New Grade 5-12 STEM Education Program Opportunity for School District andSchool Communities

Announcing the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Fourth Flight Opportunity - SSEP Mission 2 to the International Space Station (ISS)

The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, in partnership with NanoRacks invites communities across the U.S. to participate in SSEP Mission 2 to ISS.

Each participating community will be provided all launch services to fly a real microgravity research mini-laboratory on ISS from September 28 to November 12, 2012, and a kit for assembly of their mini-lab. An 8-week experiment design competition in the community, held Spring 2012, will allow grade 5-12 student teams to design real microgravity experiments vying for their community’s reserved mini-lab slot on ISS.

SSEP immerses a community of students in real scientific research of their own design (grade level appropriate), using a highly captivating spaceflight opportunity on ISS - America’s newest National Laboratory – which will garner the community significant media attention.

SSEP is a true STEM education program. It addresses a wide range of biological and physical science disciplines (thus appropriate for all teachers of science), including: seed germination, crystal growth, physiology of microorganisms and life cycles (e.g. bacteria), cell biology and growth, food studies, and studies of micro-aquatic life. Students design experiments to the technology and engineering constraints imposed by a real research mini-lab and flight operations to and from Earth orbit.

More information is available here.