SAM TECH CNC PROGRAM HELPS TRAIN NASA ASTRONAUTS
“We know how the racing industry wants to hire grads from The School of Automotive Machinists & Technology, but the school’s reputation has also led to its involvement in a monumental space exploration project. NASA is currently building the Orion spacecraft which, in a few years, will take astronauts to an asteroid and one day on to Mars. It will be the safest and most advanced space craft ever built. The SAM Tech CNC class is designing and fabricating pieces for the crew module mock‐up, which is used in spacecraft design and astronaut training. NASA’s first unmanned Orion flight will be in 2014, 3,600 miles into space at speeds of more than 20,000 MPH.” – HorsePower TV
For more than 18 months, SAM Tech’s CNC classes have been working hand in hand with NASA engineers, staff, and even astronauts designing and fabricating a shoulder bolster for the Orion spacecraft seat system which provides critical protection to the crew during launch and landing. Over the summer, the School of Automotive Machinists & Technology was visited by one of the astronauts from NASA. While visiting, he met with faculty, staff, and even held a Q & A with the students.
“The partnership with SAM Tech has turned out to be a tremendous benefit to NASA. The creative design work that SAM Tech is doing has the potential to help NASA reduce the mass of the system, which is always a goal with spacecraft. Also, the manufacturing work that SAM Tech is doing is outstanding, providing NASA with some very high-quality hardware to use in testing and training. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to share a little of what NASA is doing with the students.” ‐ Christie Sauers, NASA Orion Mockup Lead
