Pryor Alumna STEM Experiment Launched into Space by NASA as Part of RockON! Workshop

Posted Date: 02/28/2024

Abbigayle Vargas, a 2021 graduate of Pryor High School, partnered with fellow Northern Oklahoma College (NOC) student Grant Biggers to design an experiment that measured acceleration, pressure, and humidity.  NASA selected the NOC team’s experiment for inclusion in the 2023 RockON! Workshop held at the NASA Wallops Flight Center on Wallops Island, Virginia.  Vargas was able to attend the August 17, 2023, launch along with her teammate and her NOC instructor. 

Vargas’s experiment was launched into space on a Terrier-Improved Orion sounding rocket; the rocket reached an altitude of 103 miles before making a descent into the Atlantic Ocean.  

The hands-on learning provided in the RockON! Launch Workshop provides students with experience developing experiments as part of a scientific team, and it prepares students for future employment in STEM positions. 

After graduating from NOC with an Associate Degree in Mathematics and Physical Science—Pre-Engineering Vargas chose to further STEM education. She is now enrolled in the Oklahoma State University Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering program to study the “technology of flight and learn about design of air, land, and sea vehicles.”