(Left to right) Michael Prince, Maxx Denning and Aaron Stuart coauthored the proposal titled “Will Vitamin C Help Preserve Bone Density in Microgravity?” as part of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program efforts of Parker Elementary School in Houston, Texas.

Yesterday we received a special thank you from the parents of Michael Prince, a Co-Principal Investigator on a Mission 1 flight experiment to the International Space Station. Michael is a 5th grader at Parker Elementary School in Houston. Michael’s dad points to “great teachers, schools and programs like this”. We may have supplied the program but it was Johnston Middle and Parker Elementary in Houston ISD that provided the great teachers and schools. To spread the thanks, we asked if we could post the note, and Michael’s dad graciously said yes. Below is the thank you. If it moves you, feel free to leave a comment below:)

“I am the father of Michael and would like to thank you for your program. Our son has really been excited and we are eternally grateful. As parents our job is to give direction and the necessary support to our children. With great teachers, schools, and programs like this, it makes our work a “joyride”. We can see a noticeable change in our son and his “vision” has now been expanded beyond just the “here and now”. Our family and friends are proud but also humbled by this achievement which is truly a blessing.We look forward to the continued progress and success of the project and the program, praying that both will help bring advancement for our world in the area of science. Again, we thank you.”

Mr. Michael Prince
and Karan Prince

Here is a descripion of the flight experiment from Co-PIs Denning, Prince, and Stuart, staff of the Parker Elementary School Space Program—

Will Vitamin C Preserve Bone Density in Microgravity?
Grade 5; Parker Elementary School
Co-Principal Investigators: Maxx Denning, Michael Prince, and Aaron Stuart
Teacher Facilitator: Rebecca Mitchell, 5th Grade Teacher

Proposal Summary:
Our experiment will test to see if liquid Vitamin C will preserve bone density in microgravity in a chicken bone. Our team is conducting this experiment to prove whether or not vitamin C can preserve bone density. First, we will split a wish bone in half. Next, we will place one half in each FME. Finally, one wish bone half will be flown in a chamber into space. The other bone sample will be remain in the same type chamber on earth. When the one from space returns, we will measure the affects of microgravity on the bone and compare it to the sample on earth in an effort to see if liquid Vitamin C did preserve bone density.

If liquid Vitamin C helps preserve bone density, then this will be helpful to astronauts who stay in space over a long period of time. Astronauts can take vitamin C in addition to exercising to help keep their bones strong. This issue is more important than ever because we know that WHEN we go to Mars, it will take about 21 months (round trip). If we cannot find a way to preserve bone density, the astronauts will lose over one half of their bone density on a long term mission. On earth, this knowledge will help people by encouraging them to take Vitamin C to keep their bones strong.

(Left to right) Michael Prince, Maxx Denning and Aaron Stuart coauthored the proposal titled “Will Vitamin C Help Preserve Bone Density in Microgravity?” as part of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program efforts of Parker Elementary School in Houston, Texas.

To all students that are participating in Mission 1 to ISS, and participated in SSEP on Shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis, I think this post might help reaffirm the notion that you were called upon to BE scientists and stepped to the plate in amazing ways.

The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program has been honored for a second time by the International Space Station Science Program Office at NASA Johnson Space Center with a feature article. Like the first article for SSEP on STS134 and 135, it appears on the ISS RESEARCH page. That’s because NASA recognizes that SSEP is about real research by student investigators.

We have cross-posted the story below. It was written by Jessica Nimon (thanks Jessica!) and focuses on the SSEP Mission 1 experience in Houston. But it mirrors the experience across over 30 communities that have participated in the three SSEP flight opportunities to date. A big congratulations to the student investigators in Houston—all 350 of them—that submitted 267 flight experiment proposals. And a very very special thanks to Nena Berry and Amber Pinchback, the SSEP Community Program Co-Directors at Johnston Middle School, and their incredible team of teachers that made all this possible.

AN INVITATION: To all students, teachers, parents, SSEP Community Program Directors and Co-Directors, underwriting partners, and research organization partners, if you would like to write a short essay on your community’s SSEP experience, or your personal experience, to be shared right here at the SSEP National Blog, please contact us. (You might want to read essays that have already appeared!)

Finally, if you’d like to send a thank you to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Jessica, write a note on the contact page, and we’ll send it to her!

Student Spaceflight Experiments Program Inspires with Mission 1
by Jessica Nimon
International Space Station Program Science Office
NASA’s Johnson Space Center

If you are looking for proof of the inspirational impact of the International Space Station, you need only speak to the educators of the children participating in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program, or SSEP. This program provides 41,200 students from around the nation the opportunity to propose a microgravity experiment with the chance of having it performed on the orbiting laboratory.

Aunjanee Cooper authored the proposal titled “Insulin’s Molecular Structure in Microgravity,” as part of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program efforts of Johnston Middle School in Houston, Texas.

“If these students were asked to write this much for an English paper, they would probably have a cow,” said Amber Pinchback, assistant principal at Johnston Middle School in Houston, Texas. “But they were so into it and intrigued by the information that they just kept typing and kept writing and it was just wonderful to see the amount of work and rigor and thought that went into the project.”

