Tillamook County Composite Squadron "Space Cadets" Win Big! (Photo) -06/24/23

On Saturday, June 3, 2023, a team of Tillamook County Composite Squadron Civil Air Patrol cadets participated in the final face-to-face competition in the Northwest Earth Space Sciences Pathways (NWESSP) and NASA’s Artemis ROADS 2022-23 program at Central Washington University (CWU).  The cadets took two regional 1st place awards and tied for the final overall best score.  The team, self-named, the “Space Cadets” showed off their skills in front of a judge’s panel and over seventy other competitors.

The ROADS program (Rover Observation and Drone Survey) is a framework that lets students explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) concepts through hands-on activities. ROADS takes inspiration from real NASA projects and guides students on a space-related missions. Each year the ROADS competition tackles different science and engineering problems involved in visiting different solar system bodies. For 2022–2023 challenge, contestants were tasked with going back to the moon. 

The Space Cadets began their research and preparation in November 2022. They competed in nine mission objectives which included building robotic rovers, flying the Artemis trajectory from Earth to the Moon, raising plants for food in contained environments, designing their own astronaut patch, studying moon regolith, the unconsolidated debris that covers the moon’s surface, packing personal bags for the trip, and much more. “The cadets really stuck with the nine-month project,” said squadron commander Maj. Deborah Maynard. “They worked hard on submitting what was required on time and in good form.”  This earned the stalwart cadets an invitation to the final regional competition at the university. 

Driving more than five hours to Central Washington University, the Space Cadets and their advisors began the day-long competition by demonstrating robotic navigation through lunar regolith across the surface of the moon, as well as flying a drone from Earth to the Moon on a specific plotted trajectory. 

One of the missions of this NASA-based program is to encourage youth to learn about the Artemis program and the environment in space and on the Moon. In 2025, Artemis III will see the beginning of colonizing the Moon.  This NASA program will require humans to live in space for long periods of time.  “These cadets will be the generation that lives in space and colonizes our moon and planets,” according to Maynard. “They’re getting a start right now with NWESSP and NASA!”

To help educate young people, the team designed a funny graphic novel based on real science and what abounds in Tillamook County - cows.  Each judge received a copy of “Cows in Space”.

Local sponsors for the team activities included Tillamook Creamery, Coast Printing, and Annie’s Country Sportswear