The SSEP Mission 8 to ISS Step 2 Review Board takes a break for a group shot in front of the Apollo Lunar Module at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, May 19, 2015. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ZOOM
The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education convenes a SSEP Step 2 Review Board for each flight opportunity to select the flight experiments – those experiments to be transported to the International Space Station.
Typically 20-30 communities participate in each SSEP flight opportunity. Each of these communities is provided the means to fly one microgravity experiment designed by one of their student teams to the International Space Station. The experiment is selected through a formal 2-step proposal review process–
Step 1 Review Boards
Through full engagement of hundreds of students, each community typically receives 60-100 flight experiment proposals from their student teams. The community sets up a Step 1 Review Board established with local area researchers and local science educators. The task of the Step 1 Review Board is to review all proposals against the formal proposal evaluation criteria, and choose three finalist proposals to submit to the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education. A comprehensive understanding of how communities can set up their Step 1 Review Board is found on the Guidance for Setting Up A Step 1 Review Board page.
Step 2 Review Board
The Center is then charged with convening a SSEP Step 2 Review Board—a national team of professional researchers and distinguished STEM educators—to select the flight experiment for each community from the community’s three finalist proposals.
This 2-step proposal review process models a real call for research proposals by an organization such as NASA, NSF or NIH. You can read more about the flight experiment design competition and the proposal review process on the Flight Experiment Design Competition page.
An overview of activities for each SSEP Step 2 Review Board convened to date, together with bios of Board members, are provided on the pages below.
Jump to Step 2 Review Boards for:
Mission 18 to ISS
Mission 17 to ISS
Mission 16 to ISS
Mission 15 to ISS
Mission 14 to ISS
Mission 13 to ISS
Mission 12 to ISS
Mission 11 to ISS
Mission 10 to ISS
Mission 9 to ISS
Mission 8 to ISS
Mission 7 to ISS
Mission 6 to ISS
Mission 5 to ISS
Mission 4 to ISS
Mission 3 to ISS
Mission 2 to ISS
Mission 1 to ISS
SSEP on STS-135
SSEP on STS-134