Mission Patches on Mission 18 to the International Space Station

An image of the Surveyor spacecraft. The SSEP Mission 18 to ISS Surveyor payload of experiments is named in honor of the Surveyor Program.

The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education, are proud to present the XX Mission Patches selected for flight to the International Space Station (ISS) for Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 18 to ISS. The selected flight patches shown below resulted from local art and design competitions meant to capture the spirit of SSEP in each Mission 18 community.

The mission patch competitions foster community-wide awareness and engagement in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program – an initiative that takes students, teachers, and the community at large to the space frontier through immersion in an authentic research experience. The 39 selected Mission 18 microgravity flight experiments from student teams, representing the 37 communities participating in Mission 18, comprise the SSEP Surveyor experiments payload, named after NASA’s Surveyor Program.

As a historical note, mission patches have been part of human spaceflight since the days of Project Mercury in the 1960s (see, e.g., this page at the NASA History Program Office). The SSEP Mission Patch competitions therefore allow communities to engage in another authentic aspect of the space program. From an education standpoint, the mission patch component of SSEP forges interdisciplinary connections between STEM fields and art and design, so that SSEP is a true STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) initiative.

Across XX of 37 Mission 18 to ISS communities conducting Mission Patch art and design competitions, XX grade K-16 students were engaged, and XX patch designs were submitted. Judges within the communities selected the XX patches shown below.

You can also read more about the Mission 18 to ISS Patch Competition at the main SSEP website.

Quickly Scroll to Individual Communities

  1. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  2. Guelph, Ontario, Canada
  3. Ukraine
  4. Mesa, Arizona
  5. Tolleson, Arizona
  6. Glendora, California
  7. Lamont, California
  8. Moreno Valley, California
  9. Colorado Springs, Colorado
  10. Loveland, Colorado
  11. Hillsborough County, Florida
  12. Viera, Florida
  13. Pittsfield, Massachusetts
  14. Oak Park, Michigan
  15. Edina, Minnesota
  16. Albany, New York
  17. Garden City, New York
  18. Long Beach, New York
  19. North Tonawanda, New York
  20. Red Hook, New York
  21. Pickerington, Ohio
  22. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – CCAC
  23. Columbia, South Carolina
  24. Burleson, Texas
  25. Houston, Texas
  26. San Antonio, Texas
  27. Texarkana, Texas
  28. Waxahachie, Texas
  29. Sandy, Utah
  30. Chesapeake, Virginia
  31. iForward-Grantsburg, Wisconson

 

1. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Mission Patch 1

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Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Mission Patch 2

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Edmonton Public Schools’ SSEP Mission Patch Competition was open to all division students in kindergarten to grade nine. There were two competitions: kindergarten to grade four and grades five to nine. 271 grade K-4 students participated and submitted patch designs and 403 grade 5-9 students participated and submitted patch designs. The patches were judged by panels of students, staff, and family members. Seven schools submitted patches to the Division level competition. Two patches were selected to represent the community alongside the winning experiment. The patches selected to represent Edmonton Public Schools were created by Bronwyn Griffiths (a Kindergarten student at Virginia Park School) and Guntas Kaur Saggu (a grade 6 student at Svend Hansen School). Congratulations to all students that participated!

 

2. Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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Guelph, Ontario, Canada Mission Patch 1

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Guelph, Ontario, Canada Mission Patch 2

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The Upper Grand District School Board is excited to announce the results of two separate competitions that produced two incredible patches crafted by our talented students. The competitions were specifically organized to represent distinct grade ranges: one for grades 4-6 and another for grades 7-8. Over 200 students from these grade levels participated, infusing their creativity into designs that authentically convey our enthusiasm for space exploration. Out of the 35 submissions received for both competitions, our selected patches not only mirror our board’s values but also demonstrate passion for exploring the cosmos. These patches hold extra significance as they incorporate symbols representing each participating school in the SSEP program, fostering a sense of togetherness within our educational community. This recap aligns with our Mission Patch Plan, underscoring the diverse engagement across different grades and schools. Through these patches, we remain committed to igniting curiosity and interest in space science among our students.

