Click for Zoom

Hmmm … anybody recognize these patches?

Can you say … cool?

SPACE.com
http://www.space.com/15720-spacex-dragon-launch-student-experiments.html 

MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47452886#.T7Q5R-3lP0N 

YAHOO!
http://news.yahoo.com/spacex-launching-student-experiments-emblems-1st-space-station-220555112.html

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 through NanoRacks 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.

Click for Spectacular Zoom

The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum (NASM) are proud to host the 2012 SSEP National Conference at the Museum on July 2 and 3, 2012.

All students and student teams that were engaged in SSEP experiment design and proposal writing—across all four SSEP flight opportunities to date (SSEP on STS-134 and STS-135, and Missions 1 and 2 to ISS)—are wholeheartedly invited to attend their conference with their teachers and school administrators, and their families.

An invitation is also warmly extended to representatives of the nearly 200 partnering organizations, including underwriting institutions, and research institutions whose researchers have been engaged as expert advisors and as members of Step 1 Proposal Review Boards.

Click for Zoom

The conference provides a formal gathering place where students present on their experiment designs, and those teams that flew experiments report results. We want to immerse students in the experience of a real science conference. It is fitting. If the SSEP is dedicated to letting students step into the shoes of scientists and engineers, then a conference should be part of the experience.

The SSEP National Conference is taking place in the most visited museum on the planet, and in the new Moving Beyond Earth gallery. A section of the gallery will remain open to the public so that the conference can be part of the public visitorship experience. This is a truly remarkable once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for attendees.

The conference was also scheduled immediately before July 4th in the nation’s capital, so that attendees can stay on and watch the 4th of July fireworks on the National Mall.

1. A Review of SSEP Program Pedagogy

When designing SSEP, we had our pedagogical approach to STEM education in mind. SSEP empowers the student as scientist, and within the real-world context of science that is far more than exploration through inquiry. SSEP allows student teams to design an experiment like scientists, with real constraints imposed by the experimental apparatus, current knowledge, and the environment in which the experiment will be conducted; it allows students to propose for a real flight opportunity like professional scientists, bringing critical written communications skills to bear; it allows students to experience a real 2-step science proposal review process; it allows students to go through a real flight safety review like professional researchers; and it provides students their own science conference, where they are immersed in their community of researchers, communicating their thoughts, ideas, and experimental results to their peers. Science is more than a way of thinking and interacting with the natural world. Science is more than a book of knowledge. Science is also a complex social landscape filled with challenges, and the need for multi-faceted and successful communication with ones peers. SSEP is about introducing real science to our next generation of scientists and engineers.

2. Conference Opportunities and Expectations

The main objective for the conference is to provide student teams a venue to report on their SSEP research, which, for each team, is reflected in the design of a microgravity experiment to assess some facet of nature. Reporting is done through both oral and poster presentations, which is precisely what researchers do at professional science conferences.

Important Expectation: all students attending the conference that were part of SSEP experiment design teams shall present, either individually or as part of a team, an oral PowerPoint presentation in the conference venue (the Moving Beyond Earth gallery), and a poster version of their PowerPoint to the visiting public (in the Space Race gallery).

3. How to Participate

The new 2012 SSEP National Conference page is now on this website, and is accessible via the “National Conference” button in the navigation banner at the top of the website. The page includes full details of presentation requirements by students, a conference schedule, descriptions of all presentations, and arrival and hotel information.

Regarding conference attendance, we have already been working with SSEP Community Program Directors in communities that have participated in the prior and current SSEP flight opportunities. There are currently 8 delegations attending from across the nation and 11 student team presentations, reflecting a total attendance of 117. The conference venue has a capacity of 170, and we also have the ability to increase conference attendance by rotating family members through the conference space if needed. We therefore have room for more attendees.

This Blog Post is a general invitation to families of students that may not have been notified of the conference opportunity through their communities, and an invitation to all the partner organizations that have made SSEP possible.

