Thanks to a partnership with Lockheed Martin and the engineering firm Garver, Westminster High School's engineering students are engaging in an extraordinary multiyear project simulating an upcoming mission to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. The "Dragonfly Navigation Project" will carry a car-sized, nuclear-powered dronelike vehicle to Titan to collect atmospheric data.

 

Westy Grad Jake Hoban (class of 1995) presented a check for 1400 dollars from Garver to support the simulation work being done by students in conjunction with Lockheed Martin which is engineering the real-life project. Chris Lannon (class of 1999) works for Lockheed and took the lead in bringing Westminster High School students on board. The two believe that bringing students on board to simulate a real-life mission will help create the next generation of engineers.

 

“We are excited to give opportunities to students, similar to what I had when I was coming through high school,” said Hoban. “If Garver can create a good pipeline for students to go into civil engineering or aerospace engineering where they go into college knowing that this is of interest to them it’s a great opportunity.”

 

The partnership will allow students to enhance their technical and problem-solving skills while engaging with industry professionals and presenting their findings to a panel of experts. The NASA project be launched in July of 2028 with the drone arriving in 2034.

 

This collaborative effort highlights the power of community and education in inspiring the next generation of engineers. Stay tuned for more updates as this unique partnership unfolds in 2025.