| Our Mission |
In 1987, responding to widespread concern about America's competitiveness
and future in the development of space technology and the academic preparation
of our next generation of space professionals, NASA initiated a program
to establish Space Engineering Research Centers at universities with strong
doctoral programs in engineering. The goal was to create a national infrastructure
for space exploration and development, and sites for the Centers would
be selected on the basis of originality of proposed research, the potential
for near-term utilization of technologies developed, and the impact these
technologies could have on the U.S. space program. The Centers would also
be charged with a major academic mission: the recruitment of topnotch students
and their training as space professionals.
Proposals were submitted by every major engineering program in the U.S. After external technical review, a list of 115 proposals was trimmed to 25 finalists, which were announced in March 1988. Site visits by NASA representatives determined those schools with an ability to make significant contributions to NASA programs. Each Center would receive up to $500,000 in its first half-year of operation, and over $1 million annually for a minimum of four additional years. In late April 1988, nine of the universities were awarded Centers, amoung them the University of Arizona. Operations began here in early May 1988. The proposal submitted by the University of Arizona was rated among
the top two, and the site visit was highly successful, demonstrating broad
engineering college and campus-wide capabilities, and strong administration
support. Other factors worked in favor of the UA as well. The University
has a unique concentration of knowledgeable scientists and engineers with
a long tradition of working together on space-related projects. Tucson
and Arizona constitute a world astronomical center, rich in observatories
and talented scientists. In Tucson, the Space Business Roundtable was created
to attract space-related industries and make the area a national center
for such activities. Additionally, several space engineering activities
of international repute were started here in the mid-1980s in the University
of Arizona's Aerospace Engineering Department.
The role of the UA/NASA Space Engineering Research Center (SERC) is to develop the technologies necessary to produce a wide variety of useful products using the materials and sources of energy that occur naturally in near-Earth space - thus the Center's subtitle: "for Utilization of Local Planetary Resources." This mission is fundamental to accelerating progress in space exploration and making space development activities economically feasible. From this charge has grown a unique program of research and instruction
dedicated to the use of space resources for propellants, and structural
and shielding materials. In the little more than four years since the UA/NASA
SERC was established, a tightly integrated group of research and development
projects in engineering and science has been created. The UA Center is
the only place in the nation where In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)
is being reduced to hardware and engineering practice. A strong emphasis
on student involment in research projects has produced a remarkable level
of enthusiasm, dedication, and creativity. As a result, the Center has
drawn an excellent group of bright and energetic graduate and undergraduate
students.
Another part of the Center's emphasis on education involves outreach to the community. SERC investigators give numerous lectures at elementary schools and high schools in Tucson and the surrounding area, featuring current information on national space activities and demonstrations of high-tech devices developed and used at the Center. Local middle school and high school interns often participate in SERC programs. Central to the overall SERC mission are collaborative projects with private-sector industry partners to develop strategies and hardware for resource utilization in future space ventures. Despite federal budget uncertainties and a lack of NASA funding for Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) in recent years, and the consequent reluctance of major aerospace firms and other space-related industries to commit funds for external research, the Center has attracted more than $200,000 in the form of contract research support and SpaceEngineering Affiliate memberships. The Center has also received enthusiastic cooperation and support in kind (time and travel expenses of employees, publication expenses, etc.) from such organizations as Rockwell International, McDonnell Douglas, Fluor Daniel, Boeing Aerospace, Bechtel National, Lockheed Missiles & Space, Martin Marietta, and Ball Aerospace. Especially notable in this regard is the loan by Hamilton Standard Division of United Technologies of a compact water electrolysis unit (for the SERC Oxygen Production Testbed) valued at more than $350,000. In the process of developing these relationships, SERC has come to be recognized as a meeting place for experts from academia, the private sector, and government agencies working in the field of space resources development. Last year, for example, the Center sponsored a much needed workshop in "Magmaelectrolysis of Indigenous Space Materials (MISM)" that brought together experts from Washington University, the University of North Dakota, Rockwell International, Fluor Daniel, and a number of consulting firms. A formal report was published based on the discussions and papers presented at the MISM Workshop. Also, in February 1992, the Center's Third Annual Symposium was held. The program was organized around a possible Lunar Outpost scenario, and featured industrial technologies, systems, and components applicable to the extraction, processing, and fabrication of local materials. TheSymposium, like the MISM Workshop, brought together representatives from academia and industry, but in addition to the customary space resources experts, investigators from outside the field whose knowlegde could be applied to space development activities were included. Presentations came from a diverse group of specialists in fields such as minerals processing, environmental control, and communications. What resulted was a fresh look at a number of old problems, as well as a variety of new ideas and approaches. A collection of abstracts was published for attendees at the Symposium, and the Proceedings volume containing all papers presented will soon follow. Since its founding, the Center has published a popular quarterly newsletter, featuring articles by SERC investigators and an annual issue devoted to student papers, and, of course, the Center regularly publishes progress reports containing technical information on its research and development projects. As a center for space resources research, a leader in education, a partner with private-sector industry in the development of new technologies, and a forum for space experts and others with relevant knowledge, the University of Arizona/NASA SERC has become in short four years THE center of excellence in ISRU. Now in its twelfth year, SERC continues to do innovative research drawing students and faculty from all disciplines of science and engineering. |