Anyone interested in attending the 2012 Conference, and who is not already part of attending delegations, should review the 2012 National Conference page and contact NCESSE as soon as possible. IMPORTANT NOTE: only registered attendees can participate in the conference. Additional attendees will be accepted on a first come first served basis, as conference space remains available.  

4. National Partner for the Conference

The Center is honored to be partnering with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum on SSEP, with the 2011 and 2012 National Conferences held in the Moving Beyond Earth gallery at the Museum—the most visted museum on the planet. The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum is a SSEP National Partner, and is also the venue, along with the Carnegie Institution of Washington, for meetings of the SSEP Step 2 Review Board where the flight experiments are selected for each SSEP flight opportunity.

Jump to 2012 SSEP National Conference page

5. A Taste of the Conference

An earlier Blog Post (April 13, 2012) included video clips that wonderfully showcased the 2011 SSEP National Conference. Below are new video clips of the 2011 Conference, with our next generation of researchers showing what they are capable of achieving if given a chance to be researchers right now.

Zachary, LA

Lincolnwood, IL

Portland, OR

Guilford County, North Carolina

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 through NanoRacks 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.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft rests on top of the Falcon 9 rocket at SpaceX’s launch site in Cape Canaveral, FL. Photo-credit and caption: SpaceX/NASA

The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education and NanoRacks would like to call your attention to NASA Media Advisory M12-084, titled,”Updated Coverage for NASA/SpaceX Launch and Mission to Station”, issued May 11, 2012, which includes the following:

“Saturday, May 19 (Launch day): A delegation from the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) will be at the Kennedy Press Site and available for interviews and experiment demonstrations between 3 and 4:30 a.m. The students represent three of the experiments that will launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon as part of the International Space Station NanoRacks 9 platform. A sign-up sheet will be available in the newsroom for those media representatives wanting to talk to the students.”

(What? … did you just shout “HOW COOL IS THAT!” ?)

Let’s see, SSEP student teams, teachers, family members, and about 400 reporters from across the planet. Should be fun.

The full Media Advisory is provided below. Note NASA TV live coverage starts at 3:30 am EDT, about 1.5 hours before the 4:55 am launch. Note this SSEP website now has a NASA TV video widget in the right column.

MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-084

UPDATED COVERAGE FOR NASA/SPACEX LAUNCH AND MISSION TO STATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The second SpaceX demonstration launch for
NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) has been
rescheduled for a liftoff on Saturday, May 19. The launch of the
Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule will occur from Space
Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
There is a single instantaneous launch opportunity at 4:55 a.m. EDT. 

NASA Television launch commentary from Cape Canaveral begins at 3:30
a.m. 

During the flight, SpaceX's Dragon capsule will conduct a series of
check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including the
capability to rendezvous and berth with the International Space
Station (ISS). The primary objectives for the flight include a flyby
of the space station at a distance of approximately 1.5 miles to
validate the operation of sensors and flight systems necessary for a
safe rendezvous and approach. 

The spacecraft also will demonstrate the ability to abort the
rendezvous. Once these capabilities are successfully proven, the
Dragon will be cleared to berth with the space station. 

FALCON 9 LAUNCH PAD PHOTO OPPORTUNITY 

Friday, May 18 (L-1 day): A photo opportunity of the Falcon 9 rocket
and Dragon capsule on the launch pad will be available for the news
media. Spokespeople from SpaceX will be available to answer
questions. 

Media will depart from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Press Site by
government bus at 9 a.m. for Space Launch Complex 40. Media will be
returned at approximately 11 a.m. SpaceX security regulations require
that media attending this event be U.S. citizens. 

REMOTE CAMERA SETUPS 

Friday, May 18 (L-1 day): Media will be able to establish
sound-activated remote cameras at the launch pad. The location is
within Space Launch Complex 40 on the east side of the pad inside the
perimeter fence. Media who want to participate in remote camera setup
will depart from Kennedy's Press Site by government bus at 9 a.m. in
association with the launch pad photo opportunity and will be
returned to the press site separately after remote camera set-up is
complete. SpaceX security regulations require that media
participating in this activity be U.S. citizens. 