 

4. Ukraine
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Ukraine Mission Patch

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For the SSEP Mission 18 Mission Patch competition, we were able to engaged approximately 100 students in grades 3-11. In this captivating artwork, created for the SSEP Patch Competition, two intrepid astronauts ready to embark on an extraordinary adventure. Dressed in spacesuits adorned with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, these courageous cats symbolize the spirit of exploration and discovery. As the Ukrainian flag proudly adorns their costumes, it serves as a poignant reminder of the nation’s contribution to space exploration and innovation. Through their endearing presence, these feline explorers inspire viewers to dream boldly and reach for the stars, echoing the aspirations of humanity to push the boundaries of what is possible. This beautiful Mission Patch was created by 8th grade student Sofiia Moroz from Varaskyi litsei №6, Rivne region.

 

5. Mesa, Arizona
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In an exciting showcase of creative vigor, 235 bright students from grades 4 through 12 participated in our SSEP Mission Patch Design Competition. This cross-grade collaborative event culminated with the submission of 50 awe-inspiring mission patches, each emblem symbolizing the ingenuity and spirit of young scientific explorers. A dedicated team of high school students admirably served as co-designers for their younger counterparts. Additionally, we are grateful for the insightful guidance from our industry partners at Honeywell, whose expert mentoring played a pivotal role. This rewarding initiative nurtured the seeds of scientific curiosity and cooperation – essential attributes for the budding STEM professionals of the future.

 

6. Tolleson, Arizona
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Tolleson, Arizona Mission Patch

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A total of 150 students participated in Mission 18 Patch Design Competition from 5th to 8th grade. We received a total of 60 mission patch designs. From those, 8 finalist were selected and then 1 final design was selected by live voting during Dos Rios Science Fair 2024.

 

7. Glendora, California
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Glendora, California Mission Patch 1

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Glendora, California Mission Patch 2

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The Mission 18 Patch Art and Design Contest was open to all Glendora Unified School District students in grades 4-12, through two separate competitions. The competition for grades 4-8 yielded 307 entries and the competition for grades 9-12 yielded 259 entries. Patches were judged by a panel of staff and community members and will be celebrated in a gallery displaying student work, promoting the project in the lobby of the District Office. Additionally, winning patch designs will be featured in the district newsletter and artists will be recognized by the Board of Trustees at a school board meeting in March. Furthermore, GUSD will venture to make the artwork into a real patch that can be worn on a letterman’s jacket or similar commemorative items.

 

8. Lamont, California
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Lamont, California Mission Patch

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The Mission 18 Patch competition at Mountain View Middle School showcased a diverse range of classrooms and teachers. A total of 215 students participated, including 145 in Art, 45 in Avid, and 25 in Band. In total, 202 patches were collected from 7th and 8th grade students. Science teachers, the lead Mission 18 STEM teacher, and the Art teacher collaborated with four history teachers to select the top 18 patches. Judges evaluated patches based on criteria such as unique design, creativity, references to ISS experiments, community pride, and overall detail. The Principal and Vice Principal then selected the final top 5 patches. The winning patch will be submitted, and the top 5 will be recognized locally at our school and in the Lamont community.

 

9. Moreno Valley, California
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Moreno Valley, California Mission Patch 1

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Moreno Valley, California Mission Patch 2

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The Moreno Valley Unified School District recently expanded its Mission Patch Art and Design Competition to include elementary schools, engaging over 800 students across 13 schools. This year’s competition, held from February 6th to 15th, 2024, provided a unique opportunity for young learners to showcase their artistic talents and explore STEAM concepts through the theme of the winning SSEP experiment, “The Effects of Microgravity on Arugula.” The students’ creative designs embodied a sense of pride in the district and community. It highlights the district’s commitment to fostering creativity and engagement in its student body. In the final round of the competition, judges evaluated 41 outstanding patches – 16 from elementary schools and 25 from the secondary competition. The winning patches were chosen based on the established guidelines of the Mission Patch Art and Design Competition. The top positions were awarded to Ridge Crest Elementary School and Valley View High School, both impressing the judges with their attention to detail, creativity, and the way they represented their community, district, and the winning proposal within their artistic sketches.

