Destination: International Space Station

If you saw the northern lights this year in Nebraska, you experienced a rare occurrence that only happens during periods of intense solar activity. A team of three Metropolitan Community College students plan to explore that activity by sending a micro-gravity experiment to the International Space Station (ISS) for nine weeks.

The proposal was selected by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education for inclusion in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program. The team — Eric Tomjack, Nikoli Vanosdall and Alvaro Gonzalez-Cruz — will watch their project rocket into space aboard a SpaceX rocket at the Kennedy Space Center during an all-expenses-paid trip this summer.

Their project will measure neutron radiation levels near a solar maximum, the period responsible for increased solar activity. Neutron radiation occurs when the sun expels particles, mainly protons, that collide with other particles, knocking a neutron loose. That neutron must then repeatedly collide with other particles before eventually reaching Earth.

“I think about it like a game of pool. You have to keep hitting a ball for it to go into the pocket,” said Tomjack, who is currently working towards a transfer degree in arts and sciences. He plans to continue his education at the University of Colorado in atmospheric sciences.

MCC physics instructor Kendra Sibbernsen encouraged the students to participate, explaining that an opportunity for undergraduate research is rare — and opportunities to send a science study to the ISS are even rarer.

“That’s not really something you see, much less at a community college,” said Gonzalez-Cruz, 20, who is working towards a transfer degree after starting as a dual enrollment student at Central High School. He hopes to pursue a degree in computer science at Bellevue University.

“As soon as I heard about it, I was excited,” said Vanosdall, 25, who plans to a transfer to University of Nebraska Omaha to continue studying architectural engineering. “It got me excited for what’s to come next, especially with just how I can grow.”

Following the nine-week mission, the students will analyze the neutron radiation data and share their findings. Sibbernsen isn't necessarily focused on the results, rather how the unique learning experience will impact her students.

“We just want students to participate and play creatively in science... that’s something you don’t generally have time to do in class because you’re busy getting through curriculum,” she said.

Check back in late summer to learn what the students discovered.