PRELAUNCH AND POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCES 

Friday, May 18 (L-1 day): The prelaunch news conference for the
NASA/SpaceX launch will be held at the Kennedy Press Site at 1 p.m.
NASA Television will provide live and streaming Internet coverage. 

Participants in the prelaunch news conference will be: 

- Phil McAlister, Acting Director, NASA Commercial Spaceflight
Development
- Alan Lindenmoyer, Manager, NASA Commercial Crew and Cargo Program
- Gwynne Shotwell, President, SpaceX
- Joel Tumbiolo, Launch Weather Officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station 

Media representatives can participate in the news conference in-person
at Kennedy or via a phone bridge by calling NASA's Johnson Space
Center newsroom at 12:45 p.m. at 281-483-5111. 

Saturday, May 19 (Launch day):A postlaunch news conference will be
held at Kennedy's Press Site at approximately 8:30 a.m. 

Audio of the launch and the prelaunch and postlaunch news conferences
also will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, directly accessible by
dialing 321-867-1220, 1240, 1260 or 7135. The briefings will be
streamed live on the agency's website. 

Saturday, May 19 (Launch day): A delegation from the Student
Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) will be at the Kennedy Press
Site and available for interviews and experiment demonstrations
between 3 and 4:30 a.m. The students represent three of the
experiments that will launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon as part of the
International Space Station NanoRacks 9 platform. A sign-up sheet
will be available in the newsroom for those media representatives
wanting to talk to the students. 

For information on the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program: 

http://go.nasa.gov/INLqjT 

NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE 

Saturday, May 19 (Launch day): NASA TV live coverage begins at 3:30
a.m. and concludes at approximately 5:30 a.m. 

On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown
activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on
321-867-7135 starting at 8 a.m. Launch information also will be
available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz, heard
within Brevard County. 

NASA TV MISSION COVERAGE 

Monday, May 21 (Flight Day 3): Live coverage from NASA's Johnson Space
Center mission control in Houston as the Dragon spacecraft performs
its flyby of ISS to test its systems begins at 2:30 a.m. and will
continue until the Dragon passes out of the vicinity of the station.
A news briefing will be held following the activities. 

Tuesday, May 22 (Flight Day 4): Live coverage of the rendezvous and
berthing of the Dragon spacecraft to the station begins at 2 a.m. and
will continue through the capture and berthing of the Dragon to the
station's Harmony node. A news briefing will be held once Dragon is
secured to the ISS. 

Wednesday, May 23: Live coverage of the hatch opening and entry of the
Dragon spacecraft begins at 6 a.m. and will include a ceremony during
which the ISS crew will mark the occasion. 

Johnson also will provide live coverage of the departure and reentry
of the Dragon spacecraft once a date is determined. 

NEWS MEDIA LAUNCH VIEWING 

Saturday, May 19 (Launch day): News media may view the launch from the
Kennedy Press Site. A sign-up sheet will be available in the newsroom
for those media representatives wanting to cover the launch from the
NASA Causeway or from the roof of the Complex 39 Launch Control
Center. These are primarily photo locations as there are no
facilities available. Buses will depart from the Press Site parking
lot at 3:30 a.m. 

KENNEDY MEDIA CREDENTIALING 

Media who want to attend the prelaunch events, including the prelaunch
news conference and launch, may request accreditation online at: 

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov 

The deadline for U.S. media to apply for launch accreditation is
May16. The deadline for international media to apply has passed.
Journalists who have already been approved for accreditation do not
need to reapply. 

The Gate 2 Pass and Identification Building on State Road 3, Merritt
Island, will be open to pick up press credentials on the following
schedule: 

Thursday, May 17: noon - 4 p.m.
Friday, May 18: 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 19: 1:30 - 4 a.m. 

