producing ultra-high-resolution observations at submillimeter and far-infrared wavelengths.

The project also brings together expertise in astronomy, photonics and space instrumentation from 91勛圖厙 and NASA���s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). This includes CREOL Pegasus Professor Peter Delfyett; CREOL professors Guifang Li and Stephen Eikenberry; Florida Space Institute researcher Julie Brisset; College of Sciences Professor Yan Fernandez; and JPL researchers Jacob Kooi and Jonathan Kawamura.

Jumpstarting a New Wave of Space Technology

Some of the most important stages in the evolution of the universe are also among the most difficult to observe. Stars, planets and galaxies often form from cold gas and dust that are invisible to the human eye.

Falling between infrared and radio wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum, submillimeter astronomy gives scientists a window into this otherwise hidden universe.

But observing these phenomena at extremely high resolution requires capabilities that are difficult to achieve with a conventional space telescope. A single telescope with an aperture measuring tens or even hundreds of meters would face significant launch constraints. Dividing that observing power across multiple smaller satellites presents its own challenges, including precisely synchronizing the spacecraft, and processing and transmitting the enormous amounts of data they collect.

���While existing facilities can detect cold gas and dust associated with planet formation, star formation, and galaxy evolution, they cannot directly resolve many of the critical structures where these processes occur,��� Damodaran says.

Seeing the Universe in New Detail

PHOENIX could also provide new insights into how stars form within dense, dust-enshrouded environments. By combining high-resolution imaging with spectroscopy ��� an observation technique that uses light to analyze the chemical composition of matter ��� the observatory concept could allow astronomers to examine how turbulence, gravity and gas dynamics interact where stars form.

���One of the most exciting applications would be the direct observation of planet formation in protoplanetary disks around young stars,��� Damodaran says, referring to the rotating disks of gas and dust which form planets. ���PHOENIX could resolve structures on scales comparable to the size of the inner solar system ��� allowing scientists to observe how water, water ice, molecular gas and dust are assembled into planets, identify the signatures of newly forming worlds, and investigate the conditions that lead to potentially habitable planetary systems.���

On a larger scale, observations of gas and dust within distant galaxies could help researchers examine how star formation and supermassive black holes have influenced galaxy evolution over billions of years.

���One of the most exciting applications would be the direct observation of planet formation in protoplanetary disks around young stars.��� ��� Anish Roshi Damodaran, Florida Space Institute professor

Testing an Ambitious Idea

The nine-month Phase I study represents an early step toward determining whether that vision could eventually become technically achievable. Rather than building the observatory itself, Damodaran and his collaborators will use the NIAC award to develop a more detailed mission architecture, identify critical enabling technologies, evaluate performance requirements, assess technology readiness and further define the scientific capabilities PHOENIX could provide.

Following his selection, Damodaran attended the NIAC orientation and symposium, where he met other NIAC fellows and learned about the range of early-stage concepts being pursued through the NASA program.

���In many ways, the process feels like undertaking a second Ph.D. thesis,��� Damodaran says. ���It requires questioning assumptions, exploring alternative approaches, identifying critical technology gaps and developing a compelling scientific case. As a scientist and instrument developer, I find that immensely rewarding.���

Future Stages of NASA���s NIAC Program

NASA���s NIAC program supports visionary aerospace concepts through progressive phases of study. Eligible Phase I recipients can propose for Phase II, which provides up to $750,000 for two years of further concept development and requires researchers to prepare a roadmap for continued development.

Phase III provides up to $2 million for another two years of exploration and development, with the goal of strategically transitioning concepts with the highest potential impact for NASA, other government agencies or commercial partners. NASA plans to make six to eight Phase II awards and one Phase III award annually.

The PHOENIX project is supported by a $175,000 Phase I award through NASA���s Innovative Advanced Concepts program.��

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

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

91勛圖厙 celebrated seven dynamic contributors to Central Florida���s robust space ecosystem with its 2026 SpaceU Awards.

America���s Space University honored two students, three faculty, a Pegasus Partner, and a space company leader for advancing space development, discovery, exploration and engagement. The awards were part of the second 91勛圖厙 Space Week, which runs Oct. 25-30 and showcases the university’s impact across the space sector.

