To readers – if you would like to wish the Mission 17 to ISS student researchers, their teachers, and their communities good luck on the launch of their experiments on SpaceX CRS-29, you are invited to leave a comment below:)
Video Above – Watch A SpaceX Launch From 2019: liftoff of the SpaceX CRS-18 Mission at 6:01 pm ET, July 25, 2019 (expand YouTube video window to full screen). The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Dragon was carrying the International Docking Adaptor (IDA-3), crew supplies, and science research to the International Space Station – including 41 student experiments comprising the SSEP Mission 13 Gemini payload. We are now counting down to the launch of 38 SSEP Mission 17 Orbiter payload of experiments (one experiment will fly on a later mission) on SpaceX CRS-29 on November 9, 2023. (Credit: NASA TV)
Launch of SSEP Mission 17 to the International Space Station
November 8, 2023, 6:00 am ET
From: Dr. Jeff Goldstein
Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) National Program Director
Center Director, National Center for Earth and Space Science Education
The SSEP Mission 17 to ISS flight experiments payload designated Orbiter – containing 38 flight experiments (one Mission 17 experiment will fly on a later mission) – is scheduled to launch Thursday, November 9, 2023, at 8:28 pm EST from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, aboard SpaceX CRS-29 (SpaceX Commercial Resupply Service Mission 29).
A heartfelt congratulations to all 12,800 students that participated in Mission 17 microgravity experiment design, and submitted 2,261 flight experiment proposals for formal review and selection; the 35,500 students that participated in the Mission Patch art and design competitions; and the 141 student Principal Investigators, Co-Investigators, and Collaborators comprising the student flight teams for the 39 selected Mission 17 flight experiments. You are all truly part of America’s Space Program. and we are all very proud of you. You are the next generation of researchers on the frontiers of exploration.
As of this writing, after a number of launch slips, we are at T-minus 1 day 13 hours and counting – see the countdown clock in the right column.
I thought I’d share a personal story that I hope is relevant as we count down to the launch of SpaceX-29 –
In July of 1969, I was 11 years old watching a black and white television in Uniondale, New York. It was July 16, and I was watching live coverage of the launch of Apollo 11. Standing 36 stories tall on launch pad 39A – the same launch pad from which SpaceX CRS-29 will launch on Thursday – was the Saturn V moon rocket. At the top were Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins in the command module Columbia. Apollo 11 blasted off at 9:32 am Eastern Time on a flight to the Moon. They went into lunar orbit on July 19, and I remember vividly going outside, looking at the Moon, and realizing three human beings were there 240,000 miles away. In fact, I was looking at them.
On July 20, 1969, the lunar module Eagle touched down on the lunar surface with Armstrong and Aldrin, and I watched in amazement as I saw a human being – Neil Armstrong – set foot on another world for the first time in history. It was profound. It was a moment that changed me. I was 11, and in that moment I knew I wanted to be a space explorer.
My point? There are these moments in our lives that change us – if we are open to them. They cause us to view our world and ourselves differently in profound new ways.
When I was a student, 11 years old and older, I did not have the chance to be part of America’s Space Program. I like countless other students watching the flight of Apollo 11 watched from afar. We were rooting for the team. But all the students engaged in SSEP Mission 17, and the 150,000 students that participated in SSEP since program inception, were truly invited into America’s Space Program, as microgravity researchers designing and proposing real experiments to be operated by the astronauts in Low Earth Orbit. You have been part of the adventure on the high frontier. And we hope that the launch on Thursday, with your community’s experiment aboard, can be one of those profound moments that might make you look at what is possible in a bold new way. It’s why we created SSEP.
The launch will be covered live on NASA TV and at SpaceX, and we’ve provided a NASA video portal below if you’d like to watch right here on the SSEP National Program website. Also below is the November 1, 2023, NASA Media Advisory that provides NASA TV live coverage times for launch on Thursday, November 9, and arrival at Station on Saturday, November 11.
