SSEP Goes Interdisciplinary: NanoRacks is Giving Each Community the Ability to Fly an Emblem of Their SSEP Participation on the Space Shuttle

UPDATE (12/6/10): due to the launch delay for STS-134, the Emblems are now due to NCESSE (See address below) by close of business January 31, 2011.

The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) overseen by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education is about inspiring America’s next generation of scientists and engineers, and engaging entire communities in the process. Student teams proposing experiments to fly on STS-134, the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour, is at the core of the program. But community-wide engagement, and cross-disciplinary learning are also cornerstone objectives in the context of the embraced Learning Community Model for STEM education.

In this spirit, NanoRacks, LLC, is providing a wonderful gift to all 16 communities participating in SSEP. NanoRacks will try to fly on STS-134 a paper 4-inch x 4-inch square emblem designed by the students of your community. Given we are less than 100 days from launch, it may not be possible to get the emblems on the flight, but NanoRacks is committed to trying, and feels there is a reasonable chance of success. And if we don’t make STS-134, assuming STS-135 flies, which is the final flight of Atlantis, we will work to get the emblems aboard STS-135.

On return from space, NanoRacks will appropriately frame your emblem and send it to you for community display. It will be a testament to the efforts by your students, teachers, and community on SSEP, and recognition that your community was part of America’s Space Shuttle Program at this historic moment.

NanoRacks has made this opportunity available to celebrate the remarkable accomplishment of your community’s submission of finalist proposals to the National SSEP Step 2 Review Panel. It is an opportunity in keeping with our desire to keep the excitement alive post experiment selection while we’re all waiting for launch, a chance to extend the adventure, and a means to extend the program in an interdisciplinary manner to engage, e.g., art and design classes.

Requirements:

• The emblem should be a 4-inch x 4-inch piece of paper, and its design should reflect pride in your community, and your participation in the SSEP.
• There is no restriction on the type of paper or the inks to be used.
• The emblem can be black&white or full color.
• The emblem can only be composed of a single sheet of 4-inch x 4-inch paper and the ink on the paper.
• The emblem cannot include multiple layers of paper glued or taped on top of one another.
• The emblem is to be designed with participation open to students from across the segment of your community participating in SSEP, and can certainly be broadened to participation by other students, teachers, and community members as you see fit.
• We would also like you to provide a jpg image of the emblem so we can display it on the SSEP website.
  

We recognize that a community might not have the time or resources to take on this new and fast-moving opportunity. But given the opportunity, we wanted to give all communities a chance to participate.

We have to act fast. All interested communities should send their emblem to the following address, so that it is received by December 10, 2010:

National Center for Earth and Space Science Education
Attn: SSEP Emblem
PO Box 3806
Capitol Heights, MD 20791

The jpg image of you emblem should be sent to Dr. Harri Vanhala, National SSEP Program Manager, at: harrivanhala@ncesse.org

From the entire SSEP National Team to all the students, teachers, administrators, and researcher advisors that have worked so hard on this program, we wish you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving 2010:)

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.