Tuesday���s SpaceU Awards ceremony at the Celeste Hotel drew more than 200 community leaders and supporters from 91勛圖厙, industry and government. The event also spotlighted the inaugural 91勛圖厙 Space Ideation Challenge, a national competition showcasing practical, forward-looking ideas to strengthen U.S. leadership in space and accelerate the emerging space economy.

“Their achievements remind us that exploration is about more than reaching new frontiers ��� it is about advancing knowledge, creating opportunities and improving lives on Earth and beyond.” ��� Alexander N. Cartwright, 91勛圖厙 president

“Our SpaceU Award recipients embody the ingenuity and determination that have defined 91勛圖厙 from the start. They ask bold questions, take on difficult challenges, and pursue ideas that have the potential to change what we know, what we can do and where we can go,” said 91勛圖厙 President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Their achievements remind us that exploration is about more than reaching new frontiers ��� it is about advancing knowledge, creating opportunities and improving lives on Earth and beyond.”

91勛圖厙 originated in 1963 to help supply talent and technology for Central Florida���s growing space program. Today, SpaceU has become a vital force for enhancing Florida���s vibrant space economy through excellence in research, innovation and workforce development ��� leading the nation in producing talent for the aerospace and defense industries.

Other Space Week events include the inaugural 91勛圖厙 Innovate Day, which highlights how university research translates into real-world applications; The Economist���s fourth-annual Space Economy Summit; the National Space Society���s Space Settlement Summit; and the SpaceU Symposium, featuring student, faculty and staff research. The week also includes a SpaceU Drone Show on Memory Mall and the 10th-annual Space Game against Baylor at Acrisure Bounce House Stadium.

Here are the 2026 SpaceU Awardees.

Student Space Research Award

Noah Brockhoff, Junior, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Brockhoff���s research is helping to address the critical challenge of minimizing the effects of moon dust on spacecraft and landing sites. At 91勛圖厙���s Exolith Lab, the mechanical engineering major spent 300 hours building a simulated lunar lander to study how lunar dust traveling at terminal velocity could damage spacecraft. NASA is partnering with 91勛圖厙 on the research and plans to use the findings, connecting Brockhoff’s work directly to the future of space exploration.

Student Space Innovator Award

Keanu Brayman, Senior, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Burnett Honors College

Brayman, a mechanical engineering major, is making contributions to space innovations with commercial applications. As an intern at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, he has worked on trajectory optimization for the Human Landing System, additive manufacturing technology for lunar resource utilization and robotic in-space laser welding ��� a necessity for assembling large structures on the lunar surface. Brayman is also a researcher in 91勛圖厙���s Astrodynamics, Space and Robotics Laboratory, a Goldwater Scholar, and an Astronaut Scholar.

Early Career Space Achievement Faculty Award

Paula do Vale Pereira, Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science

do Vale Pereira develops approaches for exploring the hidden oceans of icy moons. She specializes in space systems, spacecraft engineering, and planetary exploration technologies for navigating some of the solar system’s most challenging environments. do Vale Pereira contributes to shaping the next decade of planetary exploration through NASA���s Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy and the Ocean Worlds Working Group. Her lab investigates spacecraft thermal performance, orbital dynamics, lunar surface power transmission, and innovative satellite structures.

Mid-Career Space Achievement Faculty Award

Emmanuel Urquieta, Associate Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair for Aerospace Medicine, College of Medicine

Urquieta is a physician and scientist helping to make human spaceflight safer through research, education, and aerospace-medicine leadership. He founded and directs SpaceU���s Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine, leading 91勛圖厙’s efforts to promote research, education, clinical care, and operational capabilities to protect human health and performance in space. At 91勛圖厙, he established Florida���s first academic Division of Aerospace Medicine and spearheaded the development of an aerospace medicine residency, master���s degree program, and specialized research and simulation capabilities for future exploration missions.

Lifetime Space Achievement Faculty Award

Daniel Britt, Pegasus Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, College of Sciences

Britt’s trailblazing contributions to planetary science have expanded the world’s understanding of the solar system. A member of several NASA mission teams, he managed the camera project for Mars Pathfinder and has contributed hardware to Mars missions, extending 91勛圖厙 technology in reaching the stars. He directs 91勛圖厙���s Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science and studies the physical properties of asteroids, comets, the moon and Mars. Since joining 91勛圖厙 in 2003, his honors include six NASA Achievement Awards and an asteroid named 4395 Danbritt.

