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The goal of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) is to inspire America’s next generation of scientists and engineers, and engage entire communities in the process. In this vein, we believe that it is vitally important that participating students have a lasting recognition of their involvement in America’s Space Program, and their role as researchers in real microgravity experiment design, or in public communication through mission patch design. We want them to remember always their part in this program.
Rabbi Ari Ginian is the SSEP Community Program Director for Inwood New York, for SSEP on the final flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-135). He suggested in 2011 that the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education make available a Student Certificate template to SSEP communities in recognition of student achievement. He also asked if the NASA logo could be included, even though SSEP was a commercial space venture. It was a wonderful idea. We asked NASA Headquarters if that would be possible and they graciously granted the needed permission. We are grateful to NASA for its stunning support of this program since it began in June 2010.
The Center is therefore proud to make SSEP Student Certificates of Accomplishment available to all communities that have participated in the SSEP flight opportunities to date. We understand that this likely comes too late for the Shuttle flight opportunities, but wanted to still make them available.
Maybe one day, 20 years from now, a Principal Investigator on a spacecraft mission to Jupiter’s Moon Europa in search of life, will look up at her wall of diplomas and see a cherished SSEP Certificate. With a smile breaking across her face, she’ll remember the program that launched her grand adventure.
About the Certificates
The certificates are provided to the communities as a PDF file that contains five different types of certificate to ensure we reach all students, including certificates for:
- general participation in the experiment design competition
- a member of a finalist experiment proposal team
- a member of a selected flight experiment team
- general participation in the mission patch design competition
- a member of the winning mission patch design team
The certificates are ready to be printed, signed by a community leader, and given to the students that have participated in the program. The certificates include imagery, logos, and emblems related to the flight opportunity, as well as electronic signatures by Dr. Jeff Goldstein, SSEP Director, and Jeffrey Manber, Managing Director of NanoRacks, LLC.
The certificates are designed so that they can be customized to each community by including the name of the community, the name of the community leader who will sign the certificates, and the mission patch that was selected for flight from the community. The community leader may also provide an electronic signature to be incorporated in the certificate.
IMPORTANT NOTE: these are controlled documents given the inclusion of the institutional logos, particularly the NASA logo. We therefore request a letter from a SSEP Community Program Director, on their organization’s letterhead, stating that they will have control over printing and distribution of the Certificates.
Certificate Templates
Below are templates of the certificates as PDF files before customization for a community.
SSEP Missions to the International Space Station; shown are certificates for Mission 1
STS-135, the last flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis, which includes the STS-135 Mission Patch
STS-134, the last flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour, which includes the STS-134 Mission Patch
Requesting Your Customized Certificates
To request customized certificates for your community, send an email to harrivanhala@ncesse.org with the following information and documentation:
- The flight opportunity for which you are requesting the certificate (e.g., ISS Mission 2 / ISS Mission 1 / STS-135 / STS-134)
- The name of your community exactly as you would like it to be included in the certificate (and please note the available space for the name)
- The name of your community leader exactly as you would like it to be included in the certificate (and please note the available space for the name)
- If you would like to have the electronic signature of your community leader included in the final PDF file, which means that the certificates would not need to be signed by hand, provide the electronic signature. The best format for the signature is a PNG file which is transparent everywhere except within the signature itself (see, for example, the electronic signature for Jeff Goldstein on the certificate). Image files that are not transparent will block the background image somewhat and so are not advised to be used.
- Let us know if you would like one of your Mission Patches to be included in the certificate. If you do, we need an electronic version (PNG, JPEG, GIF, small-size TIFF) of the mission patch. If your flight opportunity already has a Selected Mission Patch page, then we already have an electronic version of your patch. But if your community flew two patches, you need to identify which patch should be on the certificate. If your flight opportunity does not have a Selected Mission Patch page, then you need to send an electronic version of the patch you would like us to include.
- A Letter from your organization addressing control of the printing and distribution of the certificates. Ask Dr. Vanhala for a template of the letter.
Please note that we cannot provide any other customization in the certificates except what is mentioned in the list above.
SSEP is undertaken by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) in partnership with NanoRacks LLC. This on-orbit, real research opportunity for students is enabled throughNanoRacks 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.