In 2017, Langston University partnered with NASA and created a NASA Rocket Program on campus, which has allowed students to build payloads and model rockets. The payloads and model rockets are then taken to Wallops Island, Virginia, a NASA Flight Facility, to be launched into space. Marcio White, an engineering technology and agricultural science instructor, has been on the forefront of multiple research programs including the WRATS program (Wallops Rockets Academy for Teachers/Students) and the RockOn program.
According to White, “There’s only been about 2000 students in the whole world to do this project…I’ve had probably close to 30 from Langston University and there’s only 200 a year from around the country and around the world that gets to participate on this, and these are the best of the best students.”
Jada Watson, an engineering technology major, and Marae Jackson, a computer science major with a minor in mathematics, were two students who took part in the NASA LU RockOn Sounding Rocket Program WRATS 2024 team. Watson was responsible for the engineering and design work on the project. This included creating computer-aided designs (CAD), calculating the center of gravity for the rocket and wiring the payload, which was her “biggest challenge.”
“I learned a lot about people skills, working together, because it’s so difficult when you’re stuck in a room with people all day, you know, there’s questions, because, again, we’re learning rocket science here. It’s not easy, right?” Watson said.
Jackson worked with software, such as Arduino, to code payloads for data collection. She said, “It felt very good to know like as a black woman, as a black person in engineering, because it’s hard for us females especially to even step foot into those positions, just knowing that I did it and I can do something that nobody said that they could’ve done before, means a lot … Don’t be afraid to learn something new, like, be open to anything that comes your way … don’t limit yourself.”
The team was able to successfully launch a rocket into space, which was a proud moment for all of those involved. These events inspired Marlon Edwards, a filmmaker and English professor at Langston University, to create a documentary about the RockOn Program in hopes to capture activities that had not been previously documented. Filming equipment has been ordered, and he has been attending classes taught by White to gain more information about the RockOn program.
“This needs to be documented,” Edwards said. “The world doesn’t know, and they need to know.”
The goal is to highlight the students’ work and their contributions to space exploration.
Shooting for this documentary will begin as soon as the filming equipment gets to Langston. Students who are interested in filmmaking and would like to contribute to the documentary can get in contact with Edwards through his email, marlon.edwards@langston.edu. For those interested in joining the RockOn program, contact White by email, marcio.white@langston.edu or by phone number, (405)-226-1349.
Kaycie Washington
Staff Writer
Kaycie Washington is a senior broadcast journalism major
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The Gazette serves as the student voice of Langston University. It is produced within the Department of Communication as a teaching tool and local news source for the campus community. The views and opinions expressed within are those of the writers whose names appear with the articles and do not necessarily represent the views of Langston University.
