May 27 2003

Clemson University Tapped to Help Improve Spacecraft Design

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) announced today the Clemson University Physics and Astronomy Department has been awarded a research project worth $50,000 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Office of Space Science. The experiment to be conducted at Clemson will support NASA’s Living with a Star Space Environment Testbeds (LWS SET) program. The goal of the LWS SET is to improve the capability to accommodate or mitigate the effects of solar variability on spacecraft design and operations. “South Carolina’s universities are among the best in the nation,” Graham said. “This is an example of the high-tech research that is conducted every day in South Carolina by our colleges.” Graham noted that of the proposals NASA received from various organizations to participate in this project, only six were selected throughout the country. Clemson was one of two universities chosen for the project. The contract will have an option for an additional $200,000 if the findings from the first $50,000 successfully complete a peer review.