Cal Poly’s THOLOS team was selected to move into Phase II of the 2022 Micro-g NExT challenge!
Mechanical Engineering Professor Peter Schuster is the advisor for the team, which includes mechanical engineering seniors Kat Gipson, Julia Cortinovis Rios, Ben Andres Trust, and James P. Verheyden.
Micro-g Neutral Buoyancy Experiment Design Teams (Micro-g NExT) challenges undergraduate students to design, build, and test a tool or device that addresses an authentic, current space exploration challenge. The overall experience includes hands-on engineering design, test operations, and public outreach. Test operations are conducted in the simulated microgravity environment of the NASA Johnson Space Center Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL). Teams will propose design and prototyping of a tool or simulant identified by NASA engineers as necessary in space exploration missions. Professional NBL divers will test the tools and students will direct the divers from the Test Conductor Room of the NBL facility. Micro-g NExT provides a unique opportunity to contribute to NASA’s missions. The 2022 Micro-g NExT challenges focus on the lunar extravehicular activities (EVA) operations aspect of the Artemis missions.