Participants include 92 schools in 12 communities from all over the nation, each flying one student-designed experiment, selected from the many proposed as part of SSEP’s Mission 1 to the space station. Pinchback is part of a community effort in the space city of Houston, Texas, which includes Johnston Middle School—a NASA Explorer School— and Parker Elementary School. The program is open to students from 5th to 12th grade, colleges, and informal science education organizations, as well as internationally through the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education.

The program is undertaken by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, or NCESSE, in partnership with NanoRacks, LLC. It is an on-orbit educational research opportunity enabled through NanoRacks, LLC, working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the space station as a National Laboratory.

“SSEP is designed to empower the student as [a] scientist, and within the real-world context of science. Student teams design a real experiment, propose for a real flight opportunity, experience a formal proposal review process, and go through a NASA flight safety review,” said Jeff Goldstein, creator of SSEP and NCESSE Center Director.

While this is the first time Houston has participated with SSEP, the two schools are no strangers to the inspiration space exploration brings. In fact, they have a fairly famous alumna in astronaut Shannon Walker, who visited the schools last year—both in person and from the space station in a live downlink, along with crew mate Doug Wheelock.

That experience set the tone for the excitement that followed for students as they pondered and proposed their own space station investigations. “You know, they didn’t complain. I could not believe it! They really didn’t,” said Lanena Berry with Johnston middle school. “They’re interested in this, they’re into it and it’s a huge project for middle schoolers and for elementary schoolers. I kind of got frustrated with the process about halfway through, myself, but I never saw it on their faces. They were excited to share their ideas with each other and they pretty much got right on it.”

Pinchback echoed this sense of enthusiasm from her students. “They are aware that it is a unique opportunity to get to create an experiment that an astronaut will perform for you. They know it is a lot of hard work,” said Pinchback. “I am so impressed with the amount of work that they put into these projects and the amount of writing and research that they put into these things.”

Emily Soice authored the proposal titled “Hepatocyte Development in Bioscaffolds Infused with TGFB3 in Microgravity” as part of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program efforts of Johnston Middle School in Houston, Texas.

Student proposals ranged from how radiation in space impacts soy beans to the effect of microgravity on bacteria that produce methane. Houston area scientific professionals helped teachers to guide students along their proposal paths. Some experts even came to visit schools and confer with students to aid them in understanding what types of experiments were viable for space.

“We had a Saturday event where six different scientists from the community with various backgrounds visited the students. For two hours the kids could come, meet with the experts, do research on the computers, and ask questions,” said Pinchback. “It just helped to guide students to find answers or think scientifically.”

This experience creates a lasting impression on the children, who may be inspired to blaze their own paths in math and science as they continue their education. “Even though you talk about it in class, and I’ve talked about it before quite a bit, sometimes they get it and sometimes they don’t. But this just solidifies it right here, you know they’re hands on involved in it,” said Berry. “This is real science going into space at their age. Just imagine what they can do with it in the future.”

The criteria for selection included practical measures, like fitting into the size parameters provided by SSEP, the impact of the scientific question, and the timing of the study, among other considerations. Houston area teachers whittled student proposals down from approximately 240 submissions to three finalists. These three then went forward to NCESSE for final selection. Winning experiments now go on for development and launch to the space station. Houston finalists include:

• “Insulin’s Molecular Structure in Microgravity”
Proposed by Aunjanee Cooper, 8th grader at Johnston Middle School
Inspiration: A family connection to diabetes prompted Aunjanee to study whether insulin would be effective in space for use in long-duration exploration.

• “Hepatocyte Development in Bioscaffolds infused with TGFB3 in Microgravity”
Proposed by Emily Soice, 8th grader at Johnston Middle School
Inspiration: Emily hopes her research will help scientists provide a way to replace damaged or worn organs and joints in space.

• “Will Vitamin C Help Preserve Bone Density in Microgravity?”
Proposed by Michael Prince, Maxx Denning and Aaron Stuart, 5th graders at Parker Elementary School
Inspiration: The students felt this was a significant question, as astronauts lose a measure of bone density when they leave Earth’s atmosphere for long durations.

Originally only one proposed experiment from each community would run on the space station. A last minute uncertainty of refrigeration during ground transport, however, prompted SSEP organizers to reevaluate winning proposals based on the potential for damage due to loss of temperature control. Three communities, including Houston, had finalists that required refrigeration, so NanoRacks agreed to fund a secondary experiment for each of those communities at no additional cost.

Houston winners for Mission 1 include Emily Soice and the team of Michael Prince, Maxx Denning and Aaron Stuart. “As you can imagine, [Houston officials] were incredibly excited to fly both [experiments]. So excited in fact that they are putting forward an implementation plan with upwards of 35 schools for Mission 2, which starts at the beginning of March,” said Goldstein.

Though not every investigation from each of the 12 communities can ultimately launch to the station aboard the planned Soyuz 30 flight in March 2012, the proposal process and final investigations will continue to inspire. Teachers in Houston, for instance, plan to host a fair to display their schools’ science proposals and the hard work done by these dedicated students. These schools also plan to hold a mission patch art contest, with the final design flying with the Houston investigations into space.