News media credentials will be valid for mission activities from
launch through splashdown at both the Kennedy Space Center and
Johnson Space Center. 

KENNEDY PRESS SITE - HOURS OF OPERATION 

Thursday, May 17: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Friday, May 18: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 19: 1 - 10:30 a.m. 

Media badges will be valid for access to the Kennedy Press Site
through Gate 2 on State Road 3 on Merritt Island and Gate 3 on State
Road 405, located east of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
On launch day, only Gate 3 will be open, which also can be accessed
from State Road 3 via Space Commerce Way. 

For further information about media accreditation, contact Jennifer
Horner at 321-867-6598. 

For more information about the NASA/SpaceX launch, contact the Kennedy
Press Site at 321-867-2468 or visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy 

JOHNSON MEDIA ACCREDITATION 

Media who are credentialed with badges at Kennedy for launch
activities will have their badges honored at Johnson for the duration
of the SpaceX mission. Please contact the Johnson newsroom for work
space information. 

International media wanting access only to Johnson must submit the
required documentation for badging by Monday, May 14. U.S. media
wanting access only to Johnson must submit a request for badging by
Friday, May 18. Media who have already been approved for
accreditation do not need to reapply. 

For mission information, contact the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111
or visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/johnson 

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming
video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv 

For up-to-date SpaceX mission information and a schedule of NASA TV
coverage, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

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 through NanoRacks 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.

Fitchburg, MA: Monty Tech student Brittany loading samples into the FME at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has honored all the SSEP researchers, their teachers, their families, and communities participating in the historic SSEP Mission 1 to ISS with a feature article at NASA.gov. It is a recognition that these student researchers are part of America’s Space Program in the 21st century, and a tribute to this next generation that will take the human race to new frontiers.

The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, and NanoRacks, would like to thank NASA for their unwavering support of SSEP, and the tens of thousands of students it touches.

We invite you to read the feature article, which in turn links to articles from the participating communities written by the SSEP community leadership. Through this feature, each community has been given the chance to tell their story of how this program has touched lives by providing a conduit for curiosity, ownership in learning, immersion in real research, and the joys of learning.

Direct URL
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/station-here-we-come.html

For Student main landing page – In the Spotlight area (1st item)
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html

For Educators main landing page – Educator Features and Articles area (1st item)
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html

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 through NanoRacks 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.

NCESSE has contacted all SSEP delegations that were scheduled to travel to the launch on May 7 to see if they can change their plans to accommodate the new launch date and time. Any SSEP families and teachers that could not attend the May 7 launch but wish to attend the rescheduled May 19 launch should contact NCESSE.

NOTE: this is going to be a night launch – which is spectacular.

The Launch Viewing Plan for SpaceX Dragon page has been updated, and the countdown clock reset for May 19, 4:55 am EDT.

RELEASE: 12-149
NASA ISSUES STATEMENT ON NEW SPACEX LAUNCH DATE

WASHINGTON -- In response to today's SpaceX announcement finalizing a
new target date for the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon
spacecraft, NASA issued the following statement from William
Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Human Exploration and
Operations at the agency's Headquarters in Washington: 

"After additional reviews and discussions between the SpaceX and NASA
teams, we are in a position to proceed toward this important launch.
The teamwork provided by these teams is phenomenal. There are a few
remaining open items but we are ready to support SpaceX for its new
launch date of May 19." 

For more information on the flight, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/spacex 

For more information on the International Space Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station 

For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv 

-end-

Student Spaceflight Experiment Program (SSEP)
Mission 3 to the International Space Station

Opportunity for Schools to Engage Grade 5-16 Students in Microgravity Experiment Design for Flight to the International Space Station

For Immediate Release
April 29, 2012

Washington, D.C. – The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE), in partnership with NanoRacks LLC, announces a new opportunity for schools across the U.S. and Internationally to participate in the fifth flight opportunity for the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP).

