SSEP Flight Opportunities to Date

Information to be determined is in RED TEXT below.
Information that is subject to change is in GREEN TEXT below.

Last update of this page: February 20, 2024, 1:38 pm EST

To date, the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE), and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education, have announced 20 flight opportunities for communities to participate in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP): SSEP on STS-134 and STS-135, the final flights of the U.S. Space Shuttle Program, and SSEP Missions 1 through 18 to the International Space Station (ISS).

Flight Status:

Mission 18 to ISS was announced February 2, 2023. Operations for Mission 18 started in 37 participating communities on September 1, 2023. Flight experiments for Mission 18 were selected on December 15, 2023. The launch of the Mission 18 experiments is expected in late summer / fall 2024.
Mission 17 to ISS was announced February 28, 2022. Operations for Mission 17 started in 37 participating communities on September 1, 2022. Flight experiments for Mission 17 were selected on December 15, 2022. The Mission 17 Orbiter payload of experiments launched on SpaceX-29 on November 9, 2023 and returned to Earth on December 22, 2023.
Operations for Mission 16 to ISS started in 22 participating communities on September 1, 2021. Mission 16 flight experiments were selected December 16, 2021. The Mission 16 Ranger payload of experiments launched on SpaceX-26 on November 26, 2022 and returned to Earth on January 11, 2023.
SSEP on STS-134 and STS-135, and Missions 1 through 15 to ISS have now been completed.
Student teams from Missions 12 and 13 reported at the 2019 SSEP National Conference in Chantilly, VA, July 1-2, 2019.
The 2020, 2021, and 2022 SSEP National Conferences were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

For Each Flight Opportunity—

NCESSE issues a national Announcement of Opportunity inviting participation by communities across the U.S.; the Clarke Institute issues an Announcement of Opportunity inviting participation by communities internationally;
a network of participating communities is established;
each participating community is provided all launch services to fly to low Earth orbit a microgravity research mini-laboratory containing a single student team designed experiment. The community conducts a local experiment design competition engaging students in teams of typically 3-5, each team submitting a formal proposal for a microgravity experiment. The local experiment design competition results in a selected flight experiment for the community, which is transported to the International Space Station for operation by the astronauts.

On this website, each flight opportunity has its own Mission main page, which has three important subpages: a Critical Timeline, detailing milestones from announcement of opportunity through flight of the selected experiments; a unique Mini-Laboratory Operation page; and a Mission Patch Art and Design Competition page. All participants in SSEP need to become fully familiar with their Mission main page and its subpages.

Click Here to See a Summary of SSEP Missions by Launch Date

Summary Of SSEP Missions by Launch Date

Final Flight of Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134)
launched May 16, 2011, carrying 16 SSEP Experiments (SSEP1 Eagle payload)

Final Flight of Shuttle Atlantis, and of the U.S. Space Shuttle Program (STS-135)
launched July 8, 2011, carrying 11 SSEP experiments (SSEP2 Intrepid payload)

SSEP Mission 1 to the International Space Station
launched May 22, 2012, aboard SpaceX Dragon demonstration flight (COTS 2+) – the first commercial vehicle to berth with ISS, with 15 SSEP Mission 1 experiments (SSEP3 Aquarius payload)

SSEP Mission 2 to the International Space Station
launched October 7, 2012, aboard SpaceX-1 – the first operational flight of the Dragon spacecraft, with 11 SSEP Mission 2 experiments (SSEP4 Antares payload); and 12 SSEP
Mission 1 re-flight experiments (SSEP3b Aquarius II payload)

SSEP Mission 3 to the International Space Station
Mission 3a: launched September 18, 2013, aboard Orbital Sciences Demonstration 1 (Orb-D1), the first time the Cygnus spacecraft berthed with ISS, with 5 (of 17) SSEP Mission 3 experiments; 1 SSEP Mission 1 re-flight experiment; and 1 SSEP Mission 2 re-flight experiment (in toto the SSEP5a Falcon I payload)

Mission 3b: launched January 9, 2014, aboard Orb-1, the first operational flight of the Cygnus spacecraft, with 12 (of 17) SSEP Mission 3 experiments; (SSEP5b Falcon II payload)