LINKS

1. Here is the story at the International Space Station Research page:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/SSEP.html

2. NASA Education also linked Jessica’s story from two additional main NASA.gov pages:

Featured on the NASA For Educators Main Page – Educator Features and Articles
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html

Featured on the NASA For Students Main Page – In the Spotlight
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html

3. A description of all finalist experiments and experiments selected for flight on SSEP Mission 1 to ISS:
http://ssep.ncesse.org/communities/experiments-selected-for-flight/selected-experiments-on-ssep-mission-1-to-iss/

Private Sector STEM Education Effort Offers Real
On-Orbit Research Opportunity for Students

For Immediate Release
January 5, 2012
Program Description Video Clip

The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) in partnership with NanoRacks, LLC, announces the selection of 15 microgravity experiments to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Soyuz 30, scheduled for launch in March 2012. The experiments were selected as part of Mission 1 to ISS, the third flight opportunity provided by America’s Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). The first two flight opportunities were on the final flights of Shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis.

In response to an announcement of opportunity in July 2011, 12 communities in 9 States and the District of Columbia are participating in Mission 1 to ISS. The communities provided a combined 41,200 grade
5-14 students the opportunity to design and propose real microgravity experiments. A total of 779 student team proposals were received, and a formal 2-step review process in Fall 2011 provided for the selection of 15 flight experiments, which are currently undergoing formal NASA Flight Safety Review.

Designed as a keystone Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education program launched as a U.S. National initiative in June 2010, SSEP engages entire communities. Each participating community is provided all launch services to fly a real microgravity research mini-laboratory in low Earth orbit, which is capable of supporting a single experiment. An experiment design and proposal process across each community, mirroring how professional research is undertaken, allows student teams to design microgravity experiments vying for their community’s reserved mini-lab slot. Additional programming leverages grade K-14 community-wide engagement in STEM education.

“SSEP is designed to empower the student as scientist, and within the real-world context of science. Student teams design a real experiment, propose for a real flight opportunity, experience a formal proposal review process, and go through a NASA flight safety review. They even have their own science conference at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, where they are immersed in their own community of researchers”, said Dr. Jeff Goldstein, creator of SSEP and NCESSE Center Director. “SSEP is about introducing real science to our children, and if you give them a chance to be scientists, stand back and be amazed.”

Selected microgravity flight experiments include studies of antibacterial resistance (grade 10), reproduction of E. coli (grade 7), spider development (grade 5), Vitamin C and parathyroid hormone impact on bone density (grade 5, and grades 8 and 12), and water purification (college sophomores).

The first two SSEP flight opportunities on STS-134 and STS-135 saw submission of 997 student team proposals, and 27 SSEP experiments selected and flown, one for each of the 27 communities participating in SSEP on the Space Shuttle.

SSEP is the first pre-college STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education program that is both a U.S. national initiative and implemented as an on-orbit commercial space venture. SSEP is enabled through NanoRacks LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

Links
Description of Selected Experiments
SSEP Participating Communities
Program Impact Provided by Teachers, Students, and Community Leaders
SSEP In the News
VIDEO: 2011 SSEP Conference, Team from Zachary, LA, National Air and Space Museum
SSEP Home Page
SSEP 3-Page Overview PDF

About NCESSE
The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) creates and oversees national initiatives addressing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, with a focus on earth and space. Programs are designed to provide an authentic window on science as a human endeavor. Central objectives of the Center’s programs are to help ensure a scientifically literate public and a next generation of U.S. scientists and engineers – both of which are of national importance in an age of high technology. NCESSE is a Project of the Tides Center. http://ncesse.org

About NanoRacks, LLC
NanoRacks LLC was formed in 2009 to provide quality hardware and services for the U.S. National Laboratory onboard the International Space Station. NanoRacks now has two research platforms onboard the U.S. National Laboratory that can house plug and play payloads using the Cube-Sat form factor. Our current signed customer pipeline of over 50 payloads, including domestic and international educational institutions, research organizations and government organizations, has propelled NanoRacks into a leadership position in understanding the emerging commercial market for low-earth orbit utilization. Visit us at www.nanoracks.com and @nanoracks

Media Contact
Dr. Jeff Goldstein, Center Director, NCESSE
301-395-0770 jeffgoldstein@ncesse.org

92 Schools in 12 U.S. Communities Participating in Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 1 to the International Space Station (ISS)

Announcing New Flight Opportunity – SSEP Mission 2 to ISS

For Immediate Release
November 15, 2011
Program Description Video Clip

Washington, D.C. – The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE), in partnership with NanoRacks LLC, has selected 12 communities across the U.S. to participate in the third Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) flight opportunity – SSEP Mission 1 to the International Space Station (ISS) – reflecting involvement by 92 elementary, middle and high schools. The Center and NanoRacks are also proud to announce the fourth SSEP flight opportunity, Mission 2 to ISS.

