Arizona at the Forefront of Space Exploration

A recent article by AZ Big Media examines Arizona's crucial role in space exploration – both in the past and today. In addition to meteor craters and multiple observatories, the state is home to the University of Arizona, which has led multiple NASA missions and continues to provide advancements in aerospace engineering. 

The article states how UA is currently engaged in manufacturing the 27-foot mirrors for what will be the world’s largest telescope – the giant Magellan Telescope in Northern Chile. It is also leading the OSIRIS-REx asteroid mission to bring asteroid samples back to Earth. The spacecraft entered orbit around the asteroid in 2018 and is expected to return in 2023. In recent years UA also led the Phoenix Mars Mission in 2008, which confirmed that Mars had water and nutrients capable of supporting life, and sent a spacecraft to Jupiter in 2016 for a year-long study.

Not only does the article celebrate UA's space research, but it also highlights the contributions of an engineering alum. Dylan Taylor, who serves as the chairman and CEO of Voyager Space Holdings, earned his BS in engineering in 1993.