'Out Of The Clouds, Into The Classroom': Freeport High School Science Team Chosen To Participate In NASA CubeSat Challenge
FREEPORT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- It was an exciting day on Long Island for some high school students after a successful test flight of technology they made from scratch.
Even more exciting, NASA may choose to send it into orbit.
With three, two, one, liftoff, precious cargo is on the move.
Seventeen-year-old Mia Sorrentino explained that attached to the drone is a CubeSat, or mini satellite, made up of wires and circuit boards.
"You can hold it in your hands, you know," she told CBS2's Vanessa Murdock. "We want to prove that a satellite that costs a fraction and is a fraction of the size of actual NASA-grade satellites is just as useful."
Sorrentino is one of 15 Freeport High School students on the CubeSat team.
"We're all the nerdy science kids," said 16-year-old sophomore Victor Villatorio, the team leader.
And proud of it, he says.
"It's definitely an honor to be able to do it," he said.
Victor shares his team is one of just five in the country chosen to fly high for the CubeSat challenge sponsored by U.S. Department of Education and NASA.
Tuesday, the drone soared 200 feet up, collected GPS and temperature data and fed it back in real time to the computer.
"The ultimate goal is to compare how climate change has affected different places around the world," 17-year-old senior Melissa Bell said.
"This particular project brings space missions out of the clouds into the classroom," said Dr. Vincent Pereira, director of science at Freeport Public Schools.
He says this is education at its best, a true motivator for students because one team's CubeSat will be chosen for launch via rocket ship and sent into orbit.
"We got this," Sorrentino said.
The team will find out before the end of the school year if their CubeSat will get sent into outer space.
"I would be gobsmacked," Bell said.
"This is something very big and just the thought of it kind of makes my knees a little weak," Victor said.
The future is more than bright -- it's out of this world.
