Welcome!

Thanks for your interest in the SPIRIT project.

SPIRIT is a long-duration undergraduate research project for making in situ measurements of the mesosphere. But it is more than that ...

SPIRIT is an educational program where younger students explore their interests and older pre-engineers demonstrate their abilities. Even that is not all ...

SPIRIT is educational outreach; it is publicity; it is seniors working together with freshmen, engineers with non-engineers. It is students rolling up their sleeves along with faculty, grad students and NASA engineers on a technically complex project of common interest.

What SPIRIT really is, though, is a bunch of students challenging each other to do their best. The payload that we ultimately strap on top of that Nike-Orion rocket ship is an intensely personal reflection of the talents of the student builders. It is a bit amazing when you think about it: out of this diverse miasma of undergraduates emerges a bright, sleek professional product that must perform a difficult task on the very first try. Wow!

So, take a minute and look around. There is information on these pages about the organization of the program. There is a bit about who we are and what would be expected of you should you join. Let your interests be your guide. Can we help you achieve your personal and professional goals? If so, we - all of us - challenge you to join up, pitch in and make your mark on the mesosphere.

Timothy F. Wheeler, Payload Manager