2.6 SmallSat Educational Efforts
The educational aspects of SmallSats (particularly CubeSats) are an
intrinsic part of their heritage. CubeSats, with their concomitant
philosophy of standardization and containerization, were created in 1999
at California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly) and the Space
Systems Development Lab at Stanford University to facilitate access to
space for university students at low cost (see
https://www.cubesat.org/). The U.S. National Science Foundation (through
the “CubeSat-based Science Missions for Geospace and Atmospheric
Research” program) advocated for this concept and served as a trigger
to motivate the flow of new ideas from academia to the scientific
community (Moretto & Robinson, 2008).
In the last few years, the scientific community has been actively
working to prepare our technologically advanced societies to reduce
vulnerabilities to space weather hazards. Among other roles, the
community advances knowledge of the fundamental nature of space weather,
contributes to developing a reliable space weather prediction and
forecast system, and evaluates space weather effects on human and
technological assets. Long-term planning requires a multidisciplinary
approach, with efforts to promote the flow of knowledge from the
scientific community towards academia. SmallSat capabilities and legacy
are key pieces in both requirements.
Currently, there is a significant lack of space weather programs within
U.S. colleges and universities and lack of a critical mass of students
and faculty within relevant departments. Space weather is inherently
interdisciplinary, but researchers interested in space weather are
typically trained in academic departments that lack the breadth and
depth that the field demands. The cost to create a space weather program
in universities is very high and the number of potential students is
likely low. This scenario has created challenges in overcoming the
scientific and technical complexities of space weather research, and in
the practical problem of sustaining support for space weather-related
infrastructure and human resources. Although significant effort is being
made by the scientific community (e.g., the Community Coordinated
Modeling Center), ensuring the transfer of knowledge requires creating
an international collaboration between academia, industry, government
agencies, and international organizations to promote cooperative
academic programs that minimize the cost and maximize the number of
end-users.