 

10. Colorado Springs, Colorado
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The UCCS/PPSC SSEP Mission Patch Design Competition consisted of two age groups, K-6th grade and 7-12th grade. More than a dozen K-12 schools were invited to participate in the competition. Close to 400 students were engaged in the competition with a total of 348 patch designs submitted. In grades K-6, there were roughly 275 students formally engaged, submitting 267 qualified patches. More than 100 students in grades 7-12 were formally engaged, submitting 81 qualified patches. University students and faculty selected 14 finalists from grades K-6 and 7 from grades 7-12. From those finalists, a vote was taken among aerospace students to select the winners. Ava Hull from Bristol Elementary School won the K-6th grade competition and Shelby Ransom from Thrive Home School Academy won the 7-12th grade competition. A poster of all designs will be distributed to thank participating schools.

 

11. Loveland, Colorado
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Loveland, Colorado Mission Patch 1

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Loveland, Colorado Mission Patch 2

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High Plains School is a K-8 STEAM school, in Loveland, Colorado. We hosted two Mission Patch Competitions to add Arts to STEM. Both competitions challenged students to design and create a patch to commemorate our participation in 2023-2024 SSEP Mission 18 to the ISS. The first competition had 311 students grades K-5 who submitted a design. 4th and 5th grade submissions also included 3-D printed replicas. The second competition had 100 Middle School students grades 6-8 submit a design. Submissions included both hand drawn and computer graphic designed works. The winners are 2nd grader Jackson Martin and 8th grader Emerson Lamar. We were honored to have judges from our broader community and school district help make final selections!

 

12. Hillsborough County, Florida
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Hillsborough County, Florida Mission Patch 1

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Hillsborough County, Florida Mission Patch 2

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Hillsborough County Public Schools opened the Mission 18 Patch Competition to 12,135 school students in our community, which represented 187 schools. We divided the competition – one for Kindergarten through Fifth Grade students and another for Sixth through Eighth Grade students. The elementary competition engaged 1,025 students with 43 students submitting patches for judging and the middle school competition engaged 556 with 25 students submitting patches for judging. 68 patches met the requirements for judging by a committee of teachers and community leaders. The Kindergarten through Fifth Grade Mission Patch winner is Ashley Valdarrama 5th Grade Morgan Woods Elementary, Tampa, Florida. The winning patch from the Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade competition is Renee Bigham 6th Grade Randall Middle School, Lithia, FL

 

13. Viera, Florida
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Viera, Florida Mission Patch 1

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Viera, Florida Mission Patch 2

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Pinecrest Academy Space Coast had over 350 students in grades Kindergarten through 8th grade participated in the SSEP Mission Patch Design competition. One Mission Patch design was selected as the winning design from all Middle School entries, and one Mission Patch design was selected as the winning design from all Elementary School entries. Both designs will be flown to the International Space Station with the SSEP Flight Opportunity. Each student demonstrated talent and skill in designing their own unique mission patch. The judging committee, which was made up of Aerospace professionals, had a difficult time selecting the winning patches due to the outstanding quality of the designs submitted.

 

14. Pittsfield, Massachusetts
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Berkshire Community College’s SSEP Mission Patch Competition had participation from four different schools in Berkshire County with a total student body of 1,815 across grades 9-12. BCC judges considered 10 final submissions and selected Emeline Krauz as our winner from a combination of fine arts and STEM perspectives. For their patch design, the artist wanted to embody the spirit of the Berkshires by using one of our most iconic landmarks. In the foreground is the Massachusetts (Veterans) War Memorial Tower on the top of Mount Greylock, the highest point geographically in the Berkshires. Behind it is the SpaceX Dragon 2, one of the rockets which will be used in Mission 18.

