Five High Point University students have designed a tool that space-walking astronauts might one day use to take samples of asteroids. NASA has invited the High Point students to test their device in a simulated zero-gravity environment in Texas this summer.
The students designed a device they're calling the Chip ‘n' Ship, a handheld tool they hope can cut a 1-inch cube from an asteroid and collect it before it flies off into space.
According to the Winston-Salem Journal, High Point joins teams from Duke and 17 other schools picked by NASA for the next stage of its Micro-gravity Neutral Buoyancy Experiment Design Team challenge.
By the end of the semester, the team will build a working prototype. In August, the HPU team will visit Houston for testing of their devices underwater to simulate low gravity.
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