Industry Partner Impact Award

Lockheed Martin

Global industry leader Lockheed Martin is a cornerstone of Florida���s space ecosystem and a long-time champion of 91勛圖厙. Since 1981, Lockheed Martin���s College Work Experience Program at 91勛圖厙 has provided paid professional opportunities to more than 10,000 students. Many have gone on to join the company. The partnership also supports mentorship, scholarships and cutting-edge faculty research in robotics, AI, advanced manufacturing and hypersonics. Last year, Lockheed Martin became a Pegasus Partner, expanding collaboration with 91勛圖厙 on research, workforce development and economic growth.

Innovative Space Leader Award

Michael Edmonds, Chief Commercial Officer, Blue Origin

Edmonds��� leadership fosters business, government and customer relationships essential to the growth of commercial space. He also serves as president of Club for the Future, Blue Origin���s nonprofit dedicated to inspiring young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Under Edmonds’ leadership, the organization has awarded $1 million in grants to 19 space-focused nonprofits, extending STEAM outreach worldwide. Through educational challenges and postcards flown to space and back, the club makes exploration tangible for students across the globe.

Landing humans on the moon was just a dream when 91勛圖厙 was founded in 1963. But we dared to believe ��� developing the talent and inventing the technologies to make it reality. That same spirit still drives us today.

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

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

While taking a break from his job responsibilities on ���another planet,��� Matthew Montgomery ���08 ���09MS settled in for some light reading: The Handbook of Space Resources. Curious about the authors��� backgrounds, he flipped through the contributors list.

The two-time 91勛圖厙 electrical engineering alum couldn���t help but smile when he spotted two familiar names: acclaimed 91勛圖厙 planetary scientists Daniel Britt and Phillip Metzger ���00MS ���05PhD.

Even on a mission to ���Mars,��� 91勛圖厙 was right there with him.

On Oct. 19, 2025, Montgomery entered a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center with three crewmates for NASA���s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA). Together, they’ve simulated living on Mars, conducting research and collecting data as if they were 140 million miles from Earth.

Their work includes spacewalks with and without virtual reality, time-delayed communications, crop growth, meal preparation and consumption, exercise, hygiene activities, maintenance work, personal time, science work and sleep ��� all to help prepare for future missions.

The 39-year-old isn���t a trained astronaut or a NASA scientist. After an 18-month application and screening process, being selected to volunteer for this mission meant stepping away from his loved ones and Floating Lava Studios, his Los Angeles-based film production company, for more than a year.

He cultivated the skills that helped him land this gig, in part, at 91勛圖厙.

An Orlando native, Montgomery enrolled through an early admission program while still a senior at nearby University High School. As a Burnett Honors Scholar, he immersed himself in research opportunities and lab work while earning his bachelor���s and master���s degrees in electrical engineering.

���91勛圖厙 provided me the technical foundation to get where I���m at,��� Montgomery says. ���I think engineering is one of the best undergraduate degree programs that anyone can pursue. Foundationally, it teaches you problem-solving skills that can be broadly applied to almost anywhere you go. I also learned solid research principles, and lab work was critical. You need both sides. There���s a lot of opportunity (at 91勛圖厙). I���ve taken a more entrepreneurial approach (in my career), and I think 91勛圖厙 really sets you up for that.���

As CHAPEA���s science officer, Montgomery draws on his engineering background to contribute expertise in LED lighting, robotics, controlled environment agriculture and embedded control systems.

Ahead of the mission’s scheduled Oct. 31 conclusion, Montgomery answered questions via video about life inside the habitat ��� and what it could mean for humanity’s future beyond Earth.

A Glimpse of Life on Mars

Why did you say yes to this mission?
When I read through the application, I really felt meant for this mission. It comes down to a simple answer: The researchers asked for help, and they had a worthy cause.

I think there���s a powerful lesson and reminder in there ��� when you���re pursuing lofty goals or reaching for the stars, you do need support. All you need to do is communicate your vision and ask for help. When you do, people show up and support you.

What does a routine day look like?
Our day-to-day life is similar to astronauts on the International Space Station and representative of what will be expected of Mars-surface astronauts: drone and rover operations, exercise testing, bio collections. Each day has a mix of standard items ��� resistance or cardio exercise, science and experiment work, crop care,�� maintenance, ensuring you get your daily caloric intake goals met.

