Thank you for visiting!
Our crowdfunding campaign has ended, but you can still support Bruin Spacecraft Group by clicking here.
Bruin Spacecraft Group is an organization founded and operated entirely by UCLA students. Formed by bold, creative students spanning across a range of academic disciplines, we are unified in our goal to take space mission engineering to new frontiers. At Bruin Space, we welcome the unknown and challenge ourselves to take on initiatives that surpass the scope of our world.
This year we collaborated with a space physics graduate student in the Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences (EPSS) to propose a microgravity experiment – “Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Pump Behavior in Microgravity”. At the beginning of the 2017 fall quarter, it was announced that our gravitational research proposal had won the national Ken Souza Memorial Student Spaceflight Research Competition! Not only was our experiment selected from a pool of thousands of student researchers’ inventive proposals, but it was also given a spot to fly on a future New Shepard flight.
Eager to make our mark, Bruin Space has formed a group of dedicated undergraduate engineers to develop a CubeSat form-factor payload (a miniaturized satellite), under the name Blue Dawn, to carry the pump to space. We have spent the last few months designing the experiment and the payload system to withstand the journey to space and back.
While the sky is not our limit, funding is. Since we began working on Blue Dawn, we have been relying on a grant provided by Ken Souza Memorial and finite university funds. However, much of our effort to successfully complete Blue Dawn requires donations.
We need you to help us launch our project off the ground!
From this point on we are currently seeking to accommodate the following necessities, which will cost a total of $10,000:
We have come so far in turning our written proposal into a physical prototype, but we face many challenges still. You can ensure that we fulfill our mission and drive Blue Dawn to completion by contributing to our campaign. Your donation will enable us to be the first student-run organization at UCLA to send a CubeSat form-factor payload to space!
At the heart of our project’s success is not simply our determination to impact space engineering or strong work ethic, but the generous Bruin Space advocates that demonstrate their support for our endeavors. We are always looking for new supporters, so share our campaign in any way possible: reach out to friends and family who might be light years away instantly on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - any social media you use.
Check out our website and social media pages to get all the latest information on everything Bruin Space-related, right at your fingertips.
Official website: http://bruinspace.com
- Subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates on Bruin Space's projects and upcoming events in your inbox! You can also browse through our website and find information about our other projects, our awesome team, and how you can become a Bruin Space sponsor.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uclaBruinSpace
- Like our main social media page to stay up-to-date with Bruin Space's latest involvements and projects, and information about our meeting dates and how new members can join our team.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uclabruinspace
- Follow us for information about our projects and what our team is up to, along with cool facts about large-scale space research events.
Since our start in 2016, we have successfully launched a multitude of impactful and innovative projects. This year we investigated pumps, which play a vital role in transporting fluids for waste management, thermal control systems, and life support systems. Their functionality is more heavily depended on when they are used aboard spacecraft, due to the costliness of getting them replaced or fixed.
However, spacecraft currently rely on mechanical pumps, which contain physically degradable components and thus pose a threat to the longevity of life support systems.
That's where our solution comes in: MHD pumps have the potential to be a great alternative since they have no moving parts; they may be more long-lasting and safer to use. If our experiment can demonstrate the operational ability of an MHD pump, it can be used for a number of space applications and will revolutionize fluid transport.
No donor will leave empty-handed! To express our gratitude, we have awesome perks for various donation amounts.
Join us to make our mission a success and demonstrate how the optimism of UCLA undergraduates can reach record-breaking heights. Your impact can be out of this world!
Alright, we see you! As thanks for being a Galileo tier donor, you receive a CUSTOM THANK YOU VIDEO, starring our project leaders, and get your own SOCIAL MEDIA SHOUTOUTS! (A $25 tax-deductible gift!)
Dig deeper into the donation tiers and you know what you'll find? An awesome WOODEN BRUIN SPACE MEDALLION of one of our projects, in addition to the custom thank you video and social media shoutouts. (A $40 tax-deductible gift!)
You're prepping us for takeoff! You receive a custom BRUIN SPACE POSTER, SIGNED by all of our team members, along with the epic WOODEN BRUIN SPACE MEDALLION, custom thank you video, and social media shoutouts! (A $81 tax-deductible gift!)
You'll get one Bruin Space poster and a MYSTERY Artistic poster, exclusive BLUEPRINTS of our project, the wooden bruinspace medallion, custom video, and social media shoutouts! (A $173 tax-deductible gift!)
Now you're really voyaging with us on our mission! In addition to all the previous tier's perks you will now be in possession of a CUSTOM BRUIN SPACE T-SHIRT. (A $258 tax-deductible gift!)
You're launching us into Bruin history! For being a Sputnik tier donor, you get the chance to attend a LIVE IN-PERSON TOUR behind the scenes of Blue Dawn! BUT WAIT, you also receive a PERSONALIZED VIDEO showcasing live testing along with explanations of the project, in addition to all the previous tier's perks! You'll be with us on the ground and off! (A $458 tax-deductible gift!)
Mission start! For funding a whopping 10% of our entire project we will honor your name and ETCH IT ONTO BLUE DAWN(Your name will be in space!), not only this, but we will mail you a 3' x 3' custom TYVEK BANNER for you to hang at your home and always remember your proud donation supporting collegiate space research! All this and the previous tier's perks for your sponsorship. (A $896 tax-deductible gift!)
We're ready to start our odyssey, and so are you! For funding our entire project, you will receive our appreciation and respect. We will hang a COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE with your name in our lab! You can also have YOU OR YOUR COMPANY'S NAME PRINTED ON OUR CLUB T-SHIRT, which will be seen at events we'll attend in the upcoming 2018-2019 school year. All this and all the previous tier's perks for your generosity. (A $9,896 tax-deductible gift!)