Launched in June 2010, SSEP immerses typically 300 students across a community in real scientific research of their own design, using a highly captivating spaceflight opportunity on ISS, America’s newest National Laboratory. The community-focused program is open to schools and school districts serving grade 5 through 12 students, 2- and 4-year colleges and universities, informal science education organizations, and internationally through the Center’s new Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education.

Mirroring the proposal process for professional researchers, each participating community solicits proposals for a microgravity experiment from their students, with student teams vying for use of a real research mini-laboratory reserved to fly for their community. A suite of programs leverages the experience to engage the entire community, embracing a Learning Community Model for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education.

SSEP is a true STEM education program, with students proposing experiments over a wide range of biological and physical science disciplines, and designed to the technology and engineering constraints imposed by the mini-laboratory and flight operations to and from Earth orbit.

The SSEP Mission 1 communities are providing 41,200 students the opportunity to participate, and nearly 1,000 student team proposals are expected. The 12 communities are in California, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas, and the District of Columbia. Half of the communities participated in SSEP on the final two flights of the Space Shuttle. The Mission 1 experiment design competition takes place October through December 2011, with the 12 selected flight experiments scheduled to fly to ISS on Soyuz 30 in March 2012.

Mission 1 Communities
1. San Marino, California
2. West Hills, California
3. Hartford, Connecticut
4. Washington, DC
5. Lake County, Indiana
6. Ida County, Iowa
7. Charles County, Maryland
8. Fitchburg, Massachusetts
9. Pleasanton and Norris, Nebraska
10. Cincinnati, Ohio
11. Houston, Texas
12. El Paso, Texas

“SSEP is designed to empower the student as scientist, and within the real-world context of science. Student teams design a real experiment, propose for a real flight opportunity, experience a formal proposal review process, and go through a NASA flight safety review. They even have their own science conference, where they are immersed in their community of researchers”, said Dr. Jeff Goldstein, creator of SSEP and NCESSE Center Director. “The 2011 SSEP conference was held at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, which was a fantastic setting for the next generation of America’s scientists and engineers – some just 10 years old – to report on their experiment results. SSEP is about introducing real science to our children.”

The first two SSEP flight opportunities on the final flights of Space Shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis (STS-134 and STS-135), engaged 27 communities, providing a combined 30,700 grade 5-14 students in 101 schools the opportunity to participate; 1,027 student team proposals were received; and 27 experiments were selected and flown on the Shuttles – one for each participating community.

New SSEP Mission 2 Flight Opportunity:
SSEP Mission 2 to ISS includes an experiment design competition March though May 2012, with selected flight experiments flying to ISS aboard Soyuz 32 in September 2012 – a great way to start the new school year. All communities interested in participating in Mission 2 should contact the Center as soon as possible.

SSEP is the first pre-college STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education program that is both a U.S. national initiative and implemented as an on-orbit commercial space venture. SSEP is enabled through NanoRacks LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

Links
SSEP Home Page
SSEP 3-Page Overview PDF
SSEP Participating Communities
Student Flight Experiments on Final Two Space Shuttle Flights
SSEP In the News
Program Impact from Teachers, Students, and Community Leaders
SSEP Conference, Team from Zachary, LA, National Air and Space Museum

About NCESSE
The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) creates and oversees national initiatives addressing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, with a focus on earth and space. Programs are designed to provide an authentic window on science as a human endeavor. Central objectives of the Center’s programs are to help ensure a scientifically literate public and a next generation of U.S. scientists and engineers – both of which are of national importance in an age of high technology. NCESSE is a Project of the Tides Center. http://ncesse.org

About NanoRacks, LLC
NanoRacks LLC was formed in 2009 to provide quality hardware and services for the U.S. National Laboratory onboard the International Space Station. NanoRacks now has two research platforms onboard the U.S. National Laboratory that can house plug and play payloads using the Cube-Sat form factor. Our current signed customer pipeline of over 50 payloads, including domestic and international educational institutions, research organizations and government organizations, has propelled NanoRacks into a leadership position in understanding the emerging commercial market for low-earth orbit utilization. Visit us at www.nanoracks.com and @nanoracks

Media Contact
Dr. Jeff Goldstein, Center Director, NCESSE
301-395-0770 jeffgoldstein@ncesse.org

In March 2011, I had the wonderful honor of giving the Keynote Address to 6,000 teachers of science at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Conference in San Francisco. The talk, “Science, it’s Not a Book of Knowledge … it’s a Journey” was about the nature of human exploration, and that science education—indeed all education—should embrace the human need to know driven by innate curiosity, celebrate the gift of a question, and be rich in interdisciplinary experiences owned by the learner. This philosophy is fundamental to all of the Center’s programs.

Last year I came across music videos created by John Boswell at Symphony of Science, and was stunned by the magic he performs on just raw video of people talking. I remember so fondly when I was off to graduate school in astrophysics at Penn and Carl Sagan’s Cosmos first aired. Sagan reaffirmed why I wanted to study the universe, and why I also wanted to have a hand in national science education. What John has now done through his music videos to bring Sagan to a new generation is remarkable. I called him to explore a collaboration, and he answered the phone:)

John and I have been working this past month to turn the NSTA Keynote into a music video that could help reaffirm for teachers why we went into this noblest of professions, and at a time when the focus on teaching to the test and financial stresses on school districts are putting terrible burdens on teachers across the nation. The video was to be something uplifting at the beginning of the new school year.

