From Apollo to Artemis, humans have tried to explore our place in the universe. Recently, SpaceX launched astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the ISS where they safely came back down to Earth, re-igniting interest in space exploration. Columbia Space Initiative, in the spirit of human exploration, would like for you, the Artemis Generation, to join us in this excitement! In this lecture series, CSI members will be presenting their student mission progress and how each of those missions relates to space and science. Our first lecture will be a basic overview of space exploration. The following lectures will focus on CSI-specific missions: SPOCS - a NASA opportunity for a team of Artemis Generation students enrolled in institutions of higher learning to design and build an experiment to fly to and return from the International Space Station. SUITS - a NASA challenge for students to design and create spacesuit information displays within augmented reality (AR) environments. Rockets - the Columbia Rocketry Program designs, builds, and tests high performance rockets. As one of only a few collegiate rocketry teams worldwide developing hybrid rocket engines, we are a dedicated group of engineers and scientists focused on technical advancement. Micro-g - an annual NASA design competition in which teams compete to design and manufacture tools designed to function in microgravity environments.

Have you wondered about what is beyond Earth? In Intro to Space Exploration, you will learn the about outer space, the history of space exploration, the space industry, and the basics of orbital mechanics and propulsion. This class will be led by the Columbia Space Initiative, a student group that competes in various aerospace competitions and has done work for NASA!