We also perform spacewalks, or extravehicular activities, in two forms: virtual reality (VR) or non-VR.

Outside the airlock, we have a simulated Mars surface with red regolith simulant. During non-VR spacewalks, we participate in surface equipment checks, maintenance, infrastructure builds, and a lot of science and geological-type tasks.

On VR spacewalks, we put on headsets and use treadmills that allow us to traverse much larger distances. Compared to the International Space Station, you might be doing spacewalks every day on Mars, and that tempo is something NASA isn’t used to. We need to gather data: Does that tempo start to affect cognition or physical performance?

When you are on the surface of these more remote environments, you���re going to want to use that time to not only survive, but gather data and increase the body of scientific knowledge.

How well did you pack for 378 days?
I consider myself a light packer, and I���ve learned you really don���t need a whole lot to get by. That way of life translated well into the mission.

I did bring some comforts. I���m glad I brought a buckwheat pillow. I find them really comfortable, especially when they���re broken in. I brought a good pair of headphones and a set of spudger tools.

We packed quite a few books. We have a nice library of music and movies. Owning a production company, I really enjoy film, and members of the crew are film fans, too.�� It���s been something we���ve bonded over.

I wish I had brought a small mirror for my room. One of the other crew members brought high-quality microphones we could plug into different devices. It���s contributing to this interview.

In the end, there are four of us. When we come together, we have quite the spread and our bases covered.

How do you hope this mission will advance space exploration?
A lot has to come together to advance space research. The technical side is probably thought of first, but an important piece is the human aspect.

An important aspect of our mission is time-delayed communication. That���s something NASA has limited experience with but is looking to gain through experiments like this.

If we think about the ISS or the moon, they���re relatively close to the Earth, and [communication] is nearly instantaneous. But as we push farther out to Mars, that distance gets quite long. We have no [option for] instant [communication] like a phone call or video chat. A lot becomes written, and we have to account for the time it takes to send messages and receive responses.

Ultimately, all of this will hopefully create new processes, procedures and plans for surface missions where mission control isn���t quite as integrated with the crews.

What have you learned about yourself during this mission?
I should give myself a little grace and have a short memory. I���m driven to strive for really high-performing outputs, but in complex situations, especially on long-duration missions, you���re going to make mistakes and things aren���t going to go as planned. You need to assess those accurately, learn the lesson and move on.

The good part about a long-duration mission is there’s usually an opportunity to give something a go again. There���s a little comfort in that.

I���ve also learned I should trust myself a little more. When something doesn���t feel right or I���m feeling [drawn to] a particular course of action, I should dive in and pinpoint where that���s coming from. A few [times during] this mission, [doing that has] led to better outcomes.

What advice do you have for future Mars explorers?
Acquire a broad set of skills. I���m continually impressed by the crew���s breadth and depth of knowledge. When it���s just the four of you and you have to rely on yourself and each other, having that broad set of skills is incredibly important. You���ll be the ones solving problems, and that could be the difference between life and death and the success of the mission.

Foster a deep sense of inquisitiveness. You need to be present. Being [observant] might lead to new discoveries. It might also lead to preemptive measures that help your safety and success.

Check everything. That���s both good for data and good for safety.

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

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

The John C. Hitt Library is likely the only place where you can find odes to Citronaut, space mice, sports and human spaceflight together in one room.

A new, interactive exhibit, debuts this week in the Immersion Studio on the fourth floor of the library���s Digital Exploration Center.

The exhibit brings six decades of 91勛圖厙, United States and international space history and culture beyond the archives and into visitors��� hands. It draws on digital assets from 91勛圖厙���s former student newspaper, Central Florida Future, NASA, 91勛圖厙 Athletics and the university.

91勛圖厙 Libraries graduate research assistant Eric Thompson ���19, a history alum pursuing a doctorate in texts and technology, is the mind and heart behind the project. He set out to maximize the studio���s potential through its 270-degree immersive projection and interactive touch capabilities.

Over the past two months, he meticulously selected every image and wrote nearly 7,000 words for the exhibit���s text boxes, bringing the experience together through an iterative process that used artificial intelligence (AI) to generate code.