SSEP Mission 4 to the International Space Station
launched January 9, 2014, aboard Orb-1, the first operational flight of the Cygnus spacecraft, with 11 SSEP Mission 4 experiments (SSEP6 Orion payload)

SSEP Mission 5 to the International Space Station
launched July 13, 2014, aboard Orb-2, with 15 SSEP Mission 5 experiments (SSEP7 Charlie Brown payload)

SSEP Mission 6 to the International Space Station
launched October 28, 2014, aboard Orb-3, with 18 SSEP Mission 6 experiments (SSEP8 Yankee Clipper payload); payload lost on launch failure and subsequent detonation of rocket; 17 of 18 experiments reconstituted as Yankee Clipper II payload (SSEP8b), launched on January 10, 2015, aboard SpaceX-5

SSEP Mission 7 to the International Space Station
launched June 28, 2015, aboard SpaceX-7, with 27 SSEP experiments (SSEP9 Odyssey payload): 24 Mission 7 experiments, 1 re-flight experiment from Mission 6, and 2 re-flight experiments from Mission 5; payload lost on rocket failure approximately 2 minutes after launch; 23 of 24 Mission 7 experiments, and 2 of the 3 re-flight experiments (1 from Mission 5 and 1 from Mission 6), were reconstituted as Odyssey II payload (SSEP9b) and launched April 8, 2016, aboard SpaceX-8.

SSEP Mission 8 to the International Space Station
launched July 18, 2016, aboard SpaceX-9, with 15 SSEP Mission 8 experiments (SSEP10 Kitty Hawk payload)

SSEP Mission 9 to the International Space Station
launched February 19, 2017, aboard SpaceX-10, with 22 SSEP experiments (SSEP11 Endeavor payload): 21 SSEP Mission 9 experiments and 1 re-flight experiment from Mission 7

SSEP Mission 10 to the International Space Station
launched June 3, 2017, aboard SpaceX-11, with 11 SSEP Mission 10 experiments (SSEP12 Casper payload)

SSEP Mission 11 to the International Space Station
launched August 14, 2017, aboard SpaceX-12, with 21 SSEP Mission 11 experiments and 1 SSEP Mission 9 experiment (SSEP13 America payload)

SSEP Mission 12 to the International Space Station
launched June 29, 2018, aboard SpaceX-15, with 34 SSEP Mission 12 experiments (SSEP14 Mercury payload)

SSEP Mission 13 to the International Space Station
launched July 25, 2019, aboard SpaceX-18, with 41 SSEP Mission 13 experiments (SSEP15 Gemini payload)

SSEP Mission 14 to the International Space Station
M14A launched December 6, 2020, aboard SpaceX-21, with 27 SSEP Mission 14 experiments; M14B launched June 3, 2021, aboard Space X-22, with 3 SSEP Mission 14 experiments; M14C launched August 29, 2021, aboard SpaceX-23, with 1 Mission 14 experiment; M14D launched November 26, 2022, aboard SpaceX-26, with 1 Mission 14 experiment (SSEP16 Apollo payload)

SSEP Mission 15 to the International Space Station
M15A launched June 3, 2021, aboard Space X-22, with 2 SSEP Mission 15 experiments; M15B launched August 29, 2021, aboard SpaceX-23, with 3 Mission 15 experiments (SSEP17 Skylab payload)

SSEP Mission 16 to the International Space Station
launched November 26, 2022, aboard SpaceX-26, with 24 SSEP Mission 16 experiments (SSEP18 Ranger payload)

SSEP Mission 17 to the International Space Station
launched November 9, 2023, aboard SpaceX-29, with 38 SSEP Mission 17 experiments (SSEP19 Orbiter payload)

SSEP Mission 18 to the International Space Station
target launch fall 2024, aboard SpaceX-31 (SSEP19 Surveyor payload)

Click Here to See Summaries of SSEP Mission Critical Milestones

Summaries of SSEP Mission Critical Milestones

1) SSEP Mission 18 to the International Space Station
NEW OPPORTUNITY

Announcement of Opportunity: February 2, 2023 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: August 23, 2023
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 1 – November 3, 2023 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 15, 2023
Launch: TBD
Landing: TBD
SSEP National Conference for students: 2024 conference likely late June or early July 2024; at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 18 to the International Space Station main page

