Twelve University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate students will be constructing an intergalactic inflatable habitat for astronauts this year for a course offered by the Engineering Department.
The students won a proposal to participate in a contest with National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Space Foundation to build the habitat.
The contest will be held in June 2011 in Houston, and participants for the contest include the University of Maryland and University of Oklahoma.
The contest calls for students to construct a soft shell structure that future NASA crew members can use on their expeditions.
UW-Madison senior Nathan Wong, who will be participating in the project, found the contest online this summer and was soon working on the proposal.
""I'm very, very excited for the project,"" Wong said. ""Space is my passion. I was lucky enough to find other students who were passionate to work on this project with me.""
The project will be planned and constructed during a two-semester course taught by professor Frederick Elder and a teaching assistant.
The National Space Foundation is providing $48,000 for each project.
Students will be separated into five different groups pertaining to different areas of the structure.
The first semester is focused on design and the second semester will involve the construction of the habitat. The group will consult NASA along the way.
Fred Best, technical director for the Space Science and Engineering Center, said the center will be assisting the group throughout the year.
Best said winning this contest ""will not only give bragging points, but [will help to] improve the design course and give a good name to the university.""
