This September, NASA’s IMAP spacecraft will embark on a mission to collect and interpret particles from the Sun and distant stars. Onboard this Princeton-led mission is SWAPI, a sophisticated space physics instrument developed at Princeton University.
Students at Princeton have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the Space Physics Laboratory course. They work in a cleanroom environment, donning protective gear similar to what engineers and scientists use when handling NASA hardware.
William Li, a student from the Class of 2027, shared his enthusiasm for the course: “You are literally spending a year in a lab that’s also building a NASA satellite!” He noted that this experience helped him secure an internship at an aerospace company.
David McComas leads the course and is also NASA’s principal investigator for IMAP. Jamie Rankin, co-instructor and research scholar at Princeton, serves as a co-investigator on IMAP and leads SWAPI. “The Space Physics Lab class is a unique and very hands-on class,” McComas stated.
Rankin added, “We designed and built SWAPI right here at Princeton… As you might imagine, our students are super excited to get hands-on opportunities to work here.”
While undergraduates do not handle NASA flight hardware directly, they contribute by assisting in control rooms during calibrations for SWAPI and other instruments.
McComas mentioned that interest in the class has been high: “I’ve tried to make it as onerous as possible so that the most committed self-select.” Rankin will lead the course next year while McComas focuses on IMAP during his sabbatical.
Once launched, IMAP will orbit between Earth and Sun for three years. Its goals include monitoring space weather and mapping the heliosphere’s structure.
In their lab class, students learn about heliophysics before proposing group projects each spring. This year’s project involved building an electron emitter for calibrating technology used in several IMAP instruments.
“The students designed and fabricated an electron gun,” McComas explained. Despite challenges along the way, they succeeded just before delivering their critical design review (CDR).
At a recent panel discussion about space missions, McComas emphasized teamwork’s importance: “Teamwork is the absolute key.” He believes Princeton’s Space Physics Lab offers students invaluable team-building experiences.
“They’re learning how to work together,” he said. The program teaches essential life skills like leadership and collaboration—skills vital both within academic settings like Princeton University itself or future professional endeavors beyond campus grounds altogether!
