By Luis Rodriguez
Wycliffe Acquah is going places. The junior, who is double majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics, grew up in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. He has already made his mark at Springfield College – and beyond – as a Students Lead Systems Engineer at NASA’s L’SPACE.
Three months ago, Acquah, 23, began a 10-week Mission Concept Acdemy in NASA’s LSPACE Mission Concept Academy centered on an ongoing research to capitalize on the findings of “The Lucy Mission.” The 12-year-long Lucy Mission began on Oct, 16. 2021, when “Lucy” – a satellite probe whose purpose is to take photos and analyze asteroids, and planets she passes during her journey – was launched aboard an Atlas V 401 rocket. Now Lucy’s main objective is to capture data on the “Trojan Asteroids” that have been orbiting the sun for billions of years, and circle around as far as Jupiter. Scientists theorize that these asteroids are leftover material from the formation of the planets. As an intern with the program, Acquah has had plenty to learn from the mission’s development, from how Lucy was designed to overcome the challenges she would face in her 533-million mile journey, to the teamwork required to design and implement those features.
Acquah learned about the L’SPACE Program after he completed his Field Training for Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps last summer. After the training, which lasted about three weeks, he went on to work with the Space Force at Patrick Space Force base in Florida. While at Patrick Space Force base, Acquah worked with several SpaceX employees on the Intelsat G-37, which is a communications satellite that was launched into earth’s orbit on Aug. 3, 2023. The satellite provides TV and internet communications. One of the employees working on the G-37 asked Acquah, “Hey, have you ever heard of the L’SPACE MCA Program? They seek for students involved in this program.” The employee also offered to write a recommendation letter to help. Acquah was intrigued and immediately submitted his application and essay.
Once he was accepted into the academy, he had to undergo a screening process to determine his role within his team. Some of the details the program’s supervisors looked for one’s strengths and weaknesses, in project management and teamwork. After being screened Acquah was assigned as the Lead Systems Engineer. In this role he ensures that each of the engineering subsystems (Thermal, Electrical, Mechanical, Command and Data Handling) are effectively working in tandem to complete their assigned mission to build a rover that is capable of collecting ice particles on Mars.
Aside from his responsibilities as his team’s leader, every week Acquah is tasked with completing various “skill modules” to test his knowledge and skill level in the concepts and theories required to ensure occupational readiness in the Aerospace Industry. Additionally, during those weekly meetings Acquah has the opportunity to meet and gain insights from with people such as Dr. Hal Levison, who was the Lucy Mission’s Principal Investigator. Levison was responsible for managing and overseeing the various facets of the Lucy mission, like the quality of the research being conducted, and leading the team in effectively designing the spacecraft to successfully complete its mission. Acquah then goes on to mention that at the end of the 10 weeks, using all of the research they have compiled, the teams create a research report detailing everything the mission will need to be successful. These details include the mission’s risk assessment, how the risks can be mitigated, and how the rover can be designed so that it’s fully prepared for the rigors of the mission.
Acquah plans to “do anything math related” after he completes his studies at Springfield, since he is extremely skilled and passionate about it, which is reflected in his 4.0 GPA. His long-term goal is to get a stable career in a field that allows him to exercise his skills in mathematics.
Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Acquah