WHS Machine Shop begins pilot project for NASA

Waller High School (WHS) is the newest high school associated with NASA’s HUNCH Program. The HUNCH program, High school students United with NASA to Create Hardware, was launched in 2003 with when Stacey Hale, then deputy project manager for the International Space Station (ISS) training facility, discovered that one of the greatest challenges was a shortage of training hardware and recognized the need to find an economical way to build what was needed.
     In late January 2008, Hale, now full-time project manager for HUNCH, visited with WHS machine shop class instructors Danny Boone and Rodney Loewe about launching a pilot project at WHS.
     Feb. 4, 13 of WHS’s best machine shop students; Cole Briggs, Edward Lawson, Bradley Breauv, Jesse Seiley, Cody Wiggins, Austin Tilton, Luke Castillo, Michael High, Steven Blanco, Bradley Edmonds, Walter Barillas, Joshua Davis, and Jason Yauch; began working with Boone and Loewe to create a machining process for seven parts needed by NASA. They hope to complete the project in six to eight weeks. If successful, the WHS machine shop may have the opportunity to enter in to a Space Act Agreement with NASA where they will be contracted to machine specific needed parts for the ISS training facility. Hale himself will check in with the students ever Monday until the project is completed to answer questions and observe.
     HUNCH provides WHS will all materials needed to complete the project. It’s a win-win situation; high school students get valuable real world experience and NASA receives parts it needs.
     “The idea of them (the students) building something for NASA, I think they see the pride in it,” Boone said, “They’re enthused. We’re going to give it 100 percent.”