Academy cadets prepare to have a blast ... off Published Feb. 28, 2007 By Tech. Sgt. Steve German Air Force News Agency U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNEWS) -- Cadet 1st Class Lauren Viscito dons a white gown, blue booties and a hair net before stepping into a clean room at the academy. She's one of a team of cadets working to get FalconSAT-3 ready for lift off. FalconSAT-3 is part of a group of three small payloads headed to space aboard an Atlas V rocket sometime in March. The white room resembles that of a hospital's operating room, but operations here are performed on computer equipment. The guts of a satellite are aligned on a small table. Being sure to ground herself before touching any of the equipment lying on a tray, this senior cadet uncovers satellite components set up for ground based computer tests ahead of the scheduled launch. The spacecraft has two plasma sensors and an experimental thruster. "We learn space by doing space." Cadet Viscito said. "Most satellites don't have this process. They have simulations that operators can practice on. But, we have actually a version of our satellite here on the ground for us to practice on." The testing allows researchers to fix software bugs before the satellite even leaves the ground. But, leaving the ground is what Cadet Viscito is looking forward to. "The satellite was supposed to launch last December and we've been anxiously waiting for the launch," she says, "When we finally get telemetry down to our ground station, it's going to be the greatest feeling ever." Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) Click here to view the comments/letters page