Launched in June 2010, SSEP immerses typically 300 students across a community in real scientific research of their own design, using a highly captivating spaceflight opportunity on the International Space Station (ISS), America’s newest National Laboratory. SSEP is a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education immersion program that provides a truly authentic research experience on the high frontier.

SSEP Mission 3 to ISS will provide each participating community a real research mini-laboratory capable of supporting a single microgravity experiment, and all launch services to fly the mini-lab to ISS in early April 2013. Each participating community will solicit proposals for microgravity experiments from their students, with each student research team vying for use of the mini-lab. A formal review of proposals received from across the community will determine the experiment selected for flight. SSEP is designed to mirror the proposal process undertaken by professional researchers vying for research resources. Additional SSEP program elements leverage the experience to engage the entire community, embracing a Learning Community Model for STEM education.

SSEP is open to schools and school districts serving grade 5 through 12 students, 2- and 4-year colleges and universities, informal science education organizations, and internationally through the Center’s new Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education.

Student teams are able to design experiments across diverse fields, including: seed germination, crystal growth, physiology and life cycles of microorganisms, cell biology and growth, food studies, and studies of micro-aquatic life. Experiments require design to the technology and engineering constraints imposed by the mini-laboratory, and flight operations to and from low Earth orbit.

“SSEP is designed to empower the student as scientist, and within the real-world context of science. Student teams design a real experiment, propose for a real flight opportunity, experience a formal proposal review process, and go through a NASA flight safety review. They even have their own science conference at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, where they are immersed in their own community of researchers”, said Dr. Jeff Goldstein, creator of SSEP and NCESSE Center Director. “SSEP is about introducing real science to our children, and if you give them a chance to be scientists, stand back and be amazed.”

SSEP Mission 3 to ISS includes an experiment design competition September 17 though November 9, 2012. Flight experiments are selected by December 7, 2012, for a ferry flight to ISS in early April 2013. All communities participating in Mission 3 to ISS must be aboard by September 12, 2012.

Heritage: The first two SSEP flight opportunities on the final flights of Space Shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis (STS-134 and STS-135), engaged 27 communities, providing a combined 30,700 grade 5-14 students the opportunity to participate, 977 student team proposals were received, and 27 experiments were selected and flown on the Shuttles. The third SSEP flight opportunity, Mission 1 to ISS, engaged 12 communities, providing 41,200 grade 5-14 students the opportunity to participate, 779 student team proposals were received, and 15 experiments were selected for flight to ISS on SpaceX’s Dragon scheduled for launch in May 2012. The fourth SSEP flight opportunity, Mission 2 to ISS, began on March 5, 2012, with 11 participating communities. The Mission 2 experiments payload is slated to fly to ISS in Fall 2012.

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. SSEP is undertaken by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) in partnership with NanoRacks LLC. SSEP is enabled through NanoRacks, 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.

For information on the Mission 3 to ISS flight opportunity, visit:
http://ssep.ncesse.org

Other Links of Interest
SSEP Mission 3 to ISS 3-Page Overview PDF
Program Description Video Clip
SSEP Participating Communities and Partners
Selected SSEP Flight Experiments
SSEP In the News
Program Impact from Teachers, Students, and Community Leaders
Video highlights from the 2011 SSEP Conference, Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

About NCESSE
The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) creates and oversees national initiatives addressing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, with a focus on earth and space. Programs are designed to provide an authentic window on science as a human endeavor. Central objectives of the Center’s programs are to help ensure a scientifically literate public and a next generation of U.S. scientists and engineers – both of which are of national importance in an age of high technology. NCESSE is a Project of the Tides Center. http://ncesse.org

About NanoRacks, LLC
NanoRacks LLC was formed in 2009 to provide quality hardware and services for the U.S. National Laboratory onboard the International Space Station. NanoRacks now has two research platforms onboard the U.S. National Laboratory that can house plug and play payloads using the Cube-Sat form factor. Our current signed customer pipeline of over 50 payloads, including domestic and international educational institutions, research organizations and government organizations, has propelled NanoRacks into a leadership position in understanding the emerging commercial market for low-earth orbit utilization. Visit us at www.nanoracks.com and @nanoracks

