Author Archive | Jeff Goldstein

December 21: Comet Lovejoy from the International Space Station

Christmas Week on the International Space Station— Reprinted from NASA Station Commander Captures Unprecedented View of Come International Space Station Commander Dan Burbank captured spectacular imagery of Comet Lovejoy from about 240 miles above the Earth’s horizon on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Burbank described seeing the comet two nights ago as “the most amazing thing I […]

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We Have Just Crossed the T-Minus 100 Day Milestone for Launch of Aquarius, the SSEP Mission 1 Payload to ISS

We did not want this milestone to go un-noticed. UPDATE: All flight experiments for SSEP Mission 1 to ISS have now been selected, and NCESSE and NanoRacks are working hard to complete the final flight samples list (fluids and solids) to be flown by the student research teams. The list, due today to NanoRacks, will […]

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SSEP Mission 1 to the ISS Flight Experiment FAQ

As the student teams have been preparing their experiment proposals for the SSEP Mission 1 to the International Space Station, we have been fielding questions about various aspects of the process, from the basic operation of the Fluids Mixing Enclosure to details on completing the proposal. As we address these questions, the answers are not […]

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Important Information About Thermal Control for SSEP Mission 1 Experiments

To SSEP student researchers and their Teacher Facilitators We have had a number of questions from student teams regarding the available thermal control (temperature control) for the Mission 1 mini-labs. NCESSE’s Dr. Harri Vanhala has been providing answers, and updating the Mission 1 FAQ. These questions have revealed a problem with the wording on the […]

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Announcing Communities Participating in SSEP Mission 1 to ISS, and NEW Flight Opportunity, Mission 2 to ISS

Download a PDF of this Press Release After reading this Press Release, be sure to read the New SSEP Homepage Subscribe to receive email updates on the SSEP using the Subscribe Box at the bottom of the right column. 92 Schools in 12 U.S. Communities Participating in Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 1 to […]

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Something Different – For SSEP Teachers Across America: We’ve Got To Be That Light

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 […]

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For SSEP on ISS – Dramatically More Experiment Capability Using the New Fluids Mixing Enclosure (FME) Mini-Lab Over the MDA Mini-Lab Used for SSEP On Shuttle Missions

Communities interested in exploring participation in SSEP Mission 1 to ISS will be excited to learn that the Fluids Mixing Enclosure (FME) mini-lab being used for SSEP on ISS has dramatically more capability than the Materials Dispersion Apparatus (MDA) used for SSEP on STS-134 and STS-135. Based on SSEP operations on STS-134 and STS-135, NCESSE […]

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Immediate, Historic Opportunity for Schools – Student Spaceflight Experiments Program MISSION 1 TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

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 […]

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SSEP In The News: 10 More Stories Just Added

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 […]

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Welcome Home Atlantis! LIVE VIDEO of Harvesting of Experiment Samples from STS-135

Atlantis touched down at 5:57 a.m. EDT, this morning, ending 30 years of U.S. Space Shuttle Operations. Aboard her, for 200 orbits of Earth, was the payload containing SSEP experiments from student teams across the nation. The video below provides Atlantis’ approach to Kennedy Space Center and landing.   We received confirmation this morning from […]

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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 DreamUp PBC and NanoRacks LLC, which are 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.