NASA Micro-g Neutral Buoyancy Experiment Design Teams, also known as Micro-g NExT, tasks students with designing, building and testing a device that NASA engineers have specifically identified as necessary. This year, Boise State’s team built a device designed to capture a sample of lunar regolith — the loose material, also known as lunar soil, found on the surface of the moon and in the moon’s atmosphere.
Boise State’s Micro-g team manufactured its device in house at Boise State’s state-of-the-art machine shop, the Engineering Innovation Studio. The studio is open to students, faculty and staff to work on school-related projects. It provides a variety of tools, from 3D printers to bandsaws.
In summer 2025, the team members successfully tested their device at the NASA Johnson Space Center Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston, Texas. This laboratory is one of the world’s largest indoor pools, the deep water simulating a microgravity environment similar to that of outer space. Professional divers tested the device with students directing from the Test Conductor Room.
Deklan Stacy, a senior mechanical engineering major from Meridian, Idaho, said that the process gave him a deeper understanding of real-world engineering.
“Working on a project intended for space application was incredibly motivating,” Stacy said.
NASA Micro-g also allows students to network within the aerospace industry. Rachel Lester, a junior engineering student from Powell Butte, Oregon, feels optimistic about her career prospects after participating in Micro-g.
“I learned valuable machining skills, established professional connections and enjoyed being a part of such a great team,” Lester said.