2) SSEP Mission 17 to the International Space Station
IN PROGRESS

Number of Participating Communities: 37 (explore the Mission 17 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 12,860 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 2,261
Number of experiments selected for flight: 39, with 37 communities flying 1 experiment, and 2 communities flying 2 experiments (explore Mission 17 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: February 28, 2022 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: August 22, 2022
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 1 – November 2, 2022 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 15, 2022
Launch: November 9, 2023; SpaceX-29
Landing: December 22, 2023, SpacxeX-29
SSEP National Conference for students: 2023 conference likely late June or early July 2023; at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 17 to the International Space Station main page

3) SSEP Mission 16 to the International Space Station
IN PROGRESS

Number of Participating Communities: 22 (explore the Mission 16 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 6,500 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 1,262
Number of experiments selected for flight: 24, with 20 communities flying 1 experiment, and 2 communities flying 2 experiments (explore Mission 16 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: March 16, 2021 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: August 24, 2021
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 1 – November 3, 2021 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 16, 2021
Launch: November 26, 2022; SpaceX-26
Landing: January 11, 2023, SpacxeX-26
SSEP National Conference for students: 2022 conference not held due to Covid-19 pandemic; 2023 conference likely late June or early July 2023; at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 16 to the International Space Station main page

4) SSEP Mission 15 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 5 (explore the Mission 15 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 1,719 grade 5-12 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 485
Number of experiments selected for flight: 5, with 5 communities each flying 1 experiment (explore Mission 15 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: February 3, 2020 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: August 24, 2020
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 21 – November 18, 2020 (8.5 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 18, 2020
Launch: M15A June 3, 3021, SpaceX-22; M15B August 29, 2021, SpaceX-23
Landing: M15A July 9, 2021, SpaceX-22; M15B September 30, 2021, SpaceX-23
SSEP National Conference for students: 2021 and 2022 conferences not held due to Covid-19 pandemic

Jump to SSEP Mission 15 to the International Space Station main page

5) SSEP Mission 14 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 32 (explore the Mission 14 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 16,600 grade 5-16 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 3,076
Number of experiments selected for flight: 33, with 32 communities flying 1 experiment, and 1 community flying 2 experiments (explore Mission 14 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: March 22, 2019 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: August 26, 2019
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 3 – November 1, 2019 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 17, 2019
Launch: M14A December 6, 2020, SpaceX-21; M14B June 3, 3021, SpaceX-22; M14C August 29, 2021, SpaceX-23; M14D November 26, 2022, SpaceX-26
Landing: M14A January 13, 2021, SpaceX-21; M14B July 9, 2021, SpaceX-22; M14C September 30, 2021, SpaceX-23; M14D January 11, 2023 SpaceX-26
SSEP National Conference for students: 2020 and 2021 conferences not held due to Covid-19 pandemic

Jump to SSEP Mission 14 to the International Space Station main page

6) SSEP Mission 13 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 38 (explore the Mission 13 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 23,100 grade 5-18 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 3,683
Number of experiments selected for flight: 41, with 36 communities flying 1 experiment, 1 community flying 2 experiments, and 1 community flying 3 experiments (explore Mission 13 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: March 9, 2018 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: August 27, 2017
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 4 – November 2, 2018 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 13, 2018
Launch: July 25, 2019, SpaceX-18
Landing: August 27, 2019, SpaceX-18
SSEP National Conference for students: July 1-2, 2019; at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 13 to the International Space Station main page

7) SSEP Mission 12 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 31 (explore the Mission 12 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 12,100 grade 5-16 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 2,498
Number of experiments selected for flight: 34, with 28 communities flying 1 experiment, and 3 communities flying 2 experiments (explore Mission 12 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: March 5, 2017 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: August 28, 2017
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 5 – November 3, 2017 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 14, 2017
Launch: June 29, 2018, SpaceX-15
Landing: August 3, 2018, SpaceX-15
SSEP National Conference for students: June 28-29, 2018, and July 1-2, 2019; at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 12 to the International Space Station main page