I’m writing this post because I wanted to share. The video was put up on YouTube early today. I hope it can help, in some small way, give a needed shot in the arm for teachers across this great nation.

We’ve Got to be That Light
A Gift to America’s Teachers

http://blogontheuniverse.org/sos

The very best wishes for the new school year,

Jeff Goldstein

Private Sector Effort Offers Real Research Opportunity for Grade 5-16 Students aboard International Space Station, 50,000 Expected to Participate

Next Phase of Bold New STEM Education Program that Attracted National Attention with Student Experiments on Final Flights of Shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis, and Provided Participation to 30,700 Students

Sunday, July 31, 2011
Video Overview of SSEP Available at StemStream TV on the TV Worldwide Network
Download 3-Page SSEP Program Overview PDF

Interested in exploring this program for your community? Subscribe to the SSEP National Blog for email notification of breaking SSEP news. Use Subscribe/Unsubscribe Box at the bottom of the right column.

THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION (NCESSE) ANNOUNCES AN IMMEDIATE AND HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE U.S. TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FIRST STUDENT SPACEFLIGHT EXPERIMENTS PROGRAM (SSEP) MISSION TO AMERICA’S NATIONAL LABORATORY IN SPACE—THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS). THE PROGRAM IS ALSO OPEN TO ISS PARTNER NATIONS.

Click on the image and feel the magic. The International Space Station (ISS) with Endeavour (STS-135) docked. 16 SSEP Experiments are aboard. ISS dwarfs Endeavour.

SSEP is a keystone Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education program launched as a U.S. National initiative in June 2010. More broadly, SSEP is about a commitment to student ownership in exploration, to science as journey, and to the joys of learning. For school districts—even individual schools—it provides an opportunity to implement a systemic, high caliber, and historic STEM education program that is tailored to a community’s strategic needs in STEM education.

Each participating community will be provided an experiment slot in a real microgravity research mini-laboratory scheduled to fly on the International Space Station (ISS) from March 30 to May 16, 2012. An experiment design competition in each community—engaging typically 300 to 1,000 students—allows student teams to design real experiments vying for their community’s reserved experiment slot on ISS. Additional SSEP programming leverages the flight design competition to engage the community, embracing NCESSE’s Learning Community Model for STEM education.

SSEP Mission 1 to ISS is currently the only SSEP flight opportunity available. SSEP missions on STS-134 (Shuttle Endeavour) and STS-135 (Shuttle Atlantis) have recently been completed, with 1,027 student team proposals submitted, and 27 SSEP experiments selected and flown—representing the 27 communities that participated in SSEP on the Space Shuttle.

SSEP Mission 1 to ISS is open to the following five categories of communities:

• Pre-College (the core focus for SSEP) in the U.S., (grades 5-12), with a participating school district—even an individual school—providing stunning, real, on-orbit RESEARCH opportunities to their upper elementary, middle, and high school students
• 2-Year Community Colleges in the U.S., (grades 13-14), where the student body is typically from the local community, providing wonderful pathways for community-wide engagement
• 4-Year Colleges and Universities in the U.S., (grades 13-16), with an emphasis on Minority-Serving Institutions, where the program fosters interdisciplinary collaboration across schools and departments, and an opportunity for formal workforce development for science majors
• Communities in the U.S. led by Informal Education or Out-of-School Organizations, (e.g., a museum or science center, a homeschool network, a boy scout troop), because high caliber STEM education programs must be accessible to organizations that promote effective learning beyond the traditional classroom
• Communities in ISS Partner Nations: EU nations, Canada and Japan with participation through NCESSE’s Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education

Imagine your community participating in this—an adventure in real science on the space frontier, that students, teachers, and families will remember for a lifetime.

Video caption: These images of the International Space Station, the docked ATV-2 Johannes Kepler and the docked Space Shuttle Endeavour, flying at an altitude of approximately 220 miles, were taken by ESA astronaut and Expedition 27 crew member Paolo Nespoli from the Soyuz TMA-20 following its undocking on 23 May 2011. They are the first-ever images of a space shuttle docked to the International Space Station. Onboard the Soyuz were Russian cosmonaut and Expedition 27 commander Dmitry Kondratyev; Nespoli; and NASA astronaut Cady Coleman. Coleman and Nespoli were both flight engineers. The three landed in Kazakhstan later that day, completing 159 days in space. Credit: ESA/NASA/Roscosmos

For a good background on SSEP, and to introduce the opportunity to key individuals in your community, WATCH THIS SSEP VIDEO at STEMStream TV by Dr. Jeff Goldstein, SSEP Program Director, and Center Director for the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education.

