Imagine a giant metal structure with sliding compartments and a white Texas A&M logo plastered across it — like a box composed of maroon Legos with a robotic arm attached to the top. It’s fitted with drawers that house countless research experiments. Now, imagine that structure in space and a group of eager students simultaneously collecting data in their labs back in College Station.
In just a few months, A&M will be the first university to have a permanent presence on the International Space Station, or ISS, to conduct in-space research — a feat made possible by collaborating with Aegis Aerospace Inc.
“Now, thanks to our partnership with Aegis Aerospace and support from Chancellor Sharp and The Texas A&M System Board of Regents, the TAMU-SPIRIT Flight Facility will pave the way for Aggie researchers to push the boundaries of space innovation,” President Mark A. Welsh III wrote in a press release.
TAMU-SPIRIT, which stands for Texas A&M/Aegis Aerospace Multi-Use Space Platform Integrating Research & Innovative Technology, will be a dedicated facility for robotics testing, space surveillance, material manufacturing and, of course, in-space research.
“We’re curious about what’s out there; we’re curious about how we can solve problems,” Vice Chancellor and Dean of Engineering Robert H. Bishop, Ph.D., said. “My message to Aggies is that you’ll have this opportunity front and center — whether you are researching aerospace, agriculture or medicine. This is such an exciting opportunity for the advancement of space research and our creative students.”
TAMU-SPIRIT is an in-space facility, meaning all experiments will be conducted outside of the ISS and in orbit.
At no cost, it will let Aggie students send up experiments and see how they react to radiation, extreme temperatures and zero-gravity conditions.
“With this opportunity, you can see your experiment all the way through,” former NASA employee and professor of practice in the department of aerospace engineering John Connolly said. “We have a pipeline that can fly 12 different experiments every six months, get them back, and load another set in with a robotic arm. It’s not often researchers get their experiments back from space due to high costs. TAMU-SPIRIT is a rare opportunity in more ways than one.”
Next fall, Bishop will be installing a space engineering program housed under the aerospace department in the College of Engineering. The program will address questions such as, “What do we do once we get to space?” and “How can we live on the moon or on Mars?”
The program will bring together students from across departments, addressing agriculture, medicine and social science issues.
“If you look at all the challenges the world’s facing — water, energy, transportation, access to healthcare — engineers will play a role, but they’re not the only key players,” Bishop said. “In this program, students will work across a broad spectrum of talents and creativity. That’s what’s so beautiful about it.”
Bishop hopes the creation of this program will prompt students and faculty of all disciplines to conduct space research.
“I want to see artists up there,” Bishop said.
It’s the research that will make a difference, Connolly said. Projects he hopes to see with TAMU-SPIRIT include developing new drugs by looking at pharmaceutical methods in zero-gravity, evolving types of seeds to grow in degraded environments and seeing how AI reacts to in-space conditions.
“I think we’ve just scratched the surface on the kind of benefits that will work backwards to Earth that are coming from space,” Conolly said. “Ultimately, we’re going into space because it benefits us all, and that’s been the case since the early days of the space program. I mean, the reason we’re all walking around with cell phones and personal computers is because the Apollo program needed to develop them to get us to the moon.”
TAMU-SPIRIT is based on the MISSE Flight Facility, a commercial facility built by Aegis that allows researchers to buy a spot on the experiment carrier. Stephanie Murphy ‘01, CEO of Aegis Aerospace Inc., donated MISSE’s design to build TAMU-SPIRIT.
“It’s a good feeling to be able to open up this opportunity for other Aggies,” Murphy said. “It’s also very humbling that Texas A&M would entrust my company to help them in this sort of bold venture. When you think about it, Texas A&M already spans across the state. Now, we’re helping them expand geographically in space.”
Murphy said TAMU-SPIRIT isn’t just an amazing opportunity for A&M, but for the entire nation.
“Space is no longer a place where NASA scientists play anymore,” Murphy said. “There is a ripple down effect. Space is now open to entrepreneurs, students and all the functions that go into a supporting economy … TAMU-SPIRIT could mean more jobs for folks at A&M, more jobs for Texans and more jobs for the county. Something like this may happen over several years and is hard to quantify, but it’s real and it’s coming.”
Connolly said TAMU-SPIRIT is the next stride in former NASA’s rocket developer Wernher Von Braun’s space exploration paradigm: taking one step at a time to reach an age where humans can live in space.
“All the researchers have to do is figure out what kind of research to conduct and find the resources to actually do the development of the individual experiments,” Connolly said. “All the heavy lifting, literally, of flying into space, testing everything before it’s flown into space, operating it in space and getting it back from space — all of that is part and parcel of the TAMU-SPIRIT program.”