The Cocoa Beach, Florida, native worked as a bicycle mechanic for nearly a decade before enrolling through to pursue a more fulfilling career as a public historian. He wants to bring history to life beyond the classroom, in places like museums, parks, and monuments.

���I was giving tours of a Civil War painting at the Atlanta History Center, and when you���re doing programming like that it���s exciting because it���s different every single time depending on the makeup of whoever comes through,��� he says. ���I think the best public history exhibits make some sort of argument. We���re not just saying, ���Hey, look at this neat thing from 100 years ago.��� We���re also saying what that meant back then, and how it ties to our society today.���

Here, Thompson explains how the exhibit came together, what visitors can expect and the stellar result when the humanities collide with technology.

What inspired this exhibit?

At the beginning of this semester, the for 91勛圖厙 Space Week 2026 and my supervisor asked if I wanted to propose something specifically for the Immersion Studio. I started with just a wall ��� I built a very, very bare-bones prototype that was basically just the mission patches from the space games. Can I make this work? What does it look like from there? How do we do some more history or scholarship along with that?

That���s where some of the other elements ��� old newspaper articles, actual NASA mission patches, 91勛圖厙���s space origins ��� started to come in. One advantage of a digital exhibit is that you’re not constrained by what fits in a 4-foot-wide glass case. Nearly all images are clickable with a tap of your finger so you can read more information.

The texts and technology program has been recognized as a leader in digital humanities education. How did you apply what you���ve been studying to this project?

One of the research methods that texts and technology students use a lot is something called critical making. It���s a way of building something, thinking and writing through that process very deliberately, and iterating on it. That���s what this process was.

Another key element was how I used AI. I wrote all of the content. I picked all of the images and even hand-sketched the layout, but I don’t know how to code. I didn’t write the programming that made boxes be boxes. I would prefer a human whose job is to program and get paid for it, but I didn���t have that opportunity in this case.

So the code work on this was done with a generative AI tool, Claude. I had a leg up through coursework that was explicitly about using AI like this, including a significant manual review process. It has to be really deliberate.

What do you hope this exhibition adds to campus culture?

As a university, we don’t have the same generations of history that other places do because we were founded just 63 years ago. So we have an opportunity, all of us, to take a more active role in shaping it. I hope somebody will learn something about our campus history and use that to build positive change here on campus.

How did you highlight the humanity of this tech-forward exhibit?

I very intentionally wrote the names of the people on the mission patches with crews. There are people at home who designed these, who thought through these experiments and these projects. Most of these patches are human-forward designs, and people made choices to symbolize our values and what���s important to us.

Why should people come visit this?

The Immersion Studio opened in February, and we want to show what the space is capable of. My hope is that faculty will come in and realize they can bring a class here or design a presentation. Student organizations can hold meetings here. I plan to do my dissertation defense in this space one day.

���We want to show what the space is capable of.��� ��� Eric Thompson ���19

The Digital Exploration Center is a really interesting space on campus. People who aren’t necessarily in something tech-focused are still going to need to learn how to use more modern tools and need workstations and equipment that their departments may or may not have.

So this is a really high-powered space that’s open to anybody on campus. I would love it if somebody found this space because of this exhibit; that would be a win.

Landing humans on the moon was just a dream when 91勛圖厙 was founded in 1963. But we dared to believe ��� developing the talent and inventing the technologies to make it reality. That same spirit still drives us today.

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

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

Two 91勛圖厙 College of Medicine faculty have been elected Academicians of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) ��� a lifetime distinction recognizing worldwide leaders in space travel.

91勛圖厙 Associate Professors Emmanuel Urquieta and Jennifer Fogarty were honored at the IAA���s 79th annual International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Turkey. The academy includes 1,200 fellows worldwide who are committed to collaborative research and education that advance space exploration to serve humanity.

Urquieta and Fogarty are leaders in the College of Medicine���s emerging aerospace medicine program that is creating a new frontier in healthcare as humans prepare for longer missions to the moon, Mars and beyond.

The program���s goal: explore how factors such as microgravity, radiation and isolation impact the human body in space and how that knowledge can drive innovation into diagnostics, treatment and disease prevention for patients on Earth.

As part of that effort, 91勛圖厙 has created a new Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine (). Urquieta leads the center; Fogarty is its chief scientist.

