Bradley Students Helping Astronauts Land on the Moon

November 20, 2020

This week, NASA selected Bradley University for participation in the next phase of the NASA SUITS (Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students) program. In this phase, called the Artemis Challenge, university students across the country will design and develop spacesuit interfaces and experiences using a Microsoft HoloLens, to potentially be used during the Artemis mission.

Bradley has participated in previous NASA SUITS challenges, but this one, according to Lead Faculty Advisor Heather Ford, is a new challenge with unique parameters and is more challenging.

As NASA pursues landing American astronauts on the Moon by 2024 for its Artemis mission, it is essential they are well-equipped with the technologies necessary for the elevated lunar demands and extreme terrestrial access. For instance, the xEMU (Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit), a suit that will be worn by the first woman and next man to walk the Moon, requires a dynamic visual display system that will optimize the astronaut's effectiveness. The NASA SUITS 2021 Artemis Challenge helps meet this need.

Bradley's team, BUEARTH received the news of its selection this week during a live-streamed NASA selection event. On April 19, 2021 the BUEARTH team will do a virtual test week with a number of NASA advisors to see how the team's product works and if it meets criteria for selection.

This project is an extracurricular activity for the students and not connected to any specific Bradley course.

2020-21 BUEARTH team members:

  • Brandon Adduci ‘23 - Engineer majoring in electrical engineering
  • Ben Bachmann ‘23 - Engineer majoring in electrical/computer engineering
  • Zach Bachmann ‘21 - Manager and Director majoring in computer science
  • TJ Caron ‘22 - Programmer majoring in game design
  • Douglas Guzman ‘22 - Lead Programmer majoring in game design and computer science
  • Abigail Irwin ‘22 - Lead Designer majoring in user experience design and psychology
  • Sarah Irwin ‘24 - Social Media majoring in user experience design
  • Taylor Johnson ‘22 - Designer majoring in user experience design
  • Matthew Kirchoff ‘21 - Designer and Programmer majoring in game design
  • Joseph Manata ‘23 - Designer majoring in game design