THE
SHIELD
T h u r s d a y, D e c e m b e r 1 , 2 0 1 6 | U s i s h i e l d . c o m | v o l . 4 7 i s s u e 1 6
‘BLAZE THE TRAIL’ Students prepare mini satellite for orbit
Photo by megan thorne | The Shield
After putting on protective gloves, John Siepierski, a senior engineering major, Adam Will, a junior engineering major, electrical emphasis and Kegan Miller, a senior engineering major, mechanical emphasis, observe the 10x10x30 cm. aluminum frame for their miniaturized satellite the CubeSat. The team members have to wear gloves so their fingerprints don’t affect the instrumentation. Siepierski, the team leader, said they are planning to have it ready for NASA before Halloween in 2017.
by riley guerzini news@usishield.com @rguerzini
Bryan Mitchell said he needs sleep after helping design USI’s first-ever miniaturized satellite. Mitchell, a junior mechanical engineering major, is in charge of the power subsystem, which generates power throughout the satellite, also known as CubeSat. The official satellite name is the Undergraduate Nano Ionospheric Temperature Explorer (UNITE). The team consists of engineering students with mechanical and electrical backgrounds and three physics students. There are currently 11 members working on the CubeSat project. The team is divided into three categories: spacecraft, instrumentation and ground support equipment. There are 13 total subsystems with cooperation between them. “It’s a wonderful opportunity,” he said. “It’s something that you dream about. It’s not an opportunity that
Journalist analyzes media, election
just jumps on you at every single moment.” Mitchell said he wasn’t a part of the original startup team, but joined it immediately after he received an email over the summer. “This is always something I’ve always wanted to try,” he said. The project officially began Aug. 23 after the team was assembled and is expected to be finished no later than 18 months from the official start date, being ready to launch into orbit by early 2018 at the latest. Mitchell said, however, they would like to have the satellite finished and sent to NASA by December 2017. Once the satellite is completed, the UNITE team plans to send it to NASA who will then either send it as a cargo mission to the international space station for deployment or send it as a secondary payload on a commercial launch vehicle. The objectives of the CubeSat are to conduct space weather measurements in the lower ionosphere with a plasma probe, measure exterior and interior temperatures of the spacecraft and track orbital decay.
by gabi wy
opinion@usishield.com @suruhgrace
features@usishield.com @GabiCWy
Rain drops raced down the freshly washed windows as the chatter filled room hushed to an expectant silence. Brad Byrd, lead news anchor for Eyewitness News, cleared his throat and thanked the room of 20 people for taking the time to hear him speak. Byrd began by explaining that even though social media has the power to do great things in the world, it has a dark side. “I do not know everything when it comes to journalism and the media,” Byrd said. “Especially after this election, I have been forced to reevaluate my knowledge and my understanding of our political system.” Byrd’s speech was to debrief the recent election and how the media’s projections were so off. “How many of you have heard about the 1948 Chicago newspaper headline?”
Carter Hall won’t be Carter Hall Dec. 1-4. Instead, Madrigal Feaste attendees will walk into a Renaissance-style Baron’s Hall, immersed in a fifteenth-century royal feast with the university Chamber Choir. For the 47th annual Madrigal Feaste, sophomore Beronica Ricketts will portray a Jester. “The three jesters are the laughing stock of the kingdom,” the graphic design major and Chamber Choir member said. “We have different skits that we do, such as acting out the 12 Days of Christmas as the choir sings it.” Ricketts said it’s easy for her to get into character, which she’ll need to do as she interacts with the audience during each night’s feast. “I have a bubbly, open personality, and me and the other jesters are always joking around with each
Byrd
byrd, PAGE 3
satellite , PAGE 3
Feaste transports community to Renaissance
by sarah rogers
Byrd asked. “The headline came after the presidential race between Dewy and Truman. Truman won the election, yet the Chicago newspaper released a story with the headline: Dewy defeats Truman.” Byrd explained how the aftermath of this recent election is similar to the 1948 election in some ways. “We were not even close when it came to projecting who would win this election,” Byrd said. “Where did we go wrong?” Kelly McBride, an ad-
Mitchell said there have been problems along the way including a high-altitude balloon test flight. “It didn’t go entirely according to plan, but we always learn from our experiences,” he said. “There are bound to be errors or unfortunate circumstances going forward” He said there is $10,000 of funds allocated from the budget for various problems during design and fabrication. The project is funded by a $200,000 grant from NASA’s Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP). The USIP grant requires that all members of the team are undergraduates and the team be multidisciplinary, which means it cannot be composed of just one set of majors. Senior engineering major John Siepierski said they have received smaller grants from the Indiana Space Grant Consortium and the university endeavor grant to help fund the GPS system, which they added to the CubeSat.
Photo by The Shield
The royal court sings during the 2014 Madrigal Feaste in Carter Hall.
other,” she said. Ricketts said Madrigal Feaste is a bonding experience for the Chamber Choir, and she wants it to also be memorable for the audience. “I think they’re really gonna like it,” she said. “I
want them to come back every year.” It’ll be junior Kyle Leadingham’s third year participating in Madrigal Feaste, this year reprising his role as the Chamberlain. “I greet people and tell them the rules of feast-
ing,” the radio/television major said. “(Playing the Chamberlain) is amazing, and he’s a cool character to be. The baron’s hall is his manor.”
madrigal feaste, PAGE 4