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George Mason is the home for the new $19.5 million NASA Landolt Space Mission. Led by the College of Science’s Peter Plavchan, with the College of Engineering and Computing, this mission will launch an artificial star in orbit to help scientists calibrate telescopes and measure brightness.

Since Michael Riggi was about six years old, his father and brother would take him to a “Cars and Coffee” show in Great Falls, Virginia, on weekends. Being around classic automobiles and luxury vehicles, Riggi said he developed an appreciation for cars, and other machines that go fast, including planes, boats, and rockets.

Now, as a junior at ������, his career path has also been racing forward.

A Mason researcher helps search the stars for new planets