IOWA CITY, Iowa, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Ross McCurdy is a sophomore at the University of Iowa who is in charge of a 20-foot rooftop antenna that he can use to text the International Space Station.
University of Iowa astronomy professor Phil Kaaret applied for a $10,000 grant to get the antenna, and part of the terms of getting the money was he had to pick an undergraduate student to run the project. Kaaret recognized McCurdy as a capable astronomy student and chose him for the role.