Student Experiments Aboard The Space Shuttle Endeavour

While Monday marked the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour's (STS-134) final mission, the event goes further than the excitement of watching a ship blast off; orbiting beyond earth's atmosphere is also the dreams and aspirations of young student scientists who dared to shoot for the stars.

Through the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP), a STEM education initiative designed to engage students and their teachers in science, classrooms around the United States were challenged to design real experiments to fly in low orbit -- first on the Space Shuttle's final flight, and then on the International Space Station. Out of 447 proposals, 16 experiments designed by students in middle school, high school, and undergraduates at two-year community colleges, were selected to board STS-134.

Visit SSEP's website for a list of all the selected experiments, and view our slide show below to see highlights from some of the top winners:

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Brine Shrimp In Space

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Students at Mendenhall Middle School in Greensboro, N.C. were selected for an experiment that will test how brine shrimp, a very well-known and studied organism, grow in a zero-gravity environment. According to WFMY News, students believe the shrimp will grow bigger in space than on earth.

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Students at Mendenhall Middle School in Greensboro, N.C. were selected for an experiment that will test how brine shrimp, a very well-known and studied organism, grow in a zero-gravity environment. According to WFMY News, students believe the shrimp will grow bigger in space than on earth.

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Experiment

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Danger, Will Robinson! On par with Newton, Kant, and Einstein.

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Comments

[mom2alex2008]

01:37 PM on 05/29/2011

I noticed something....
When the article is negative it is focused on the teacher and their actions.
When the article is positive it is focused on the children and their actions.
Why do you think this is? Seems like a WitchHunt to me.

[drdalej]

02:24 AM on 05/22/2011

I agree it is a total waste of time and money. Where's the beef (real science)? Untold amounts of money going to the international space station. We were told it would lead to great discoveries. Maybe there have been some, but we sure have not heard about it. We hear about school teachers going up, student experiments, guests from other countries. I think the priorities suck. It is not supposed to be a publicity stunt.

[commentator101]

06:14 PM on 05/21/2011

Must not have been those students experimenting with drugs and sex. Now THAT would be newsworthy.

[beauwulff]

06:09 PM on 05/21/2011

$1 billion per launch. Fortunately, we're moving on to solutions like this:

http://www.spacex.com/falcon_heavy.php

Twice the payload, 1/10th the cost.

[PABLOyPABLO]

05:59 PM on 05/21/2011

What a waste of money

[eljefefx]

07:30 PM on 05/21/2011

The experiments are a waste?

[6p023E23]

02:29 PM on 05/21/2011

This is so r@ci1st. there are no bl@ck kid in that group.... hmmm....may be they are playing basketball instead.

[robodweeb]

02:24 PM on 05/21/2011

When I first learned of the design of the Shuttle I thought it rather Rube Goldberg... strapping some rockets to a glider.  I did, however travel to the cape to watch the first launch of Columbia.
 
However, over time I came to admire it and since I moved to Orlando I have watched the launches from my patio (I see the flames, that's about it.)  And the Earth-shaking sonic booms as it returns were neat.
 
I'll miss it.
 

[Feurio]

12:38 PM on 05/21/2011

http://chzmemebase.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/memes-if-the-rapture-happens-tomorrow-what-happens-to-those-at-the-international-space-station.jpg

[JohnCochtosten]

10:40 AM on 05/21/2011

Curiously, my old high school's entry of "How Will Pot Grow in Zero-Gravity" was not chosen.

[Jefsaid]

09:54 AM on 05/21/2011

Now that's what I call exciting!
http://hubpages.com/hub/Becoming-Astronaut

[Chrystal Ji Davey]

05:17 PM on 05/20/2011

I know three of the people that are doing this personally! Yay!!