Denton, Texas, resident Robert Wheeler recently completed an internship at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he studied the fluidization of lunar stimulant. Wheeler, a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), landed a NASA internship through the Texas Aerospace Scholars Internship Program.
Wheeler interned with the Energy Systems Division within the Engineering Directorate, the organization responsible for providing engineering design, development and testing for spaceflight programs assigned to Johnson. Wheeler’s work may help with extracting oxygen and other valuable resources from lunar soil in the future.
“I not only learned a lot about the mechanics of fluidization and the physics behind it, but also gained invaluable knowledge about how fluid systems are designed and built, programs are managed and run, and how professional level research is conducted,” Wheeler said. “It was very refreshing to see real science being practiced and to be a part of it.”
Wheeler expects to graduate in spring 2012. At MIT, he is pursuing a major in aeronautics and astronautics and a minor in physics. He hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in an aerospace-related field after graduating.
The Texas Aerospace Scholars Internship Program, administered by the Universities Space Research Association in partnership with theAerospace Academy, is made available by NASA. The program seeks to recruit talented students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Interns are alumni of the High School Aerospace Scholars program or the Community College Aerospace Scholars program, which are interactive online learning experiences for Texasstudents that culminate in interactive visits to Johnson Space Center to design a human mission to Mars. The internship program aims to help develop future scientists and engineers.