Program Basics

• A community of any size can participate, including a small school district, an individual school, a large inner city or suburban district, a cluster of rural districts, a college, or a museum/science center or other informal education led community-based effort
• A community typically provides the opportunity for 300 to 1,000 students to participate in their Experiment Design Competition
• A community can open the competition to any grade level(s) in the grade 5-16 range, and through the provided elements of the SSEP Community Program, can engage wider audiences (all grade levels, families, and the general public)
• SSEP is a bold new commercial space venture in partnership with NanoRacks LLC. The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, must recover the actual costs for the program (lease of space in the flight payload, flight integration services, program delivery and support), but also recognizes the significant challenge to a community in securing underwriting in the current financial climate. That said, the Center is committed to trying to find funding for any community interested in participating. The Center found funding for 21 of the 27 communities that participated in SSEP on STS-134 and STS-135, the final two flights of the U.S. Space Shuttle Program. If you are interested in this program, let us help.

Critical elements associated with the SSEP Mission 1 to ISS flight opportunity—

1. Time Available for Experiment Design: Your Student Teams, together with their Teacher Facilitators, will have at least 8 weeks (October 1 to November 28, 2011) to: begin the program in classrooms across your community, design experiments, and write and submit 5-page proposals, with proposals due by November 28, 2011. Note that NCESSE has a significant number of resources that make this process straight-forward, including an instructionally designed recipe allowing teachers to easily facilitate: introduction of the program in the classroom, experiment design, and proposal writing.

2. Finding Your Community Funding: We stand ready to aggressively help your community identify funders capable of a short turn-around, talk to funders on your behalf and in coordination with you, and write any needed proposals. Given our successful fundraising effort for the 21 of 27 communities participating in SSEP on the Space Shuttle, we now have active relationships with funders across the nation.

We have assembled the following suite of resources for fundraising:

• a bulleted list of powerful SSEP talking points that can be called upon when talking to a potential funder
• extensive experience successfully talking to funders about SSEP on behalf of interested communities
• databases of funders on a regional and local level, that allow us to rapidly do a search for appropriate funders
• a proposal template with straight-forward sections that address a community’s demographics and strategic needs in STEM education. The template allows a proposal to be written and submitted to a funder (if needed) with no more than a 2-3 hour investment of time.

3. Letter of Commitment of Funding: All participating communities must submit Letters of Commitment of funding by September 15, 2011.

4. Starting Early: Communities can begin the program in classrooms as early as September 16, 2011, which would provide an additional 2 weeks of experiment design and proposal writing. Contact Us for more information.

5. Contract: The deadline for signing a contract is October 15, 2011.

6. Other Key Milestones:

• Experiments selected for flight: December 23, 2011
• Ferry Flight of SSEP Payload to ISS Aboard Soyuz 30, launch date: March 30, 2012
• Ferry Flight of SSEP Payload back to Earth Aboard Soyuz 29, landing: May 16, 2012
• SSEP National Conference for students: early July 2012, most likely held at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC, the site of the 2011 Conference

7. Getting Your Community Interested and Aboard: We offer teleconferences and video-conferences as needed to introduce the program to your key community leadership (e.g., school and district leadership), and to the Local Team of educators that you would charge with carrying out the program. Conference call objectives: provide an overview of the program, tune the program to community need, answer questions, and get everyone on the same page. These conference calls have been exceedingly successful in getting the 27 communities participating in SSEP on Space Shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis aboard rapidly and moving.

To gauge program success, see the following pages:

• In Our Own Words: experiences from education leader, teaches, students and funders in the participating communities
• Profiles of the 27 Communities that participated in SSEP on the final flights of the Space Shuttle
• Descriptions of SSEP Experiments that were flown on the final flights of the Space Shuttle
• SSEP Mission Patches that were flown on the final flights of the Space Shuttle
• SSEP In the News for extensive media coverage of SSEP

Download a 3-Page SSEP Program Overview. This is a MS Word document appropriate for emailing to colleagues, or for print distribution. If this MS Word document is opened on screen, all the links to relevant content on SSEP web pages will be active, and you can click on a link as needed to see the web content in the appropriate context.

Your Next Steps, If Interested

Note that we have limited experiment slots available for SSEP Mission 1 to ISS, and we urge interested communities to call or email, ASAP, Dr. Jeff Goldstein, SSEP Program Director, and Center Director for the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education. Contact information may be found on the Contact page. Dr. Goldstein will set up a phone call with you to explore whether this program makes sense for your community, see how SSEP can be tailored to your strategic needs in STEM education, and how we can help get you aboard.

All interested communities are advised to go to the SSEP Home Page (with a cup of coffee or tea in hand) and carefully read about this program, its goals, and all the program elements that are provided to a community to make this a true STEM immersion program in REAL SCIENCE for your students.

Subscribe to the SSEP National Blog to receive email notification of breaking SSEP News.
Use the Subscribe/Unsubscribe Box at the bottom of the right column of this page.

Jump to: SSEP Home Page

This idea went places, timesunion.com, June 14, 2011; SSEP on STS-134, Ballston Spa, NY

The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) oversees the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP), which saw 27 student team experiments fly aboard the final flights of Space Shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis. Nearly 31,000 grade 5-14 students were given the opportunity to participate in a real experiment design competition. All told, 1,027 student team proposals were received, out of which 27 experiments were chosen for flight— one for each of the 27 participating communities.