The multidisciplinary center includes 91勛圖厙 faculty experts in medicine, engineering, computer science, psychology, arts and educational leadership who collectively research and develop new technologies for keeping space travelers healthy. The work is applicable here on Earth, as well, to soldiers on military missions, deep sea explorers and mountain climbers.

From Flight Surgeon to Aerospace Leader

Urquieta began his career in aerospace medicine as a flight surgeon, serving on the Mexico City Police Department���s emergency medical services helicopter team before being selected for NASA���s HERA XI program. There he spent 30 days isolated with three crewmates in a simulated mission to the asteroid Geographos to understand how the isolation of a space mission affects the crew medically and psychologically.

In 2016, Urquieta joined the Translational Research Institute for Space Health at Baylor College of Medicine (TRISH), eventually becoming chief medical officer, where he managed medical research for missions to the moon and Mars as well as the institute���s commercial spaceflight programs.

He joined the College of Medicine in 2024.

Urquieta says this recognition inspires him to continue striving to make 91勛圖厙 an international leader in aerospace medicine.

���I look forward to contributing to the work of the academy,��� he says. ���And to helping advance the science and medicine that will support the next era of human space exploration.���

Leading Innovation in Spaceflight Safety

Fogarty���s honor recognizes her nearly 20-year career in aerospace medicine, beginning as chief scientist of NASA���s human research program. There, she examined the risks humans face while exploring space and developed research and programs to keep astronauts safe and healthy.

Following nearly 14 years at NASA, Fogarty brought her expertise to TRISH, where she provided strategic leadership in developing innovations to maintain human performance and wellness during space travel.

She joined 91勛圖厙 in 2025.

Fogarty says she was honored because she and�� Urquieta were nominated by a mentor, Jeffrey Davis, who has served as branch chief of medical operations at NASA.

���We were honored to be nominated by Dr. Davis and to have other people who agreed that we have made significant contributions to the field at an international level,��� said Fogarty. ���It���s very special to be recognized in this way.���

Fogarty says her role is not only to improve the health of space travelers, but to use that knowledge to create more innovative medical treatments for patients on Earth.

���There���s a lot of responsibility when you���re in an industry that���s relatively small and young,��� she says.�� ���I think it���s our role with the positions we have here to engage students and educate the public about what���s happening in space medicine and why.���

Landing humans on the moon was just a dream when 91勛圖厙 was founded in 1963. But we dared to believe ��� developing the talent and inventing the technologies to make it reality. That same spirit still drives us today.

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

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

A space capsule is becoming the 91勛圖厙 College of Medicine���s newest classroom and research lab.

Sierra Space, a Colorado-based private aerospace and defense technologies company, donated the 22-foot-long life-sized model of their Shooting Star cargo module, which is capable of delivering supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.

The gift recognizes 91勛圖厙���s reputation as America���s Space University and the medical school���s emerging aerospace medicine program, which is exploring how space flight impacts the human body and how that knowledge can drive innovation into diagnostics, treatment and disease prevention for patients on Earth.

The model was housed at Kennedy Space Center ��� located roughly 30 miles from 91勛圖厙���s campus ��� where it was used as a design reference for engineers and a training tool for in-space cargo transfer. The module attaches to a Sierra Space Dream Chaser spaceplane and in the future could potentially to deliver up to 12,000 pounds of cargo, including science experiments, research equipment and medical supplies to space stations.

The mockup is almost identical to a real module with a hatch that docks with the spacecraft and a section of storage lockers that hold resupply materials.

���There’s only a handful of ships that can take payloads to low Earth orbit,��� says Emmanuel Urquieta, the College of Medicine���s vice chair for aerospace medicine and director of 91勛圖厙���s new Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine (). ���This module is a true-to-size mock-up that is fully aligned with what will actually fly into space.���

Dedicated to Keeping Space Travelers Healthy

CASEEM is a multidisciplinary center that includes 91勛圖厙 faculty experts in medicine, engineering, computer science, psychology, arts and educational leadership who will work together to research and develop new technologies for keeping space travelers healthy as well as soldiers on military missions, deep sea explorers and mountain climbers.

91勛圖厙 will use the module to give students and faculty precise training to address medical events in the confines of a spacecraft.

