Center for Microgravity Research and Education<\/a>, which has been conducting research into microgravity environments and how planets form. Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½’s experiments have flown aboard multiple commercial spacecraft including several Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic flights.<\/p>\nÂé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ has flown experiments on the International Space Station. In addition to studying scientific questions such as the origins of planets, Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½’s experiments explore the behavior of dust particles on and near the surfaces of the moon and asteroids. These tiny particles can create big problems for astronauts and their equipment, and Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ experiments are helping us learn how to minimize those risks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we are learning is helping us unravel the mystery of planet formation,\u201d says Physics Professor Joshua Colwell who leads the center. \u201cIt can also help us figure out ways to keep our astronauts safe while they explore. The knowledge will be critical for successful interactions with destinations in space, whether they be on an asteroid, a planet or a new space port.\u201d<\/p>\n
Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ is also home to the Florida Space Institute (FSI), which has several researchers working on payloads with commercial space companies. The Florida Space Grant, managed by FSI and Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ also funds Edu-Payloads\u00a0\u2014 payloads built primarily by students with faculty mentorship.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an exciting time and Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ is well positioned,\u201d says Elizabeth Klonoff, vice president of Research for Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½. \u201cThe center has already put payloads on other major destinations such as the ISS and on suborbital flights. These new platforms coming online in the next decade provide even more opportunities for synergies in research with our partners that will make a real impact on our future as a species.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ Board of Trustees just last month approved renaming the center in honor of Stephen W. Hawking<\/a>, who early on recognized the importance of microgravity research. Space Florida, which arranged for Hawking to fly aboard a zero-gravity flight and connected him to Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½, will take a final vote on the naming of the center later this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ is part of Blue Origins\u2019 Orbital Reef project, one of three proposals NASA selected to develop space destinations within our lifetime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":117220,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[5,23,24],"tags":[982,1775,2557,14916,4361],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-124801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colleges","category-research","category-science-technology","tag-college-of-sciences","tag-florida-space-instit","tag-joshua-colwell","tag-research","tag-space"],"yoast_head":"\n
Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ Part of Historic Move to Build Space Ports Around Earth | Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ News<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n