 

15. Oak Park, Michigan
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Oak Park, Michigan Mission Patch 1

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Oak Park, Michigan Mission Patch 2

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Oak Park’s Mission Patch Competitions for the SSEP witnessed enthusiastic participation from young minds across various grade levels. In the two competitions, K-5 and 6-12, the engagement soared, with over 1000 students contributing their creative endeavors. Amidst this active participation,130 fully completed entries were submitted, showcasing the dedication and imaginative prowess of our budding space enthusiasts. In the elementary competition approximately 600 students were engaged with 86 Mission Patches being submitted for judging. In the secondary competition, approximately 380 students were engaged with 42 Mission Patches being submitted for judging. From elementary to high school, students across the educational spectrum eagerly embraced the challenge of designing mission patches. These competitions not only provided a platform for Oak Park students to showcase their artistic talents but also fostered a deeper engagement with STEM disciplines, igniting curiosity and passion for space science among the participants. We hope that this competition continues to inspire and empower our next generation of engineers, scientists and space explorers, and provides a testament to the boundless creativity and potential that thrives within the Oak Park educational community.

 

16. Edina, Minnesota
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Edina, Minnesota Mission Patch 1

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Edina, Minnesota Mission Patch 2

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426 grade 5 students participated in the creation of Mission18 patches across four elementary schools. 870 art students in grades 6-12 participated in the creation of Mission 18 patches across two middle schools and one high school. The Art Departments administered the contest at each site. The Art Departments chose the top 3 patches per site, and students voted to select the one elementary winning mission patch design and the one secondary winning mission patch design. Students voted Prithika Prakash’s mission patch design as the winner from Cornelia Elementary. The winning design was created by Liam Garner, grade 11 from Edina High School.

 

17. Albany, New York
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Albany, New York Mission Patch

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Our Mission Patch Competition invited all 1,800 students from Grades 6 through 8 in our district to participate in designing a mission patch with a corresponding rationale. We have increased the supports for this competition to include some example patches, including suggested components of the patches, and some guidelines for the rationales. As a result, we had many more strong entries in this year’s competition. There were approximately 600 patch design started in Grades 6, 7, and 8 Science classrooms, each by individual stuents, and just over 200 patches were submitted to teachers for the competition. Our collaborative review committee consisted of the teachers, coaches, and administrators that served on our proposal review committee. Forty-eight patches were intensely scrutinized and during our virtual synchronous meeting we narrowed down to 10 top patches. Due to the strength of our entries, deciding on the winner was extremely difficult, but we finally selected the winning patch which highlights the focus of our winning proposal around freeze-dried strawberries and the molding process in space.

 

18. Garden City, New York
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19. Long Beach, New York
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Long Beach, New York Mission Patch 1

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Long Beach, New York Mission Patch 2

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Long Beach Public Schools conducted two Mission Patch Design Contests for our second year participating in the Program. The patches embody and symbolize Long Beach Public Schools’ excitement to bridge the oceans and waters of our hometown Barrier Island with the ocean of outer space. We held two contests: Grades K-3 and Grades 4-6. The teachers in our S.T.E.A.M. Departments across five of our District’s buildings administered the contest; the total number of students who participated was 1,547. There were 896 students who participated in grades K-3, submitting 68 patch designs, and 651 students participated in grades 4-6, with 136 patches submitted. The review committee consisted of administrators, faculty, and staff across multiple departments. We are proud to select our two winning finalists submitted by Mackenzie Pastuch (Grade 3, Lindell Elementary) and Emilia Conneally (Grade 5, West Elementary)!

 

20. North Tonawanda, New York
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North Tonawanda, New York Mission Patch 1

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North Tonawanda, New York Mission Patch 2

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North Tonawanda schools hosted two Mission Patch art contests one for grades K-6, and one for grades 7-12. All of our elementary students were engaged in mission patch history and creation in their STEAM classes, and All of our students enrolled in art classes in grades 7-12 were engaged in projects aimed at creating a patch for our space program. Over 400 patches (representing 400 students) were submitted in the first round for the elementary competition, and after classes voted for their favorite in each class, each class voted for their favorite among each of the three elementary and intermediate schools. After the whole student body, faculty, staff, and community members weighed in one mission patch was selected. The winning artist was 6th Grader Mandy Worley. In the Secondary buildings, the art teachers met to vote on the over 200 initial submissions (representing over 200 students) to leave 30 finalists. Voting was opened on an online platform and we received approximately 250 votes, which revealed Sophomore Ariana Rose as the overall winner. We are so very proud of the work done by our Arts Faculty, and the amazing talent showcased by all of our students.

