Abstract
Whether its rockets, electric cars, cancer research, or quantum computing, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields are powerfully and consistently promoted as the nation's most critical and valuable career path. This intense political and media focus, often framed around addressing a national STEM worker shortage, has driven a tangible shift in higher education. Universities nationwide are reporting drops in humanities enrollments as students increasingly pivot toward STEM fields.
My capstone project involves designing one of these very exciting STEM projects: an ascent vehicle that will be launched from the surface of Mars. Through human exploration of Mars, NASA intends to build knowledge about the formation of the Earth, the history of the solar system, and the emergence of life as well as inspire a new generation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for further pursuit of scientific knowledge and exploration.
A Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) will be used by astronauts to leave the surface of Mars on the way back to Earth. As part of the Mars Sample Return campaign, which aims to collect and retrieve carefully selected samples from the surface of Mars, astonauts will land on the Martian surface, collect various samples, then return back to Earth. In returning back to Earth, the MAV will first transport the crew of astonauts and the collected samples from the surface of Mars to another vehicle orbiting Mars. This second vehicle will then return the crew back to Earth. There are many aspects to the design of the MAV, so my capstone group has limited the scope of our project. Our primary objectives are to design the structural component of the MAV and chart a course for the MAV to be deposited to Mars and depart to the Earth Return Vehicle.
NASA cites inspiring the next generation of STEM workers as one of the primary justifications for a crewed mission to Mars. While funding for science and research has been cut recently by the current administration, funding for potential space exploration efforts have been spared on the implication that this exploration would be in the pursuit of space colonization. The value of space exploration is being proclaimed by people in power and the direct application of the funding that has been distributed by these people affect what jobs are available out there. This then in turn affects people’s perception of what jobs are more lucrative.
There are many factors that fuel the perceived value of a STEM degree, including the promise of high starting salaries and job security in a climate of economic instability. This perception of guaranteed financial leverage is increasingly at odds with the complex reality of the modern labor market, which features fast-changing skill requirements, volatile tech employment rates, and growing reports of professional burnout. In my research paper, I examine the factors promoting the perception that STEM majors have a higher financial value than non-STEM majors, analyzing how educational and labor policies over the past two decades have shaped, reinforced, and monetarily incentivized this crucial career path decision. By analyzing how policies have monetarily incentivized paths like the one I am currently pursuing, this project aims to gain a better understanding of how easily individual perceptions on the role of work can be morphed and shaped.
Notes
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Technical Advisor: Michael McPherson, Chris Goyne
STS Advisor: Karina Ripley
Technical Team Members: David Truong, Matthew Herring, Amen Alemu, Anne Marie Branch, Craig Kalkwarf, Mariam Leweed
