Written by: Laura Provenzani September 12, 2024 HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Blake Parker, a NASA engineer returned Wednesday to the campus where his space exploration dreams began to provide a special gift for UAH’s Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR). The 2013 UAH graduate hand-made two spacecraft models with just a few materials, one being the Interstellar Boundary Explorer or IBEX and the Voyager which provided scientists with vital knowledge about our solar system. Parker’s donation is much more than research products that’ll be put on display for students. It’s more about showing them they too can dream big while aiming for the stars in an inspirational node by someone who started in the same CSPAR program current UAH students are participating in. “It’s great having an actual physical representation of the thing you’re working on and being able to get the idea like what does this thing actually look like,” Parker said. “It’ll give them an idea of what they’re working toward and being like this is that instrument and where it’s related to the others on the actual spacecraft itself.” UAH’s CSPAR program Director Gary Zank says it means the world to see former students like Parker coming back to show students they too are able. “The time, the effort that he spends building these kind of spacecrafts he probably does realize it but for students and even for people like me who spent their lifetime working on these kinds of missions, having something tangible to attach your hat to your mental vision is tremendously beneficial,” Zank said. “I’d like to thank Blake for making all of that possible with these models.” Life as an engineer has provided Parker with a platform to live out his dream and now he’s showing others they too can have a career in space exploration that has no limits. “It feels really great just getting to show where the possibilities can go, it’s possible if you work hard enough, then you can make it,” Parker told News 19. Parker’s scale model spacecraft joins another model spacecraft he donated in 2020 that’s now on display at UAH’s Cramer Research Hall. Article: Courtesy of WHNT. Read the full story on WHNT News Watch the WHNT video.