Panthers Participate in new space program, Stellar Explorers

The StellarXplorers program, run by Advanced Placement Computer Science and Engineering teacher Hassan Twiet, started last year as a response to demands for an intriguing, but educational program for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students. The high school program emulates a program that the military uses to build satellites. Each team has six members who compete in designing special orbits for man-made satellites.

Sponsored by The Air Force Association, the StellarXplorers program draws students from all over the United States to participate in the competition using math and science knowledge through computer programs. Peninsula is the only high school that currently has two teams. This competition is split into three parts; the first part of the competition took place on Jan. 15 in Twiet’s classroom and lasted six hours during which teams built a virtual satellite and created a mathematical equation that represented the path of orbit.
After completing the first part of the competition, each team received its score based on how well they completed their mission. The Air Force Association, based in Colorado Springs, then compared each team’s score with other teams around the U.S. One of Peninsula’s teams received first place in the first competition. This team, Team STLX02-0005, consists of Bethany Grenier, Harmont Grenier, Nathan Kim, Rishi Gattu, Amy Ross and David Noh. The second competition was held yesterday; students were tasked to design a virtual satellite that holds a camera that takes quality pictures. (Results of the second competition were not available at The Pen’s publication deadline.) Junior Yodai Takeuchi’s interest in the areas of space and science compelled him to sign up for the team.
“When I was doing the practice round, it was the first time I had done something on a StellarXplorers is out of this world [computer program],” Takeuchi said. “Mr. Twiet told us some general information about it, but we had to figure out the rest for ourselves. It was challenging, but also fun to go through the trial and error.”
Before the competition, students met in Twiet’s classroom to prepare for various scenarios they might encounter during the real competition. One scenario they practiced was based on a broadcasting company interested in using a satellite to relay messages from New York to California. The students needed to calculate the distance of the orbit to transmit these messages.
“Students apply [many concepts] that they learn in math and science,” Twiet said. “What makes the StellarXplorers program so great is that [the program] is a real life experience where [students] combine their academic [skills] and real world experience to come up with something constructive.”