The model also will help researchers create technologies for improving payloads and establishing protocols to send materials into the tight spaces of intergalactic travel. Such technologies and strategies also could be used in combat zones, on submarines and in remote and isolated areas of Earth, Urquieta says.

���It is a rare piece of technology that the 91勛圖厙 Aerospace Medicine program is privileged to use for research.��� ��� Ed Powers, CASEEM���s medical director

���This module brings human spaceflight to life for students and researchers at 91勛圖厙,��� says William (Ed) Powers, CASEEM���s medical director, who worked as director of flight medicine for Axiom Space and chief of NASA���s Medical Operations Branch before joining 91勛圖厙. ���It is a rare piece of technology that the 91勛圖厙 Aerospace Medicine program is privileged to use for research.���

The university is working to create a location for the module.

The donated module grew out of a longstanding professional relationship between aerospace medicine faculty members with Tom Marshburn, chief astronaut and vice president of programs at Sierra Space. Marshburn spent 28 years at NASA, where he was on three space flights and served as medical operations lead for the International Space Station.

���Sierra Space is proud to support the 91勛圖厙���s College of Medicine and its aerospace medicine program by providing our life-size mockup of our Dream Chaser cargo module,��� Marshburn says. ���Humans will interface with the actual Dream Chaser spaceplane and its cargo module when it arrives at the ISS or a commercial LEO destination, and we look forward to working with 91勛圖厙 medical students, physicians and faculty on the insights the mockup vehicle can provide for human factors studies, in aerospace and mechanical engineering, and in potential space medical capabilities.���

Rocket sightings are commonplace from 91勛圖厙���s campus and Acrisure Bounce House, whose 50-yard-line is on the same latitude as NASA���s historical Launch Complex 39A. But for a crowd of dozens gathered on Monday on the concourse of the football stadium, this wasn���t a typical ���launch.���

Five toddlers from Greater Orlando and the I4-Corridor were on site to receive space-themed motorized cars built especially for them by 91勛圖厙 student-athletes, physical therapy doctoral candidates from , and healthcare professionals from Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute.

A national, community-based research, design and outreach program, Go Baby Go! provides accessible and inexpensive solutions for kids and adults with limited mobility at no cost to their families.

Nicholas Antoine ���25, a senior defensive back on the football team from Daytona Beach, Florida, who graduated last December with a bachelor���s degree in kinesiology, jokes his construction skills need some improvement, but he was thrilled nonetheless to be an active part of the collaboration that made an impact for the families.

���Being able to bring joy to somebody else, there���s no greater joy than that,” Antoine says.

A total of 10 cars were built ahead of the 10^th anniversary of the 91勛圖厙 football team���s Space Game, an annual event that celebrates 91勛圖厙���s reputation as America���s Space University.

The Space Game presented by Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute is now one of the signature events of a larger Space Week held at the university, which launches Oct. 25. The football team will take on Baylor University on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Monday���s build is yet another example of how the beloved tradition���s impact has spread beyond an annual football game. It continues to illustrate 91勛圖厙���s integral role as a driver of impact for Central Florida, whether in the space industry, health sector or beyond.

���When we look at the Space Game, we���re excited to be in that same space to walk alongside these athletes and create an opportunity that celebrates all the things that we do here at 91勛圖厙,��� says 91勛圖厙 Clinical Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Jennifer Tucker ���23PhD.

The Magic of Go Baby Go!

Tucker started 91勛圖厙���s chapter of Go Baby Go! in 2015 and has led an average of 10 to 15 workshops annually ��� just like the one held Monday in Athletics Village ��� to benefit children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old with mobility issues stemming from Down syndrome, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and osteogenesis, among others.

Over the last decade, 91勛圖厙���s Go Baby Go! has built up such a reputation that prospective students talk about it in their interviews as they look to gain acceptance into the doctoral physical therapy program.

It���s gone international, too, with partnerships in Belgium and Wales. It has welcomed students from the College of Engineering and Computer Science, College of Sciences and College of Medicine all interested in contributing their talents.

91勛圖厙���s students are a key component that keeps the engine running. Philanthropy is another.

Orlando Health, a 91勛圖厙 Pegasus Partner and a premier sponsor for 91勛圖厙 Athletics, has been one of Go Baby Go!���s biggest supporters since its inception as part of its mission to advance education, research, workforce development and community impact across Central Florida. It���s often personal for the clinical teams at Orlando Health who participate in these builds, since many of the recipients are longtime patients.