 

21. Red Hook, New York
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Red Hook, New York Mission Patch

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Red Hook Central School District conducted a one mission patch design competition for students in grades 7 – 12. Three Red Hook High School art teachers and one Linden Avenue Middle School art teacher offered the opportunity for their students to participate in the Mission 18 patch design competition. 203 students individually created and submitted a Mission Patch design for the Mission 18 trip to the International Space Station. Two Red Hook School District elementary art teachers judged the artwork and selected the winning design based on its balanced composition, fine details, and its inclusion of information about Mission 18, RHCSD, and “Hatching Rotifers” (the Mission 18 science experiment selected for our district). The artist who designed the winning Mission 18 patch is November Koga. November is a very talented sophomore at Red Hook High School who spent a lot of time planning and creating her design. The stunning red, black, and white color scheme represented our school colors and the stippling technique used throughout the design added visual texture and pattern that contrasted nicely with the solid red background. Thank you for allowing our students to participate in this design competition and for the opportunity to have our winning mission patch design travel to the International Space Station!

 

23. Pickerington, Ohio
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Pickerington, Ohio Mission Patch 1

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Pickerington, Ohio Mission Patch 2

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The Pickerington Local School District community invited 11,000 Pickerington students to enter the SSEP Mission 18 Art Patch Competition. The primary school division received 720 art patch submissions, while the secondary school division received 75 submissions. A key factor in generating interest in the competition was the collaboration between visual art teachers and media center specialists, providing research opportunities into space exploration and the history and tradition of mission patches. Additionally, our flight experiment, “Effects of Microgravity on Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier,” influenced many students to create mission patches with images representing the experiment. Our winners are Abigail Filer, a Pickerington High School Central senior, and Lilly Rogers, a fourth-grade student from Sycamore Creek Elementary. During an upcoming school board meeting, the Pickerington community will recognize our two art patch competition winners and SSEP project finalists.

 

24. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – CCAC
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - CCAC Mission Patch 1

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - CCAC Mission Patch 2

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The Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) held separate competitions for the mission patch plan (a 2-patch program). The first competition was designed to engage students enrolled at CCAC with an interest in the intersection between arts and sciences and the second competition is designed to enable CCAC to engage in additional outreach between Career and Technical Schools (CTCs) in the surrounding community. The CCAC competition involved 80 students, and the CTC competition involved 150 students.

 

25. Columbia, South Carolina
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Thirty-two designs were submitted for consideration from students in grades 13-16, representing an engagement of 53 members of the Midlands Tech community. Our winning patch, submitted by Nelson K. Squire in our Information Systems Technology program, was selected through a campus-wide voting process that engaged an additional 310 campus community members.

 

26. Burleson, Texas
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Burleson, Texas Mission Patch 1

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Burleson, Texas Mission Patch 2

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Burleson ISD in Burleson, Texas participated in the SSEP Mission 18 Patch Competition with approximately 700 students participating. Two competitions were held with one being for grades K-5 and the other being for grades 6-12. Grades K-5 saw approximately 500 submissions, and grades 6-12 saw approximately 200 submissions. The kindergarten through 12th-grade students supported our SSEP Experiment Design teams with their patch design submissions. The schools submitted their patches through their art classes. The patches were displayed during our official district “Space Night.” The winning K-5th grade patch was designed by Deklynn Zeiner, a 5th grader from the Academy of Leadership and Technology at Mound Elementary, and a member of Renee Leirmo’s art class. Deklynn’s patch features a launching shuttle and celebrates BISD’s 10th year with SSEP. The winning 6th-12th grade patch was designed by Nikki Doan, an 8th grader from Kerr Middle School. She designed the patch under the guidance of his art teacher, Misty Gifford. Her patch features an astronaut and shuttle, with stars in the background, and BISD’s 10th year with SSEP. We congratulate the winners, and appreciate the hard work of all student participants!

 

27. Houston, Texas
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Houston, Texas Mission Patch 1

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Houston, Texas Mission Patch 2

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San Jacinto College conducted two Mission Patch Competitions to encourage students to submit a design that highlighted the Mission 18 SSEP experience or any part of their STEM interaction with SJC. The first competition involved 102 students, each submitting an individual design, from area schools (K-5) with the winner Penny Carlisle (Grade 3) depicting the SJC robotic cats in space. The second competition involved 151 (Grade 9 – 14) students, each submitting an individual design, with the winner Aiden Effenhauser depicting SJC Ravens going to the ISS.

