IMAGE: EIS Centers for Excellence

ASTRO, or Aerospace Summer Training & Research Opportunity, is specifically geared for high school students. ASTRO participants work in a team of six students to solve Aerospace Engineering design problems. They have access to numerous resources, including our staff with Daily Staff Check-In’s. For the Check-In’s, our staff members rotate each day and are also available on an as-needed basis for any questions. As a result, the students are presented with a great mix of expertise to learn from.

No great summer program is complete without a few fun activities along the way. ASTRO participants enjoy a field trip to GA Tech, movie day, one-on-one talks with staff about college and career advice, and even a little Staff vs. ASTRO Foosball. SEI hopes to further develop the interest these students have shown in the Aerospace Engineering field through this challenging yet fun-filled experience.


Aerospace additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, is one of the most active areas of 3D printing right now, with a number of companies producing unique components for use here on Earth and in space. For Enterprise In Space (EIS), work dedicated to AM in space is of particular importance, as it will help humanity further explore and, eventually, inhabit the cosmos. Currently, on the International Space Station (ISS), there are two 3D printers installed by EIS partner Made In Space. The Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) is dedicated to commercial projects and will be used for EIS' Print the Future Competition.

Orbital Debris Mitigation and Remediation 
Dr. Kerry Nock
Global Aerospace Corporation

Orbital debris is a growing concern due to the continuous and rapid accumulation of objects in space, including expended satellites, satellite or launch vehicle components, and fragments resulting from the collision between space objects. The number of significant satellite breakup events has averaged about four per year and the cataloged debris population (10 cm in size or larger) has increased at a nearly constant linear rate of 200 objects per year since the beginning of the space age.

Global Cooperation

     As we witness the exponential investment in space development, exploration and security, we must pause to think collectively about the governance and sustainability of Earth as control extends into the universe. We need to prepare the next generation of citizens for this emerging field. We are experiencing a shift from globalization to ‘Universalization’ as this century’s paradigm. 

     Universalization asserts that we are living in ‘one world within the universe’ and that universal sustainability requires a cooperative and inclusive approach to development for the benefit of ALL. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN2030 Agenda) speaks to “a broad and universal policy agenda … devoting ourselves collectively to the pursuit of global development and of "win-win" cooperation which can bring huge gains to all countries and all   parts of the world.” The core values of Universalization and the UN2030 Agenda are aligned and timely given the mounting pressures for effective governance of ‘universal’ issues. 

Space Solar Power (SSP) is also known as Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) and sometimes shortened to just Space Solar.  It always involves some form of Solar Power Satellite (SPS) sometimes called a 'powersat'.  The general principle is collecting solar energy in space and delivering it to earth.  There are early mentions hinting at SSP from science fiction but the first significant design work was done by Peter Glaser in the last 1960s and includes a US patent.  A large study was sponsored by NASA in the last 1970s, and there were additional studies in the 1990s and early 2000s.  A great deal of publications on SSP exist and there is a very wide diversity of configurations, which are called 'architectures'.  Two broad areas for design are:  (1) what orbit is used; and (2) how the power is transferred.  Low Earth Orbits pass overhead quickly and are in earth's shadow half the time so powersats in this orbit sometimes come in 'trains'.  Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) is popular because powersats orbit the globe at the same angular rate as it spins, so an earth-bound observer perceives the powersat to be fixed in the sky - this is a big plus for many communications satellites.  Some architects have proposed gathering sunlight on the Moon, where the power beaming back to earth is a very long distance (10 times that of GEO) and has many logistical complexities.  The most common configuration is GEO using phased array antennas to send a beam of microwaves (we often say say 'low-density radio waves' to avoid panic from lay persons - it is technically correct) to a receiving antenna (portmanteau = 'rectenna', plural 'rectennae') on earth.  Space-to-space power beaming is also envisioned, and these schemes sometimes propose lasers, which are converted to useful electricity with solar panels.  This archive is intended to capture a broad range of architectures and technologies and studies of Space Solar for educational purposes, and in the hopes it will inspire innovation by students whose ideas will help to realize the great promise of SSP:  clean, renewable, baseload power for all mankind.