Columbus Space program is the initiative that covers FIRST team 4188, DREAMS high altitude balloon science, and the NASA CubeSat program in Columbus, GA
The Columbus Space program is made up of three separate but related initiatives: robotics, high-altitude balloon science, and cubeSAT design and implementation.
Our program encompasses the FIRST Team 4188, which competes in Georgia in robotics competitions. Formerly referred to as Columbus Corps robotics, the team is currently undergoing a rename. The students participating attend local high schools. FIRST Robotics Competition has been a way for our team members to excel in engineering, CAD, business, and leadership. The assistance it has provided for the college acceptance of our alumni is significant and undeniable. Over the past few years, six of our own team members have been accepted into MIT, and many of the others attend schools including Dartmouth, Georgia Tech, Johns Hopkins, Auburn, and Mercer. The majority of our alumni have chosen to major in STEM fields such as Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or Computer Science. FIRST Team 4188 has also launched several careers, including internship with Google and SpaceX.
The DREAMS program is unique to the Columbus area. DREAMS (Doing Research at Extreme Altitudes for Motivated Students) is based on a high altitude balloon science platform, and was developed by members of the Columbus Space Program. We are currently in planning for DREAMS 23, in support of our third initiative - the CubeSat program.
We are applying for NASA's CubeSat Initiative, under this program. This program is a NASA Cubesat Launch Initiative Proposal from the Columbus Space Program & AMSAT. Primary focus area: Advance technology readiness level for a new type of magnetometer core and to advance an education plan using national K-12 networks. Our proposal was submitted November 26, 2014. The acceptance notice is scheduled for February 6, 2015.
