Dr. David Klaus stands next to the student-built, crew cabin mock-up of the Dream Chaser spacecraft, a potential commercial replacement vehicle for NASA's Space Shuttle. Researching potential issues with Dream Chaser is one of the new responsibilities of the CU professor and the school. (CU Independent/David Blackwell)
Though very few people have had the opportunity to travel to outer space, the prospect of commercial space travel remains an area of great interest for many entrepreneurs.
In fact, the University of Colorado at Boulder was recently named one of eight partner universities in a research program aimed at addressing potential issues associated with commercial space travel.
Dr. David Klaus, an aerospace engineering sciences professor who will be heading up the project at CU, said that “there are a lot of issues that need to be dealt with” before routine commercial space flight becomes a feasible option. That’s where CU comes into the picture.
The project will allow several students to work with CU faculty and industry partners to identify barriers to space travel and come up with possible solutions, and will also include the hiring of a new faculty member to help guide the research, Klaus said.
Other universities participating in the center are New Mexico State University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, the University of Florida, Florida Institute of Technology and the Tallahassee-based Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion, according to a CU news release.
Klaus said the partnership presents possibilities.
“It’s a unique opportunity to help define the future for commercial space travel,” he said.
The collaborative effort, which is supported by the Federal Aviation Administration, is known as the Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation. It will address issues ranging from managing traffic in space to space commerce and policy, according to the news release.
Shortly after the FAA announced its plan to create this new center, CU teamed up with Stanford and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to submit a proposal, which was ultimately chosen by the FAA, after months of review, Klaus said.
Megan Collins, a 20-year-old junior mathematics and education major, said that she would look into commercial space travel if it were available but would probably spend her money elsewhere.
“I’ve thought about it,” Collins said. “But in the end I’d rather use that money and travel everywhere in the world.”
Other students said that if money weren’t an issue they’d want to travel into space.
“I hadn’t really thought about [space travel],” said Tom James, a 20-year-old junior Japanese major. “Assuming money wasn’t an issue I’d want to try it though.”
Klaus said he enjoys making that happen for people.
“I think it’s exciting to be playing a role in this new generation of space travel,” Klaus said.
Klaus said he believes the primary benefit of participating in the project is the opportunity to conduct research that will ensure that commercial space travel is safe and efficient.
“We are educating the next generation of engineers to do the research that will make routine space travel a reality,” he said.
Contact CU Independent Contributor Hannah Smith at Hannah.smith@colorado.edu.
