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.