A Silver Celebration of Wisconsin Space

The air filled with wonder as students, faculty, and industry members gathered at the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on Aug. 14, 2015, to celebrate all things Wisconsin Space.

The rooms were abuzz with the latest research in microgravity, spacecraft structural fabrication systems, drones, nebulosities, collisionless gravitational systems, tethered aerostats, and other STEM-related topics.

Dr. R. Aileen Yingst, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, a research institution headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, capped off the evening with highlights from her research with Mars Curiosity Rover. Dr. Yingst served as the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Director at the University of Wisconsin — Green Bay for 14 years. She is a participating scientist on the Mars Exploration Rover Mission and deputy principal investigator for the Mars Handlens Imager instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity. Other missions that Dr. Yingst has worked on include Dawn at Vesta, Mars Pathfinder, Mars Polar Lander, and Galileo. 

Mr. John Monnett, founder and president of Sonex Aircraft LLC, kicked off the Silver Celebration with inspirational words on “Innovation in Flight,” challenging the next generation of space enthusiasts to explore the many possibilities of entrepreneurial and exploration endeavors. Mr. Monnett has many designs to his credit including the Sonerai sport aircraft series, Monerai sailplane, Moni motorglider, Monex racer, along with numerous other homebuilt aircraft. Mr. Monnett has more than 40 years of homebuilt aircraft and restoration experience along with extensive engine development and testing experience. 

More than 140 guests attended the Aug. 14 event. The Wisconsin Space Conference hosted 37 academic and industry presentations centered around NASA partnerships, student research, K-12 general outreach, academic and industry research, and WSGC team projects, as well as a vibrant poster session.

Premiering this year was the first-ever networking event, giving individuals an opportunity to chat with experts in various science disciplines.  

Review the 25th Annual Wisconsin Space Conference Program
View the Proceedings of the 25th Annual Wisconsin Space Conference  

26th Annual Space Conference
University of Wisconsin — Superior
Yellow Jacket Union
August 10-12, 2016 (Tentative Date)