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  • Presentation | SY31D: The MacGyver Session: The Place for Novel, Exciting, Self-Made, Hacked, or Improved Sensors and Software Solutions to Contribute to Participatory, Citizen, and Community Science Poster
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  • SY31D-0638: STELLA: NASA's Low-Cost, Open-Source Instruments Empowering Workforce Development and Community Science
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  • Board 0638‚ Hall EFG (Poster Hall)
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Author(s):
Michael Taylor, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (First Author, Presenting Author)
Paul Mirel, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Petya Campell, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Shawn Serbin, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Alicia Joseph, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
J. Patrick Haas, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Nyssa Rayne, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Elana Resnick, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sylvie Alexander, Pennsylvania State University Main Campus


The STELLA program creates affordable scientific instruments that anyone can build and use to study the environment and explore the world around them. Scientific sensors often cost thousands of dollars, limiting who can participate in environmental research. NASA's STELLA instruments cost less than $200, measure light spectra, temperature, and environmental conditions, and more and can be built, programmed and used by following online instructions.


These instruments can help communities monitor plant conditions, soil health, air quality, and solar radiation while providing hands-on experience with scientific data collection. STELLA also supports workforce development by teaching manufacturing skills such as 3D printing, electronics, and engineering design principles.


STELLA instruments are built from commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) parts and 3D-printed components, making them easy to customize. This hands-on manufacturing approach gives participants practical engineering experience and troubleshooting skills valued in technical careers. By making scientific technology more accessible, STELLA helps more people participate in environmental science while building technical and manufacturing skills for future careers in engineering and related fields.


This poster shows how these affordable instruments work, how communities are using them, and how they're helping train the next generation of environmental scientists, engineers, and skilled technical workers through practical, real-world manufacturing experience.




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