Media Contact
Dr. Jeff Goldstein, Center Director, NCESSE
301-395-0770, jeffgoldstein@ncesse.org

From NASA—
The Press Site is located in the Launch Complex 39 Area, just south of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and Launch Control Center (LCC). It is adjacent to the Barge Terminal Facility, commonly known as the Turn Basin.

The Press Site is located just 4 miles from the SpaceX launch site at Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. By comparison, KARS Park is over 12 miles from the pad.

SSEP attendees viewing the launch will be in the midst of the press corps from news organizations from across planet Earth covering this historic event.

NASA staff would also like a number of SSEP student researchers to join them in the TV studio on site to demonstrate the mini-lab hardware and talk about their experiments on NASA TV. (You might have noticed that we added a NASA TV widget in the right column of this website.)

NOTES TO ALL ATTENDEES:

1. PLANS HAVE CHANGED! WE MUST NOW BE AT THE PRESS SITE BY 6:30 am, WITH INTERVIEWS FOR NASA TV STARTING AT 7:00 am.  WE HAVE UPDATED THE LAUNCH VIEWING PLANS PAGE AS OF 9:00 PM EDT APRIL 27, TO REFLECT ALL THESE CHANGES.

2. THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION (NCESSE) MUST HAVE, FOR EACH SSEP DELEGATION, THE FINAL NUMBER OF ATTENDEES BY 8:00 PM EDT MONDAY APRIL 30.  

Click for Zoom

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.

An Important Note: NCESSE can only make certificate masters available to the SSEP Community Directors and Co-Directors in a community, or to some other designated community leader. We have already sent word out to the Directors and Co-Directors for all four flight opportunities to date on how they can obtain certificate masters for their community.

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.

NCESSE is now contacting the 12 SSEP delegations originally scheduled to attend the April 30 launch so that we can rapidly assess with the Nebraska Space Grant Consortium, our National Partner on launch planing, how many attendees are able to change their travel plans and attend the May 7 launch. These are delegations from:

San Marino, CA
Washington, DC
Lake County, IN
Ida County, IA
Charles County, MD
Fitchburg, MA
Norris, NE
Houston, TX
Presidio, TX
Nebraska Space Grant Consortium
Indiana Space Grant Consortium
NCESSE

NOTE: If you are not part of a delegation above, were unable to attend the April 30 launch, but would now like to attend the May 7 launch, please contact us.

NOTE: We have now updated the Launch Viewing Plans for SpaceX Dragon page. All interested in attending the May 7 launch should review this updated page.

Ok, the solution is late by a few weeks, and I know you’ve been perplexed, and hanging out on the edge of your seat. You’ve been patiently waiting for me to read my bathroom scale on top of my 210 mile high mountain that apparently even the U.S. Geological Survey knows nothing about (I checked at their web site.) Wait! You say you have no clue what I’m talking about? Hey, you’ve got to read the original challenge FIRST! None of this lazy stuff going right to the answer.

Go read the original challenge, think about it for a while, and come back. I’ll wait right here for you. (What’s that Jeopardy music playing in the background?)

And now the answer—

So I go to the top of my 210 mile (340 km) high mountain, and look … here comes the International Space Station … and there it goes! Man, it was moving fast. It was cruising at a whopping 4.5 miles PER SECOND (7 km/s)! So 2 seconds ago, it was heading right for me, but still 4.5 miles away. A second ago it flew right by my face, and I looked in the window really really fast. And now it’s 4.5 miles away, heading away from me really fast.