NCESSE is about to announce a historic opportunity—SSEP Mission 1 to the International Space Station (ISS), with communities required to be aboard by September 30, 2011, experiments selected for flight by mid-December 2011, and flight to ISS on Soyuz 30 on March 30, 2011. Each participating community will have a reserved mini-lab to fly aboard ISS, and we’ll help them conduct a local REAL experiment design competition for typically 300 to a couple of thousand students. Does your community want to be part of the adventure? If you’d like to explore the possibility, Contact Us. Read the details about the SSEP Mission 1 to ISS Opportunity on the SSEP How to Participate page.

The following stories have just been added to the SSEP In the News page at the SSEP Community Network Hubsite, bringing the total number of stories to 114 —

National

Eleven More
Feature Article, NASA.gov, July 12, 2011
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/eleven-more.html

SSEP on STS-135

Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford students get experiment back from space
Westport News, July 31, 2011
http://www.westport-news.com/default/article/Hartford-students-get-experiment-back-from-space-1599841.php

Charles County, Maryland

Students send weighty science to microgravity
SoMdNews.Com, June 15, 2011
http://www.somdnews.com/article/20110615/NEWS/706159710/1043/lackey-students-send-weighty-science-to-microgravity&template=southernMaryland

Fitchberg, Massachusetts

Monty Tech only voke school chosen to have experiment on space shuttle
NEWS telegram.com, June 18, 2011
http://www.telegram.com/article/20110618/NEWS/106189953

Bridgewater-Rarita, New Jersey

Shuttle Atlantis will carry Bridgewater-Raritan High School students’ science experiment
nj.com, June 17, 2011
http://www.nj.com/messenger-gazette/index.ssf/2011/06/shuttle_atlantis_will_carry_science_experiment_designed_by_bridgewater-raritan_high_school_students.html

SSEP on STS-134

Shelton, Connecticut

Despite outcome, experiment aboard Endeavour positive for Shelton students
Westport News, June 24, 2011
http://www.westport-news.com/default/article/Despite-outcome-experiment-aboard-Endeavour-1439514.php

Orange County, Florida

Orange student experiments to go up on space shuttle Endeavour
Orlando Sentinel, April 28, 2011
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_education_edblog/2011/04/orange-student-experiments-to-go-up-on-space-shuttle-endeavour.html

St. Mary’s County, Maryland

VIDEO: Students’ experiment rides with Endeavour
WJLA, June 16, 2011
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2011/06/students-take-part-in-endeavour-journey-62395.html

Ballston Spa, New York

This idea went places
timesunion.com, June 14, 2011
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/This-idea-went-places-1422593.php

Seattle, Washington

VIDEO: Ballard HIgh students’ experiment onbaord Endeavour
King5.com, May 16, 2011
http://www.king5.com/news/Ballard-High-students-experiment-on-board-Space-Shuttle-Endeavor-121887954.html

Vehicle Asembly Building (VAB) during the final mission of the Space Shuttle program (STS-135). Photo by Eric S. Ackerman. CLICK FOR ZOOM

This past year has been a humbling experience for the staff here at the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education and the thousands of students and teachers in the 27 communities participating in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program. Enabled by NanoRacks Space Act Agreement with NASA, we’ve all had the adventure of a lifetime. We’ve had the distinct honor of being part of history, and part of the 30 year legacy of the United States Space Shuttle program. The Space Shuttle, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration—both national treasures—stand for what is a fundamental regarding the nature of our existence—our need to know, to question, to push the boundaries of what is familiar, and to broaden our understanding of ourselves. Anyone witnessing the final Shuttle launch on July 8 at Kennedy Space Center could not help but be overwhelmed by what we have done as a nation of spacefarers, and realize that the dawn of a new era is at hand. To all those that are participating in SSEP, you need to know that you are helping to blaze a trail into that new era, and there has been no bigger supporter of your achievements than NASA. With the 27 experiments aboard Endeavour and Atlantis, selected from over 1,000 student team proposals, you, the next generation, are the link between a celebrated past and a future in space exploration that is only now being written. And this remarkable journey we’ve been on together? It has really been about celebrating the past, embracing the present, and inspiring the future. But isn’t that what learning and exploration are all about?

To all the men and women that have dedicated their lives to the exploration of space, and to knowing Earth’s place in a greater cosmos, thank you. Know that your legacy lives on in myriad programs like this one that give voice to the dreams of the next generation so that they may take their rightful place at the helm of the human race. It is only fitting … for the journey is written in our genes, and all the countless thousands that built Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station were children once that dared to dream.

