BOILERMAKERS IN SPACE. FUELED BY GRIT. BOUND FOR THE STARS.
Purdue is known as the Cradle of AstronautsTM because of its extraordinary influence on the U.S. space program, specifically the 30 Boilermakers chosen to become astronauts. Today’s generation of Boilermakers extends that proud tradition by contributing to projects—from the James Webb Space Telescope, to our return to the moon, to future missions to Mars and beyond—that will further expand humankind’s understanding of the cosmos.
ALL-BOILERMAKER TEAM TO CREW VIRGIN GALACTIC SUBORBITAL RESEARCH MISSION
Purdue University will build on its space legacy in an upcoming Virgin Galactic suborbital flight featuring an all-Purdue crew. The five members will include Steven Collicott, a professor of aerospace engineering; Abby Mizzi, a graduate student in Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics; alumnus Jason Williamson; and two additional Boilermaker alumni. This flight is scheduled for 2027. A university is all about teaching and learning, students, faculty and alumni; a suborbital space flight with all these together in a single university-crewed flight will be a global event.
News
All-Boilermaker team to crew Virgin Galactic suborbital mission Purdue 1
Spaceflight expected to carry Purdue engineering professor, graduate student conducting human-tended research experiments, accompanied by Purdue alumni in space classroom
Get Involved
THREE WAYS YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
1. HELP LAUNCH PURDUE RESEARCH INTO SPACE
Abby Mizzi, an aeronautics and astronautics engineering graduate student, was chosen through a competitive process and will have the opportunity to conduct her graduate thesis research in zero-gravity for several minutes of the suborbital flight. With support* from Purdue alumni and friends, we can provide the cost of her ticket, equipment, testing, travel for training and a conference for presenting her research findings. Your gift—no matter the size—will join those from other alumni and friends to drive Boilermakers into the galaxy. Together, we will extend the legacy of the Cradle of AstronautsTM as Purdue researchers do experiments in space. This collective effort will prove Boilermakers know no bounds.
HELP US REACH OUR GOAL OF $1MILLION
Thanks to alumni partners, we are already a quarter of the way to our goal!
MAKE A GIFT TO SUPPORT SENDING A PURDUE GRADUATE STUDENT AND HER RESEARCH TO SPACE AT:
https://giving.purdue.edu/cart?dids=RF0011&appealcode=21717
*No Purdue funds or gift funds will support alumni tickets on Purdue 1.
2. NAME THE MISSION
[YOUR NAME HERE +] Purdue 1 Mission
Add your name to the mission moniker and sponsor a livestream from the spaceship where the crew will do something special for the world to watch.
For more information, contact: Tanya Finkbiner: tjfinkbiner@purdueforlife.org
3. JOIN AS A SPACEFARER
Join the Purdue 1 mission. One seat remains for an alum. We are also looking for those who would be interested in joining the waitlist.
For more information, contact: Korina Wilbert: kwilbert@purdue.edu
Research
ZERO-GRAVITY RESEARCH
Steven Collicott, professor of aerospace engineering, was selected by NASA through a competitive national process to conduct a zero-gravity experiment during a Virgin Galactic suborbital space flight. Collicott will conduct an experiment that explores a difficult-to-model phenomenon. This research can help engineers exploit numerous liquid-solid combinations, such as new green propellants, in future spacecraft. The experiment will also highlight possible ways to automate such measurements in the future, and this automation enables cheaper launches of automated follow-up experiments. This will be Collicott’s first in-person experiment, after sending more than 10 automated experiments to space with Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, UP Aerospace and Exos Aerospace.
CONTACT TANYA FINKBINER AT TJFINKBINER@PURDUEFORLIFE.ORG OR 765-585-7602 TO LEARN MORE