2 USU grads honored for work in space technology

LOGAN — In science fiction, spaceships zip effortlessly through the cosmos, seamlessly sailing through any planet's atmosphere.

But it isn't that easy in the real world.

That's why a Utah State University graduate won a $7,500 scholarship at Utah State University's 21st annual Conference on Small Satellites.

Patrick Jolley won second place in the Frank J. Redd Student Scholarship Competition for his proposal for a spaceship that could ferry a small satellite into space, re-enter Earth's atmosphere to change course and then deposit the satellite in a different orbit.

Scott Jensen, another USU graduate, won honorable mention and $2,500 for a system that employs the Earth's magnetic field to adjust a satellite's orientation.

Jolley said his idea could drastically reduce the time needed to replace failed satellites. If a military satellite failed during a war, for example, his spaceship could replace it in days instead of the usual two to six months.

"In a time of crisis, you could deploy this spacecraft and get there quickly," he said.

Jolley's spaceship design features futuristic swept wings that would enable the spaceship to dip from orbit into the upper atmosphere, where it could fly like an airplane and re-enter space in a different area.

The unmanned spaceship would be launched into orbit carrying one or two replacement satellites. Some systems employ dozens of satellites, and replacing one would be much easier if its spare were already in space.

"It's kind of like carrying it around in the trunk of your car," Jolley said.

The spaceship's flying ability would also reduce rocket fuel consumption by about two-thirds, he said.

"It would save fuel because you're using the aerodynamics of the vehicle rather than just starting the rockets," Jolley said.

Jolley said one of the biggest problems was designing a spaceship that could withstand the heat of re-entering the atmosphere and maneuver at 18 times faster than the speed of sound. He revised and tweaked several designs and tested them on a computer until he came up with the right one.

The spaceship could be used in various kinds of satellite systems, including weather, global positioning, telecommunications and military surveillance. But whether anyone will turn his design into a real spaceship remains to be seen.

"At least it proves we can go forward," Jolley said. "It's a starting point."

Jensen's project, however, is almost ready to go.

USU is building a satellite incorporating the technology Jensen developed. If USU wins the University Nanosat Competition, Jensen's magnetic control system could be launched into space on an Air Force rocket in two years.