Sure enough, when I looked inside, the astronauts were weightless—just floating around. So then I looked down at my bathroom scale, also expecting to be weightless—after all I’m at the same place they were. BUT WAIT!! My scale says I weigh nearly the same as my weight in my bathroom at home. More precisely, on top of my mountain I weigh 90% of my weight at sea level! So if I weigh 150 lbs (68 kg) at sea level, I weigh 135 lbs (61.2 kg) on my mountain. (Hmmm, wonder if I’ve discovered a new way to diet.) And I bet some of you won’t buy this without seeing the calculations. That’s good. That’s being a great scientist. (Keep reading.)

But this can’t be right!  Why are the astronauts weightless?

Lots of folks assume that a weightless astronaut means that gravity is somehow turned off in space. But you don’t need to think about this long to realize that’s a big-time misconception. Gravity is keeping the Space Station in orbit around the Earth, the Moon in orbit around the Earth, and the Earth in orbit around the Sun. If we suddenly turned gravity off, the Earth would fly out of its orbit, off in a straight line, and head out of the Solar System. Gravity GOOD. No gravity BAD.

First some gravity basics. The force of gravity exists between any two masses, e.g., you and your chair, or your car and the fire hydrant it’s parked next to (hey move your vehicle.) But as forces of nature go it’s a really weak force. So for you to easily see it in action, at least one of the masses needs to be really massive. A good example is the force of gravity between YOU and the EARTH. The Earth is pretty massive, and the force exerted on you by the Earth is what we call YOUR WEIGHT. The force between two masses also depends on the distance between them. If you increase the distance between two masses, the force of gravity decreases. This comes together mathematically in the LAW OF UNIVERSAL GRAVITATION, a cool and pretty simple equation courtesy of Mr. Isaac Newton.

Ok, now let’s apply this. In the case of you and Earth, the distance between you and Earth is actually the distance between you and the center of Earth. But that distance is just the radius of Earth, or 3,963 miles (6,378 km.) When I go from sea level to the top of my really tall mountain, 210 miles (340 km) high, I’m increasing the distance between me and the center of Earth only a little bit. So my weight only goes down to 90% of its value at sea level. I actually used Mr. Newton’s equation to calculate my weight on top of my mountain. For those of you that want to see the calculation, I wrote it in my scratchy long-hand HERE.

Here’s another thing to ponder. The International Space Station (ISS) is pretty massive compared to you, and when it goes into orbit at 210 miles altitude, it also weighs 90% of its weight at sea level. The weight of an astronaut is also therefore 90% of his/her weight at sea level. THEY ARE NOT WEIGHTLESS. The term WEIGHTLESS leads to a deep misconception. They APPEAR weightless. Big difference. Remember that your weight is the force of gravity exerted on you by the Earth. There is NO question that such a force is exerted by Earth on both the Space Station and the astronauts inside.

But why do they APPEAR weightless? Well in my case, I’m standing on top of my mountain, where the mountain is holding me up and keeping me from falling under the action of gravity. Gravity is pulling me down with a force defined as my weight, and the mountain is reacting under the ‘load’ with an equal and opposite force up. So for me, I feel two forces: gravity pulling me down, and the mountain pushing me up. The forces cancel, and I just stand there at 90% of my sea level weight. I know that because the spring in my bathroom scale is being compressed between the two forces, and it’s causing the scale to record my weight. My bones also feel the resulting compression, which lets my body know they’re doing a good thing and are useful to keep (not the case in orbit where bone calcium is excreted.) But the Space Station is not resting on a mountain or anything else. The Space Station is ONLY experiencing the force of gravity. When that happens we call the situation free fall. The International Space Station is falling!! (I know!) This seems contrary to the way most of us think about falling objects, where an object that is falling is headed toward the Earth. But that too is a misconception. The Space Station is falling around the Earth! Here’s something I wrote for a grade 5-8 lesson on free fall (See the “To Community Leaders and Teachers” section below), and it explains how you can be falling around the Earth.