-Jeff
Schedule of Events for Wednesday, November 8
4:00 pm EST – Prelaunch media teleconference (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) with the following participants:
Dana Weigel, deputy program manager, International Space Station Program
Meghan Everett, deputy chief scientist, International Space Station Program Research Office
Sarah Walker, director, Dragon mission management, SpaceX
Melody Lovin, launch weather officer, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron
Schedule of Events for Thursday, November 9
8:00 pm EST – NASA TV launch commentary for SpaceX-29 begins
8:28 pm EST – launch of SpaceX-29 (this is an instantaneous launch window – it must launch at this time)
Schedule of Events for Saturday, November 11
3:45 am EST – NASA TV coverage begins for Dragon docking to the space station
5:21 am EST – Docking
Mission 17 to ISS Historical Data
Number of Participating Communities: 37
Scope: 12,800 grade 5-16 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 2,261
Number of experiments selected for flight: 39; 35 communities flying 1 experiment and 2 communities flying 2 experiments – Ukraine and Hillsborough County, Florida
Announcement of Opportunity: February 28, 2022
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 1 – November 2, 2022 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 15, 2022
MEDIA PACKAGE for SSEP Mission 17 to ISS flying on SpaceX-29
– webpages
Mission 17 Media Coverage: 42 articles currently listed
Mission 17 Community Profiles: 37 communities, 140 organizational partners, 348 schools
– downloadable media documents (PDFs) reflecting the 39 Mission 17 experiments
SSEP National Program Overview
Mission 17 Flight Experiments Summary Table
Mission 17 Flight Experiments: Research Teams and Experiment Descriptions – an experiment-by-experiment summary including community, school, grade level, research team (PIs, Co-Is and Collaborators), and experiment abstract
Historical Multimedia –
We also invite you to explore the SSEP Launch and On-Orbit Operations History page, which provides a sense of the rich history of the SSEP Program. Here you will find s list of SSEP missions and payload designations, videos of all SSEP launches, a list of all astronauts that have operated SSEP experiments, and videos of astronauts operating the experiments.
WATCH SpaceX LAUNCH LIVE ON THIS NASA TV PORTAL
November 1, 2023
MEDIA ADVISORY M23-134
NASA Sets Coverage for Next SpaceX Resupply Launch to Space Station
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 8:28 p.m. EST Thursday, Nov. 9, to launch the company’s 29th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Live launch coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Wednesday, Nov. 8. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will deliver new science investigations, food, supplies, and equipment to the international crew, including NASA’s AWE (Atmospheric Waves Experiment), which studies atmospheric gravity waves to understand the flow of energy through Earth’s upper atmosphere and space.
The spacecraft also will deliver NASA’s ILLUMA-T (Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low-Earth-Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal), which aims to test high data rate laser communications from the space station to Earth via the agency’s LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration). Together, ILLUMA-T and LCRD will complete NASA’s first two-way, end-to-end laser communications relay system.
Arrival to the station is planned for 5:21 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 11. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbital outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
The deadline has passed for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch. The agency’s media accreditation policy is available online. More information about media accreditation is available by emailing: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.
Full coverage of this mission is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on operations) Follow the International Space Station blog for updates.
Wednesday, Nov. 8
4 p.m. – Prelaunch media teleconference (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) with the following participants:
Dana Weigel, deputy program manager, International Space Station Program
Meghan Everett, deputy chief scientist, International Space Station Program Research Office
Sarah Walker, director, Dragon mission management, SpaceX
Melody Lovin, launch weather officer, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron
Media may ask questions during the media teleconference by phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 5 p.m. EST Monday, Nov. 6, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov
Thursday, Nov. 9
8:00 p.m. – NASA TV launch commentary begins
8:28 p.m. – Launch
Saturday, Nov. 11
3:45 a.m. – NASA TV coverage begins for Dragon docking to the space station
5:21 a.m. – Docking
Coverage is subject to change based on real-time operational activities. Follow the International Space Station blog for updates.
NASA TV launch coverage
Live coverage of the launch on NASA Television will begin at 8:00 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 9. For downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, or -7135. On launch day, the full mission broadcast can be heard on -1220 and -1240, while the countdown net only can be heard on -7135 beginning approximately one hour before the mission broadcast begins.
On launch day, live coverage of the launch without NASA Television commentary will be carried on the NASA Television media channel.
NASA website launch coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 9, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our launch blog for updates.
Attend launch virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. Registrants will receive mission updates and activities by email. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch.
Watch, engage on social media
Let people know you’re following the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Dragon and #CRS29. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab
Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo o Messod Bendayan a: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov o messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov.
Learn more about NASA’s SpaceX commercial resupply missions at:
The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) is a program of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) in the U.S., and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education internationally. It is enabled through a strategic partnership with Nanoracks LLC, which is working with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory. SSEP is the first pre-college STEM education program that is both a U.S. national initiative and implemented as an on-orbit commercial space venture.
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) are U.S. National Partners on the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program.
Comments are closed.