Journey to the Stars

A timeline of Cal Poly’s role in humankind’s journey to reach for the stars.

1927

Aeronautics becomes a course of study at Cal Poly’s Junior College Division. The aeronautical laboratory was developed in addition to the automotive labs.

Students working in the aeronautical lab.

1942

Minato Kawaguchi is the first aeronautical engineering major to graduate two years after Cal Poly began awarding four-year bachelor of science degrees. His senior project on aircraft fuels is still on file at Kennedy Library.

1965

Elbert “Burt” Rutan (Aeronautical Engineering ’65) pens his Cal Poly senior project and wins the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics National Design Award. The honor enables him to meet Wernher von Braun, which inspired him as he eventually launched the first non-government crewed space program.

Aircraft designer Burt Rutan

1984

Robert “Hoot” Gibson (Aeronautical Engineering ’69), a decorated naval pilot, becomes the first Cal Poly graduate to travel to space as a NASA astronaut aboard the space shuttle Challenger.

Astronaut Robert L. Gibson, 41-B pilot, reviews some teleprinter copy.

1998

Frederick “CJ” Sturckow (Mechanical Engineering ’84) pilots the space shuttle Endeavour on the mission to officially begin construction of the International Space Station.

1999

The Aeronautical Engineering Department
changes their name to Aerospace Engineering
to better reflect the current program offerings.
Students can now study propulsion, systems and
orbital mechanics, among other facets of space
exploration.

2004

SpaceShipOne, designed by alumnus Burt Rutan and Scaled Composites, makes history by flying over the Mojave Desert at an altitude of 62.5 miles and landing safely. It is the first privately financed, crewed rocket to reach space.

SpaceShipTwo

2007

The CubeSats CP3 and CP4 successfully reach low Earth orbit. Students travel to Kazakhstan to hand-deliver the satellites to the Baikonur Cosmodrome ahead of the launch.

2008

Greg Chamitoff (Electrical Engineering ’84) launches into space for the first time as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Discovery.

Greg Chamitoff on Discovery

2009

The Society of Experimental Test Pilots honors Peter Siebold (Aerospace Engineering ’01) for his engineering work on the SpaceShipOne Program and for piloting and directing the flight of the zero-gravity White Knight Two aircraft.

2010

Michael Alsbury (Aerospace Engineering ’98) co-pilots Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo for its first unpowered glide test. The experimental plane was released from its carrier aircraft several miles above Earth.

2011

The Cal Poly CubeSat program conducts its first launch with NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative from Vandenberg Air Force Base in March. Students in the program continue to monitor and support its CubeSats using antennae positioned on campus.

2016

Bill Nye, the CEO of the Planetary Society, visits Cal Poly to test deployment of the solar-powered space propulsion system LightSail 2. Students and faculty continue to play a key role in the testing and software of the publicly funded LightSail project.

Bill Nye posing with a faculty member and students during the Lightsail Test

2019

Cal Poly serves as a ground station supporting the Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 as it officially unfurls its solar sails while orbiting Earth.

A LightSail with Earth in the background.

2019

Cal Poly becomes the first university to ink an agreement to assist U.S. Strategic Command to monitor objects orbiting Earth. The accord formalizes a years-long partnership with Vandenberg-based 18th Space Control Squadron that catalogs and tracks more than 23,000 objects orbiting the planet.

2020

Victor Glover (General Engineering ’99) pilots the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule “Resilience” in its first contracted, fully operational mission contracted for NASA ahead of a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station.

Victor Glover in a spacesuit.

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