BY NAROD EKMEKJIAN
Dr. Henry Helvajian, technical fellow and senior scientist in the Physical Sciences Laboratories at The Aerospace Corporation, and Vahe Manuelian, Mesrobian class of 1990, senior project engineer at The Aerospace Corporation, visited Armenian Mesrobian School on February 23 to engage with the high school students.
As the future of space exploration and commercialization becomes increasingly important, the upcoming generation of students are responsible for shaping its future. To address this, Dr. Helvajian and Manuelian’s visit was dedicated to sparking excitement about space in the students and providing captivating facts to raise awareness about its upcoming challenges.
Before the main topic, Manuelian spoke about the importance of education, to think big, and to know that Mesrobian students have a community of brilliant scientists and engineers like Dr. Helvajian to look up to and who are available to guide them. He then introduced Dr. Helvajian, who is recognized internationally in the areas of miniaturizing space systems and in laser material interaction physics and chemistry.
We learned that Dr. Helvajian’s investigations on miniaturizing satellites, in the early 1990’s, led to the development of the world’s first <1 kg mass picosatellite which has since evolved into the CubeSat or Nanosatellite class vehicles. Furthermore, Dr. Helvajian is now a leading force in new space architectures including a futuristic mission that will help us find life in other planets 100’s of light years away.
Dr. Helvajian opened his presentation by providing interesting facts about space and its increasing relevance in our everyday lives. Providing a myriad of visual aids, he then simplified the complexities of space through use of everyday objects. A deeply moved 11th grader stated, “Before Dr. Henry’s presentation, I had no knowledge of how space worked. His demonstrations made it really easy to understand.”
Additionally, Dr. Helvajian continuously underscored the importance of every type of discipline in the future of space exploration and its ecosystem development, even those interested in the humanities. A 12th grader, interested in Political Science, expressed his optimism, stating, “As someone who is going to pursue Political Science, I am happy to know that I, too, can make a difference in the future where outer space plays a bigger role!”
To conclude his presentation, Dr. Helvajian enthusiastically answered the endless flood of questions from eager students. Undeterred that the presentation had ended, students of all grades stayed from their next classes to express their gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Helvajian and Mr. Manuelian. Given the enthusiasm and excitement displayed by the students and Dr. Helvajian, it is evident that the future of space is safe and in the hands of brilliant minds from all walks of life.
