[Students Grades 7-12 & Higher Education]
[Available: Nationally]
The NASA Student Launch Projects challenges middle, high school and college students to design, build and launch a reusable rocket to one mile above ground level while carrying a scientific or engineering payload. The Academic Affairs Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages SLP. It comprises two project elements: NASA Student Launch Initiative, or SLI, for middle and high school teams; and NASA University Student Launch Initiative, or USLI, for community college and university teams.
To be eligible to participate in SLI, teams first must place in the top of the Team America Rocketry Challenge or the Rockets for Schools competition. Once having qualified at either of these competitions, the teams must send one educator or mentor to the NASA Advanced Rocketry Workshop held during the summer.
Any community college or university is eligible to participate in USLI. SLP highly recommends that interested teams participate in the Advanced Rocketry Workshop.
During the Advanced Rocketry Workshop, participants learn more about SLP expectations; NASA's mission and education goals and objectives; high-powered rocketry; and rocketry safety. After successfully completing the workshop, each team is issued a Request for Proposal to participate in SLP in the fall. A panel of NASA and NASA-contractor engineers, scientists and education specialists review the proposals and select new SLP teams.
SLP is an eight-month, or one-academic-year, commitment that requires teams to submit a series of reports and reviews, develop a website, engage in education outreach in their local community, and provide a timeline, a budget and other requirements. The reports and reviews are similar to NASA's technical review process. As in that process, SLP teams must complete a Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review, Flight Readiness Review and Post-Launch Assessment Review. In addition, teams must successfully complete an initial and a final Launch Readiness Review that includes a safety check-out prior to launch in Huntsville, Ala.
› 2012-2013 NASA Student Launch Initiative Handbook
› View NASA Student Launch Projects Overview Video
› View NASA Student Launch Projects Music Video
The NASA Student Launch Projects Launch Day occurred
Sunday, April 21, 2013, at Bragg Farms in Toney, Ala.
› SLP Launch Week Information
2012-2013 NASA Student Launch Teams (University/College)
Alabama A&M University -- Normal, Ala.
California Polytechnic Pomona -- Pomona, Calif.
Century College -- White Bear Lake, Minn.
Citrus College -- Glendora, Calif.
Clark College -- Vancouver, Wash.
Florida A&M University -- Tallahassee, Fla.
Georgia Institute of Technology -- Atlanta, Ga.
Harper College -- Palatine, Ill.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- Cambridge, Mass.
Mississippi State University -- Starkville, Miss.
New Mexico State University -- Las Cruces, N.M.
North Carolina State University -- Raleigh, N.C.
Northwest Indian College -- Bellingham, Wash.
Northwestern University -- Evanston, Ill.
Pennsylvania State University -- University Park, Pa.
Purdue University -- West Lafayette, Ind.
Santa Fe College -- Gainesville, Fla.
Tarleton State University -- Stephenville, Texas
University of Alabama -- Tuscaloosa, Ala.
University of Alabama in Huntsville -- Huntsville, Ala.
University of California Davis -- Davis, Calif.
University of Central Florida -- Orlando, Fla.
University of Florida -- Gainesville, Fla.
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign -- Champaign, Ill.
University of Louisville -- Louisville, Ky.
University of Minnesota -- Minneapolis, Minn.
University of Nebraska -- Lincoln, Neb.
University of New Hampshire -- Durham, N.H.
University of North Carolina Charlotte -- Charlotte, N.C.
University of North Dakota -- Grand Forks, N.D.
University of Notre Dame -- South Bend, Ind.
University of South Alabama -- Mobile, Ala.
Vanderbilt University -- Nashville, Tenn.
Virginia Tech -- Blacksburg, Va.
Western Kentucky University -- Bowling Green, Ky.
Windward Community College -- Kaneohe, Hawaii
2012-2013 NASA Student Launch Teams (Middle/High School)
Durham Area Rocketry Team -- Durham, N.C.
Falls Church High School -- Falls Church, Va.
Harmony Magnet Academy -- Strathmore, Calif.
Katalyst for Katastrophy -- Spring Grove, Ill.
Krueger School of Applied Technologies -- San Antonio, Texas
Lake Braddock Secondary School -- Burke, Va.
Lake Zurich High School -- Lake Zurich, Ill.
Lucy Rede Franco Middle School -- Presidio, Texas
Madison West High School Irradiance -- Madison, Wis.
Madison West High School Sound -- Madison, Wis.
Millington High School -- Millington, Mich.
Minster Junior/Senior High School -- Minster, Ohio
Oak Park High School -- Oak Park, Calif.
Plantation High School -- Plantation, Fla.
Rockwall Heath High School -- Heath, Texas
Spring Grove Area High School -- Spring Grove, Pa.
St. Anthony's High School -- South Huntington, N.Y.
St. Vincent-St. Mary High School -- Akron, Ohio
Thomas Jefferson High School -- Alexandria, Va.
Victory Christian Center -- Charlotte, N.C.
Waverly-Shell Rock High School -- Waverly, Iowa
2011-2012 SLP Results
Overall Project Winner -- Utah State University
Best Rookie Team Award -- University of Louisville
Best Vehicle Design: Utah State University
Best Payload Design: Vanderbilt University
Best Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Payload Design: Mississippi State University
Project Review Award: The University of Florida
Education Engagement Award: Vanderbilt University
Best Web Design: The University of Louisville
Closest to Altitude Award: Florida A&M University
Best-Looking Rocket Peer Award (University): Alabama A&M University
Best-Looking Rocket Peer Award (Middle/High School): Plantation High School
Best Team Spirit Peer Award (University): Windward Community College -- University of Hawaii
Best Team Spirit Peer Award (Middle/High School): Lake Zurich High School in Lake Zurich, Ill.
Features:
› From the Field to the Workforce
› Don't Let Inexperience Stop You From Flying
› A Higher Calling
› From a Different View
› Having a Blast
› Once Upon a Time, There Was a Rocket
› Science in the Sky
› The Next 'Next Generation'
› Touch the Clouds
NASA Contacts
Julie Clift, SLP Projects Lead
NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center
Academic Affairs Office
Mail Code HS30
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
Phone: 256-961-1334
Fax: 256-544-8549
Email:
julie.d.clift@nasa.gov
Eddie Jeffries/Jacobs ESSSA Group, SLP Technical Coordinator
NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center
Academic Affairs Office
Mail Code HS30
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
Phone: 256-544-0399
Fax: 256-544-2511
Email:
edward.m.jeffries@nasa.gov
Additional Contact Information
› View Pre-college contact information
› View Higher Education contact information