Now back to the idea of weightlessness. Here is an analogy to help you understand. You’re in an elevator in a tall building. The elevator is on the top floor. Inside the elevator you’re standing on your bathroom scale. You note the scale reads your correct weight plus a couple of pounds ’cause you just finished lunch at the spiffy top floor restaurant. Two forces are acting on you—gravity pulling you down, and thankfully the floor of the elevator pushing you up. Now (sorry) I cut the elevator cable. You feel that in your stomach? You’re now in free fall. You’re falling because I removed the ability of the elevator’s floor to push you back. The floor of the elevator is now falling WITH you. And the bathroom scale between your feet and the floor? Well, it’s also falling WITH you! There is now no way for the spring in the scale to be compressed between your feet and the floor … because the floor isn’t going to be pushing back. Look at the scale … it reads ZERO. You are weightless! What …. that’s not convincing you?? Hmmmm……

Oooh oooh! Got it! Here’s another way to think about the elevator!  Ok, imagine you’re back at the top floor and inside the elevator you are standing on a small chair, which puts you 1 foot above the floor. You decide to walk off the edge of the chair. But at the moment you walk off the chair you hit a button on the wall that detaches the cable holding the elevator, and the elevator and you plummet downward together, accelerating under the action of gravity. Now you are accelerating in the direction of the elevator’s floor BUT the elevator’s floor is accelerating in the same direction, which is away from you. You never get any closer to the floor! What do you see as a passenger inside the elevator? You’re not aware of anything moving. Inside the elevator, you are floating a foot above the floor, as if weightless!

Ok, just stopped you with the emergency brakes.

So here is the deal. If you are inside something falling (in free fall) like an elevator or Space Station, you appear weightless. That’s because everything inside is falling with you, including the floor, walls, and ceiling—though calling them floor, walls, and ceiling is now rather meaningless.

A note to the sneaky (those that want to say “but Dr. Jeff you’re wrong.”) Yes, if the object is falling inside the atmosphere (like our elevator), it is technically not in free fall very long since the drag caused by the air soon becomes a force that needs to be considered. For instance, if you jump out of a plane, you’re in free fall in the beginning of the jump, but the drag force increases as your speed increases. Soon you get up to about 100 mph (160 km/hr) and you won’t go any faster because the force of gravity down is balanced by the drag force up due to the air. But that’s still a bit too fast for a landing, so you open a parachute to dramatically increase the drag from the air, and you live to jump another day.

To Community Leaders and Teachers

We developed a great grade 5-8 lesson which easily demonstrates that astronauts inside a free falling soda bottle space shuttle appear weightless. The lesson is part of the Building a Permanent Human Presence in Space compendium of lessons for the Center’s Journey through the Universe program. The lesson is titled Grade 5-8 Unit, Lesson 1: Weightlessness, which can be downloaded as a PDF from the Building a Permanent Human Presence in Space page. You can also read an overview of the lesson conducted as part of one of the many Journey through the Universe Educator Workshops, this one in Muncie Indiana.

On a related note, Journey through the Universe is about taking an entire community to the frontiers of exploration. It is a natural extension of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program. A National Team of hand-picked scientists, engineers, and educators travels to a participating community for up to a week, talking to thousands of grade K-12 students one classroom at a time to provide an authentic window on the professional research experience, and conducting family and public programs and professional development workshops for teachers. It is another NCESSE program that embraces a community-wide engagement model for STEM education. Contact the Center if you would like to bring Journey through the Universe to your community. Or you might want to consider just a professional development workshop for educators, or a family and public program, through the Center’s To Earth and Beyond initiative. Here is a list of the family and public program topics with descriptions, which are presentations we routinely conduct after hours at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum for 450 attendees as part of the Center’s Family Science Night program. As is the case with SSEP, I’m pretty confident NCESSE can find the underwriting in support of a Journey through the Universe program for an interested community.

Read more about Journey Through the Universe at the NCESSE website: 
http://ncesse.org/journey

Photo credit: NASA (there was no mountain in their photo — promise.)