8) SSEP Mission 11 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 21 (explore the Mission 11 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 9,870 grade 5-16 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 1,959
Number of experiments selected for flight: 21, one for each community (explore Mission 11 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: March 30, 2016 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: August 29, 2016
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 6 – November 4, 2016 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 15, 2016
Launch: August 14, 2017, SpaceX-12
Landing: September 17, 2017, SpaceX-12
SSEP National Conference for students: June 28-29, 2017, and June 28-29, 2018; at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 11 to the International Space Station main page

9) SSEP Mission 10 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 11 (explore the Mission 10 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 3,660 grade 5-16 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 685
Number of experiments selected for flight: 11, one for each community (explore the Mission 10 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: October 2, 2015 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: February 15, 2016
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: February 22 – April 22, 2016 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: May 26, 2016
Launch: June 3, 2017, SpaceX-11
Landing: July 2, 2017, SpaceX-11
SSEP National Conference for students: June 29-30, 2016, and June 28-29, 2017; at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 10 to the International Space Station main page

10) SSEP Mission 9 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 21 (explore the Mission 9 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 11,900 grade 5-12 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 2,466
Number of experiments selected for flight: 21, one for each community (explore the Mission 9 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: March 20, 0215 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: August 31, 2015
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 7 – November 6, 2015 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 17, 2015
Launch: February 19, 2017, SpaceX-10
Landing: March 19, 2017, SpaceX-10
SSEP National Conference for students: June 29-30, 2016, June 28-29, 2017, and June 28-29, 2018; at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 9 to the International Space Station main page

11) SSEP Mission 8 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 14 (explore the Mission 8 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 3,290 grade 5-16 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 708
Number of experiments selected for flight: 15, with 14 communities flying 1 experiment, and 1 community flying 2 experiments (explore the Mission 8 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: October 9, 2014 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: February 16, 2015
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: February 23 – April 24, 2015 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: May 28, 2015
Launch: July 18, 2016, SpaceX-9
Landing: August 26, 2016, SpaceX-9
SSEP National Conference for students: July 2-3, 2015, June 29-30, 2016, June 28-29, 2017; at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 8 to the International Space Station main page

12) SSEP Mission 7 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 24 (explore the Mission 7 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 10,760 grade 5-12 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 2,521
Number of experiments selected for flight: 24, one for each community (explore the Mission 7 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: April 21, 2014 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: September 3, 2014
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 8 through November 7, 2014 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 17, 2014
Launch: June 28, 2015, SpaceX-7 – vehicle lost; April 8, 2016, SpaceX-8
Landing: May 11, 2016, SpaceX-8
SSEP National Conference for students: July 2-3, 2015, and June 29-30, 2016, at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 7 to the International Space Station main page

13) SSEP Mission 6 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 18 (explore the Mission 6 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 6,860 grade 5-15 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 1,487
Number of experiments selected for flight: 18, one for each community (explore the Mission 6 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: October 2, 2013 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: February 18, 2014
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: February 24 – April 28, 2014 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: May 29, 2014
Launch: October 28, 2014, Orb-3 – vehicle destroyed; re-launched January 10, 2015, SpaceX-5
Landing: February 10, 2015, SpaceX-5
SSEP National Conference for students: July 2-3, 2014, and July 2-3, 2015, at Smithsonian
National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 6 to the International Space Station main page

14) SSEP Mission 5 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 15 (explore the Mission 5 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 6,750 grade 5-12 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 1,344
Number of experiments selected for flight: 15, one for each community (explore the Mission 5 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: May 14, 2013 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: September 6, 2013
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 9 – November 11, 2013 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 12, 2013
Launch: July 13, 2014, Orb -2
Landing: October 25, 2014, SpaceX-4
SSEP National Conference for students: July 2-3, 2014, and July 2-3, 2015, at Smithsonian
National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 5 to the International Space Station main page

15) SSEP Mission 4 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 11 (explore the Mission 4 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 3,080 grade 5-12 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 744
Number of experiments selected for flight: 11, one for each community (explore the Mission 4 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: November 15, 2012 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: February 18, 2013
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: February 25 – April 29, 2013 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: May 30, 2013
Launch: January 9, 2014, Orb-1
Landing: March 10, 2014, Soyuz 36S
SSEP National Conference for students: July 2-3, 2013, and July 2-3, 2014, at Smithsonian National Air and
Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 4 to the International Space Station main page

