Orbiter: An Interdisciplinary, Student Run Space Program

disciplines required with communications, public policy, management and disciplines to support mission design (physics, mathematics, etc.). This paper presents a space program developed at the University of North Dakota which successfully combined the aforementioned elements. The formation, operations and results-to-date of the program are presented and discussed. This program, called OpenOrbiter, seeks to provide participating students and faculty members with an experience that can only be attained via an integrated, operating space program. In addition to the technical challenges (the typical consideration in small satellite programs), participants were involved with the policy and political dimensions of program operation, creating a mission brand, securing appropriate resources, disseminating mission information, mission planning and implementation. This innovative approach facilitated the analysis of key issues that are typically the crux of real space missions. In many cases, it is not the technology that is the problem, but the other considerations. The OpenOrbiter project exposed engineering and other STEM students to these considerations; it also provided students in other areas (that normally do not have the opportunity to participate in the technical program) with the opportunity and the associated learning benefits.