Student experiments flying on final shuttle flight

The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) has launched the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP), a historic opportunity for students to propose experiments for the final scheduled flight of the Space Shuttle, STS-134. SSEP provides middle and high school classes across the nation the ability to propose experiments to fly in low Earth orbit, and to celebrate that accomplishment with their local community and with national and global audiences. Entire school districts can participate, with student teams proposing experiments like professional scientists and engineers.

Selected student experiments would fly for 10 days aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. Launch is tentatively scheduled for November 2010, but a launch slip to mid-January is expected. Endeavour’s flight will be used as a gateway to Phase 2 of the SSEP: sustainable, ongoing access to space for grades 5–12 students inspired to propose experiments for low Earth orbit aboard the International Space Station (with transport via the Russian Progress and Soyuz vehicles), and on suborbital space flights.

Visit the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program website for full details about this time-critical program opportunity, and a call to action in your community.