Aerospace Development and Education for Hawaii

Creating aerospace education and workforce development opportunities through space tech research and innovation.
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RESEARCH & PROGRAMS

Applied Research

Researching In-Situ Resource Utilization technologies with applications for Earth and space.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in flight

Aerospace Development

Growing and diversifying Hawaiʻi’s economy through aerospace development initiatives.
Student programming a robot using a laptop

Education & Outreach

Providing opportunities for youth through internships, STEM programs and outreach activities.

University of Hawaii at Hilo seal

OUR MISSION

The Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES) is an aerospace research and education program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s College of Natural & Health Sciences. We develop innovative and sustainable technologies for Earth and space while helping young explorers gain work skills through hands-on projects.

CAREER RESOURCES

astronaut on mars pointing to the sky

Launch a Space Career

Interested in pursuing a career in space exploration? Check out our student resource guide for a listing of local and national internships, fellowships, space programs, scholarships, and networking opportunities.

career resources
student opportunities

LATEST NEWS

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Let's go! 🚀 Congrats to the four Maui High School students who successfully launched their experiment aboard a high-altitude NASA balloon on Aug. 22 from New Mexico. They worked with UH professors to create an instrument that will measure how plastic degrades and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. The launch was part of the Cubes in Space program in partnership with NASA. ➡ Read more at the link in our bio!
✨ Congrats to @leewardcc student Austin Cataluna on his inspiring journey through the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program! ✨ Austin was among just 120 students in the U.S. selected for NCAS. During the program, he helped manage a simulated lunar mission and shadowed an operations engineer working with the ER-2 Spy Plane. ✈️ Read more at the link in our bio! 📸 Austin Cataluna/UH News
Can the moon serve as an animal cell bank in case of a global disaster? 🤯 Researchers at UH Manoa's Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) and the Smithsonian Institution have successfully cryopreserved skin cells from the starry goby, a reef fish native to Hawaiian waters. Craters at the lunar north and south poles are ideal locations to store these cells because they are shadowed in perpetual darkness and maintain extremely cold temperatures. 🌔✨ ➡️ Read more at the link in our bio! #cryopreserved #lunar #moon #biorepository #animalcell
Welcome back to campus, students! ✨ Today, we're diving into conversations about space exploration, studies, and career opportunities at the @uhhilo Steps to Success Fair. The Campus Center is alive with curiosity and excitement as we kick off Vulcan ʻOhana Week!
Little rocket scientists hard at work! 🚀 We had a blast making straw rockets with students at Keaau Elementary School science night yesterday. It was a great turnout and we saw a lot of familiar faces. Mahalo to @hawaiisciencemuseum for organizing!
One of our former STARS students, Jessica Nagasako, just fulfilled her dream of becoming an astronomer! 🔭✨🪐 Jessica graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in Physics & Astronomy this spring and landed a job at @cfhtelescope working as a remote observer. She said the STARS program inspired her to study astronomy in college and work from Maunakea. Congrats Jessica—we are so excited for you!! 👉 Read the full story at the link in our bio
Mahalo to everyone who came out to support the Tanabata Block Party on Saturday! We enjoyed talking story with the many visitors and keiki and showing them how to drive our planetary rover Helelani. ✨😁 #Tanabata2024 #MKOBlockParty2024 #TanabataBlockParty2024
Is there an underground ocean hiding on Mars?? 🤯✨ Researchers have found evidence of a massive body of water 7-12 miles beneath the surface of the Red Planet. The water is thought to have seeped through cracks in the surface billions of years ago when Mars had rivers, lakes, and oceans. 🌊 ➡ Visit the link in our bio for full story! 📸 NASA #marsocean #wateronmars
Heads up students & educators! Have an idea for a high-altitude experiment? Submit it to NASA! ✨🚀✨ The fourth NASA #TechRise Student Challenge is seeking ideas for a science & technology experiment to fly on a high-altitude balloon. Students in grades 6–12 can team up to design an experiment under the guidance of a teacher. Competition winners get $1,500 to build their experiment and a place on a NASA-sponsored commercial flight test. No experience necessary! ➡️ Learn more at the link in our bio
🎶 There ain't no party like a stargazing party 🎶 ✨ Join us Saturday evening, Aug. 17, for a free community event celebrating 25 years of scientific discoveries in Hawaiʻi. Enjoy ʻono food, stargazing, astronomy activities, and cultural demonstrations. Plus, stop by the PISCES booth to meet our Helelani planetary rover and learn how to drive a robotic explorer! #Tanabata2024 #MKOBlockParty2024 #TanabataBlockParty2024