 

28. San Antonio, Texas
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San Antonio, Texas Mission Patch 1

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San Antonio, Texas Mission Patch 2

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The Space and Engineering Technologies Academy goal was to engage as many students as possible in the Mission 18 Program. They decided on the 2-patch competition: one for 6th grade and one for grades 7th-9th. The 6th grade SETA Mission Patch Design Contest had 110 students participate and the 7th-9th grade SETA Mission Patch Design Contest had 168 students participate in contests to design the mission patches for the Space and Engineering Technologies Academy’s first mission to the International Space Station. The History department administered the contests. The winning designs were selected by a majority vote from all SETA teachers. One design from each contest was selected to fly on Mission 18.

 

29. Texarkana, Texas
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Texarakana, Texas Mission Patch 1

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Texarkana, Texas Mission Patch 2

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The Texarkana Independent School District completed the Mission Patch Design Competition on Feb 26, 2024. We held an elementary school patch competition involving our K-5 campuses and a secondary patch competition involving our middle and high school which engaged approximately 3000 students in the district. There were 1060 mission patches submitted at our elementary level competition. At the secondary school level, there were 950 mission patches submitted. Our Elementary Patch winner was 2nd grade student, Zoe LaGrone from our Marsha and Josh Morriss Elementary campus. Our Secondary Patch winner was Freshman, Sydney King from Texas High School. All student finalists and patch competition winners will be honored.

 

30. Waxahachie, Texas
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Waxahachie, Texas Mission Patch 1

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Waxahachie, Texas Mission Patch 2

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Waxahachie, Texas Mission Patch 3

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Waxahachie, Texas Mission Patch 4

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Waxahachie Independent School District public schools’ SSEP Mission Patch Competition was open to all Pre-K-12th grade students. Waxahachie ISD has the honor of flying two SSEP Mission 18 experiments. With this honor, we can send four patches to ISS. Waxahachie divided the competition into four categories: PreK-2nd grade, 3rd grade-5th grade, 6th grade-8th grade, and 9th-12th grade. 5,009 students participated in the elementary competition. Art teachers and a few selected campus teachers judged the campus-winning designs. Three designs from each category advanced to the district-level competition. One winning design from each campus category entered voting at the district level and one was chosen to fly. 1,286 students in grades 6-12 participated in the WISD secondary contest. The Art Department and other selected campus staff members evaluated the submitted designs. The top three designs from each category moved on to the district-level portion of the contest. District administration and curriculum judged the final two winning patches from each category. We are honored to have the following patches represent Waxahachie pride: PreK-2nd grade – Charlee Jones, 1st Grade, Wilemon STEAM Academy; 3rd-5th grade – Kamden Cieri, 5th Grade, Simpson Elementary; 6th-8th grade – Joy Ngugi, 8th Grade, Finley Junior High; 9th-12th grade – Evalyn Euerle, 11th Grade, Waxahachie High School.

 

31. Sandy, Utah
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32. Chesapeake, Virginia
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Chesapeake, Virginia Mission Patch 1

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Chesapeake, Virginia Mission Patch 2

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Chesapeake Public Schools started the mission patch program in January 2024 and ran through February 2024. The information went to K-8 art teachers as well as advertised in our LMS for grades K-5. We ran two different grade level groups: K-4 and 5-8. We had 512 entries for K-4 and 258 for 5-8. The schools sent us their top 3 and a committee selected the winner for each grade level.

 

33. iForward-Grantsburg, Wisconsin
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iForward-Granstburg, Wisconsin Mission Patch 1

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iForward-Grantsburg, Wisconsin Mission Patch 2

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Students met the goal for the two-patch competition with 100 students in grades 8-12 and 190 students in grades K-7 participating. A total of 290 possible designs were submitted to the initial review committee vying for the trip aboard the International Space Station. The winning patches were submitted by Alison Smith, 7th grade, and Kirsten Nichols, 10th grade.

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.