MECSAT

Medgar Evers College, City University of New York

S. Austin and L. Johnson at Colorado Student Hardware Workshop with Bill Hiscock (middle, back) and other faculty.

About MECSAT

MECSAT was started in Spring, 2004 with faculty and students investigating and learning basics of high altitude balloon launches. Our models were the EOSS program in Colorado and the Borealis program in Montana. In June, 2004  faculty participated in the Student Hardware Workshop at Colorado State and launched payloads consisting of cameras and timer circuits, temperature/humidity loggers with both EOSS and Borealis flights. At the Colorado workshop, we met one of our launch partners, Michael Fortney, University of Vermont. Our first independent launch was in June a week after the Colorado workshop and we kept going.

Medgar Evers College is located in Central Brooklyn and the project has the added benefit of field experience for urban students. Our launch crew consists mainly of students with faculty supervision but we are always learning from one another and it is a cooperative effort.

MECSAT’s launch base is in Paradox, NY and our launches are in that area or in Milton, VT. The launch base is used for faculty and student workshops and is the location for all ozone launches.

MECSAT is supported by NASA grants including: the New York State Space Grant Consortium, the CUNY/MUSPIN program, the New York City Space Science Research Alliance, the New York City Research Initiative and the Vermont State Space Grant Consortium.

 

For more information about MECSAT, contact:

      Dr. Shermane Austin

      Medgar Evers College

      1150 Carroll Street

      Brooklyn, NY 11225

      Phone: 718-270-6038

      Email:  saustinATmec.cuny.edu (replace AT with @)

Some of the MECSAT student crew with S. Austin

Michael Fortney and S. Austin working at Colorado workshop