���It���s exciting to work alongside our partners 91勛圖厙 Athletics and 91勛圖厙 Go Baby Go! to help create this special event for these families,��� says Sara Osborne ���14 ���17MHA, Orlando Health senior director of community benefit. ���Go Baby Go���s mission aligns with Orlando Health as we look for ways to support our communities beyond the clinical care we provide every day. We���re proud to help play a part in making increased mobility and independence possible for these kids.���

Kid-Sized Astronauts Ready for Warp Speed

Sean Calamigan ���23 kneels next to 2-year-old Griffin Bordner, who had just plopped happily into his custom-fitted ���space ship��� and was already testing the sound level on his ���go for launch��� horn.

The third-year physical therapy doctoral candidate playfully warns the toddler of speed limits inside the Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership.

Griffin���s parents look on with mile-wide smiles. His father hails from a family of Knights who have been football season ticket holders since the 1990s. His mother, Jennifer Bordner ���15MEd, graduated with a master���s in exceptional student education.

They were referred by their son���s care team to apply to 91勛圖厙���s Go Baby Go program! and underwent their first consultation in May. As Griffin test drove along the concourse of Acrisure Bounce House on Monday, Jennifer was already envisioning her son in their neighborhood���s cul-de-sac, spinning his wheels alongside his older sister.

���Griffin is a happy, joyous little boy. There is nothing that slows him down ��� he just goes, goes, goes, but he���s normally in a stroller while his sister is on her bike or scooter. This opportunity is so exciting for him to be included in that fun,��� she says. ���It just gives me chills knowing that there are that many people in the community and organizations who donate the cars to allow kids with mobility issues the opportunity to be included in their communities, just to get out and play and have fun.���

91勛圖厙 faculty and physical therapy students took meticulous steps ahead of the build day to ensure the vehicles would have everything they needed to launch smoothly. Each child was individually assessed to determine communication, seating and positioning needs for his or her set of wheels, and a team of volunteers assisted with a workshop to pre-wire the cars and pack kits with the necessary tools and supplies.

Faculty from the made the experience extra special for the recipients by innovating a switch-activated plush toy rocket that lights up they could take home as a memento along with their car.

Calamigan, who spent his entire morning working at the event despite a final exam on his calendar at 1 p.m., says nothing compares to the practical, hands-on experience and witnessing the families��� reactions and delight to cars they worked on so diligently.

���I think the 91勛圖厙 DPT program really prepares us for a lot of things, but one of the main things they do for us is make sure we���re ready to face the real world, and this is the real world,��� Calamigan says.

And it���s a real world that, at the end of the day, Tucker aims to make feel a little more connected.

���We’re providing an opportunity for play, and play is a universal shared rite of passage of childhood. But we���re also building community,��� Tucker says. ���My hope is that the impact of today extends far outside of this moment in time, and it helps us build a better community and a better tomorrow for Central Florida.���

We are America���s Space University. And we celebrate 91勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 had a single classroom, we had a mission: provide the talent to help humanity reach the moon.

91勛圖厙, 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勛圖厙���s Space Game, the 20th season of the university’s on-campus football stadium, the 30th anniversary of 91勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 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勛圖厙���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勛圖厙, 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勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 graduates.

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

Today: Space at 91勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 receives its first research grant ��� $12,500 from NASA ��� establishing an early connection between the university and the agency.

Today: 91勛圖厙 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勛圖厙���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勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 students were already exploring spaceflight’s impact on people. A group of 91勛圖厙 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勛圖厙’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勛圖厙 established the Led by Emmanuel Urquieta, vice chair of aerospace medicine and associate professor of medicine, the center brings together 91勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 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勛圖厙���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勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 graduate to fly aboard a NASA shuttle and live on the International Space Station.

Today: 91勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 Athletics decides to debut the Space Game ��� an idea conceptualized three years prior by 91勛圖厙 Athletics��� brand experience department.

���It���s a unique part of the 91勛圖厙 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勛圖厙���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勛圖厙 Space Week.

2019: 91勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 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勛圖厙 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勛圖厙���s space legacy is still being written ��� in classrooms, labs and places we are determined to reach.