The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, and NanoRacks, LLC, are very proud to pass along that NASA has again honored the communities participating in SSEP, this time with feature articles for the 11 communities aboard STS-135. We have provided the links below.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to NASA, and to three individuals that have provided unwavering support for SSEP: Mark Severance, International Space Station National Laboratory Education projects manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center; Leland Melvin, Associate Administrator for Education, NASA Headquarters; and James Stofan, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Integration, NASA Education, NASA Headquarters. We would also like to extend a very special thanks to Flint Wild, NASA Portal Associate Editor, NASA Education; Kathy Forsythe, Content Manager/NASA Education Web Team, NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center; and Jessica Nimon, Research Communications Specialist, ISS Program Science, NASA Johnson Space Center for overseeing the feature story development for the features posted on two main landing pages at the NASA Education Portal and also on the ISS Research News page. Finally a special thank you to Kristina Brink, Lead for K-12 Projects, NASA Kennedy Space Center; and Annette Dittmer, NASA Exchange Manager, NASA Kennedy Space Center, for making the KARS Park launch experiences for STS-134 and STS-135 something that the 600 combined attendees will never forget.

We are looking forward to the next chapter of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program, and its promise to inspire and engage hundreds of thousands of student scientists, starting with SSEP Mission 1 to the International Space Station. We are on-boarding participating communities now for a Fall 2011 competition and a SSEP Mission 1 flight to ISS aboard Soyuz 30 on April 1 ,2012. For more information, see the new SSEP Mission 1 Critical TImeline page, and Contact Us.

Dr. Jeff Goldstein, Center Director
National Center for Earth and Space Science Education

Jeffrey Manber, Managing Director
NanoRacks, LLC

Links to the SSEP on STS-135 Feature Articles at NASA.gov—

For Student main landing page – In the Spotlight area
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html

For Educators main landing page – Educator Features and Articles area
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html

STS-135 Educator Resources page – second item
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/sts135-index.html

International Space Station Research News page
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news.html

Direct URL
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/eleven-more.html

The SSEP on-orbit research opportunity is enabled through NanoRacks LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

Participation in the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program has been an exponential chain of opportunities for not only the students involved, but the entire community of Zachary, Louisiana. The initial opportunity allowed students to partake in real science. Students across the district voluntarily undertook one of the most challenging tasks of their educational careers. After learning about the program, students and teachers wanted to be a part of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Of course the chance of having an experiment on the final flight of Endeavour was exciting, but simply being a part of the program was motivation enough. Everyone who heard of SSEP, valued the program and cherished the ideals upon which it was built upon.

When I was first told of the experience, my supervisor simply said, “You said you always wanted to be an astronaut, so how about having an experiment in space?” I was sold. Initially, I thought I would get an opportunity to live vicariously through my students, but just like all participants, I ended up being a part of its actual reality; no pretending needed. I was just as engrossed in the process as my students.

After selecting topics for possible experiments, students and teachers began learning as much as they could about their selected subjects. Students took on the role of researchers and experiment design specialists, while teachers stepped into the roles of program supervisors and consultants. Timelines were established and students went to work. There was never an assigned amount of homework for the project. There was no need. Students were excited to be in control of their own education. They wanted to learn as much as they could. They wanted to write as much as they could. They wanted to revise as much as they could. They searched for resources that could give them the tiny details they needed. They tried new technologies without fear in class, motivated by the idea that they were a part of history.

The entire community was a buzz about SSEP. Students wanted to share their ideas and Zachary wanted to hear them. All participating students presented their proposed experiments at a school board meeting to a packed audience. The audience was not simply the parents of students, waiting to take photos of their child on stage, but rather, representative of the entire community. Everyone wanted to hear what amazing ideas were happening in their hometown. Science became the language of Zachary.

Although the community found it difficult to decide upon a favorite experiment, one decision was made about science education. This type of learning must continue. Community organizations began requesting more presentations and educators, students, and parents began demanding more learning experiences that provoked thought among students and required challenging applications.

The announcement of the winners was excitement shared by all. All students were excited, even if they were not the selected team. They knew that their involvement in SSEP had not ended with the announcement of the winners. Just like the rest of the community, they were also invested in the experiment that was chosen. Zachary was going into space and they were a part of it! The winners were not viewed as the lucky ones, but rather as the leaders of a community-wide advancement into space.

The winning team prepared samples for their experiment: “What is the effect of microgravity on the development rate of murine myoblasts?”, and soon Zachary was giving itself a crash course in cell biology. Everyone wanted to know all they could about myoblasts and how these tiny structures were making a difference in the education of their students.

The launch of Endeavour and its safe return home was celebrated by the town, and requests for the results of the experiment began pouring in. Something about SSEP has ignited curiosity in the city. The initial excitement of an experiment in space transformed into excitement over science!

As stated earlier, involvement with SSEP has been an exponential chain of opportunities. The initial opportunity of having an experiment in space transformed into the greater opportunity of students taking charge of their own education. They were given freedom to answer their own questions. The chain of opportunities provided an experience connecting the community. The entire city of Zachary was invested in one cause, one burning question, and a shared sense of pride that they knew few other cities could boast. Finally, opportunities opened the door of hope. If students could accomplish this before high school graduation, what will the future hold? Although this question has yet to be answered, the community knows the answer is simple. Great things lay ahead for the future of Zachary.

Circe Bridges, Science Teacher
SSEP Teacher Facilitator, STS-134 Flight Experiment

Jump to: STS-134 National Conference in Washington, DC page