16) SSEP Mission 3 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 17 (explore the Mission 3 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 7,200 grade 5-12 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 1,466
Number of experiments selected for flight: 17, one for each community (explore the Mission 3 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: April 29, 2012 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: September 12, 2012
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 17 – November 9, 2012 (8 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 7, 2012
Launch: Mission 3a: September 18, 2013, Orbital Sciences Demonstration 1 (Orb-D1) (5 of 17 experiments); Mission 3b: January 9, 2014, Orb-1 (12 of 17 experiments)
Landing: Mission 3a: November 10, 2013, Soyuz 35S (5 of 17 experiments); Mission 3b: March 10, 2014, Soyuz 36S (12 of 17 experiments)
SSEP National Conference for students: July 2-3, 2013, and July 2-3, 2014, at Smithsonian National Air and
Space Museum, Washington, DC (see SSEP National Conference page)
Notable: historic nature of the flight of the SSEP Falcon I payload on D-1 Cygnus.

Jump to SSEP Mission 3 to the International Space Station main page

17) SSEP Mission 2 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 11 (explore the Mission 2 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 3,930 grade 5-12 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 1,125
Number of experiments selected for flight: 11, one for each community (explore the Mission 2 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: November 15, 2011 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: February 27, 2012
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: March 5 – April 30, 2012 (8 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: May 31, 2012
Launch: October 7, 2012, SpaceX-1
Landing: November 19, 2012, Soyuz (TMA-05M) 31S
SSEP National Conference for students: July 2-3, 2012, and July 2-3, 2013, at Smithsonian National Air and
Space Museum, Washington, DC (see, e.g., 2013 SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to SSEP Mission 2 to the International Space Station main page

18) SSEP Mission 1 to the International Space Station
COMPLETED

Number of Participating Communities: 12 (explore the Mission 1 to ISS Community Network)
Scope: 3,490 grade 5-14 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 779
Number of experiments selected for flight: 15, one for each community, and 3 backup (explore the Mission 1 experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: July 31, 2011 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: September 15, 2011
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: October 3 – November 28, 2011 (8 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: December 23, 2011
Launch: May 22, 2012, SpaceX Dragon COTS 2+
Landing: July 1, 2012, Soyuz 29
SSEP National Conference for students: July 2-3, 2012, and July 2-3, 2013, at Smithsonian National Air and
Space Museum, Washington, DC (see 2012 SSEP National Conference page)
Notable: media coverage of SSEP on SpaceX Dragon; historic nature of the flight

Jump to SSEP Mission 1 to the International Space Station main page

19) STS-135 — the final flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis—and the final flight of the U.S. Space Shuttle Program
COMPLETED

Number of participating communities: 11 (explore the STS-135 Community Network)
Scope: 2,100 grade 5-12 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 530
Number of experiments selected for flight: 11, one for each community (explore the STS-135 Flight Experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: December 22, 2010 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Deadline for communities to be aboard: March 18, 2011
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: March 21 – May 9, 2011 (7 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: May 27, 2011 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Launch: July 8, 2011
Landing: July 21, 2011
SSEP National Conference for students: July 2-3, 2012, at Smithsonian National Air
and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see 2012 SSEP National Conference page)

Jump to STS-135, the Final Flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis main page

20) STS-134 — the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour
COMPLETED

Number of participating communities: 16 (explore the STS-134 Community Network)
Scope: 1,800 grade 5-14 students fully engaged in experiment design
Number of student team proposals received: 447
Number of experiments selected for flight: 16, one for each community (explore the STS-134 Flight Experiments)

Announcement of Opportunity: June 1, 2010
Deadline for communities to be aboard: August 6, 2010
Experiment design competition and proposal writing: September 13 – November 11, 2010 (9 Weeks)
Flight experiment selection: November 30, 2010 (see SSEP National Blog Post)
Launch: May 16, 2011
Landing: June 1, 2011
SSEP National Conference for students: July 6-7, 2011, at Smithsonian National Air
and Space Museum, Washington, DC (see 2011 SSEP National Conference page)