AstroBlast event energizes Copper Hills students

Learning how high-powered telescopes work online or in the classroom is interesting, but it’s not as fun as being able to control one first hand. At this year’s annual AstroBlast at Copper Hills High School, space and science aficionados of all ages had the chance to remotely control a 40-foot radio telescope housed in California while standing in West Jordan.

“It really got everyone excited about seeing what was in space,” said Mitchell Lee, vice president of CHHS MESA club.

The Math, Engineering, Science Achievement club organized the weekend event. Each year, AstroBlast gets bigger and bigger. This year, between 200-300 people attended ready to look at the stars, build rockets and explore all space has to offer.

“This time we made slime with some of the little kids,” communication MESA officer Vinn Lu said. “It demonstrated what happened when chemicals react. All the kids loved it.”

AstroBlast is open to anyone in the community and is a way to get young people interested in science and space, so when they attend CHHS, they will want to be part of the growing MESA program. This year the club boasts membership of 140 students.

“We do science competitions, participate in the science Olympics and even compete for scholarships,” MESA secretary Tiffany Phan said. “MESA is a national club that is recognized no matter where you go in the country.”

During the year, MESA students go on fieldtrips to explore different careers in science and math fields, as well as look at college programs.

“Visiting all the different places helped me see what I want to do and what kind of an education I need to do it,” said Mitchell.

AstroBlast is designed to the do the same thing on a larger scale, giving visitors a taste of the different types of classes and curriculum that are taught at Copper Hills. As the program continues to grow at the high school, so will the event.

“It was a huge deal that we had the ability to control the telescope this year,” MESA teacher Matt Lund said. “Maybe next year, we’ll build one.”