The Spacecraft Systems and Operations Lab (SSOL), later to be named the Spacecraft Systems and Controls Lab (SSCL) had its humble beginnings in the fall of 1991. A group of space enthusiasts developed a plan to build a satellite called “ISAT” (Iowa SATellite) for the State of Iowa. The SSOL was established in a rented space in the town of Boone, Iowa in the fall of 1992 for the design and fabrication of ISAT. The lab was funded by the Iowa Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) which in turn funded by NASA Space Grant initiative (http://calspace.ucsd.edu/spacegrant). The lab was relocated to Howe Hall on the campus of Iowa State University in (YEAR). In 2007, the lab was remained to the Spacecraft Systems and Controls Lab (SSCL) after a new mission and leadership were introduced.

IJEM History

The ISAT project never got fully funded. In September of 1994, an opportunity to fly an experiment aboard the space shuttle was presented. One of the original experiments for the ISAT project, was incorporated into a design to be flown aboard the space shuttle in a project called IJEMS (Iowa Joint Experiment in Microgravity Solidification). The project involved many institutions, including Iowa State University (ISU), the University of Iowa, the Ames Laboratory, the Institute for Physical Research and Technology, Rockwell International, and Space Industries Incorporated. In September of 1995, the project was successfully flow aboard STS-69.

HABET History

During the same time period as the IJEM project the Central Iowa Technical Society (CITS), an Amateur Radio organization, was working on launching high altitude balloons with amateur radio equipment. The project was called HABET (High Altitude Ballooning and Experiments in Technology). The first HABET flight took place in 1993 from one of the member’s houses in rural Iowa. The HABET program started by the CITS was transferred to Iowa State University’s Spacecraft and Systems Operation Lab in May of 1995 and funded through the ISGC.

The HABET program launched large weather balloons carrying amateur radio equipment and experiments to altitudes in excess of 100,000 ft. Students at ISU were responsible for the design, construction, testing, operation, and recovery of the payloads. As the program matured, the experiments became more advanced and outside researchers started to utilize the program.