Space Station Research for Teachers

In the first ten years of continuous human presence on the space station, a wide range of student experiments and educational activities has been performed. Many of these programs still continue, and others are being developed and added to space station tasks on a regular basis. Here we list some of the currently active education-related space station experiments. You can also visit our Educational experiments site to learn more about all of the education-related research activities that have been performed on the space station.

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus Science Insert
The Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus Science Insert (CSI) experiments are educational payloads designed to interest K-12 students in science, technology, engineering and math by providing the opportunity for these students to participate in near real-time research conducted on board the ISS. The project is managed by BioServe Technologies and has coordinated with:
Baylor College of Medicine's Center for Educational Outreach

ARISS
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station lets students worldwide experience the excitement of talking through amateur radio directly with crew members of the International Space Station, inspiring them to pursue interests in careers in science, technology, engineering and math, and engaging them with radio science technology.

EarthKAM
Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM) is an education activity that allows middle school students to program a digital camera on board the space station to photograph a variety of geographical targets for study in the classroom.

2014 Humans in Space Art Video Challenge is now closed!
NASA’s International Space Station Program and Humans in Space Art invited college students and early career professionals worldwide to influence the future of life on Earth and human space exploration. Individuals and teams from 16 countries submitted three minute videos capturing their visions of “How will space, science and technology benefit humanity?” The artwork is currently being evaluated by judges from NASA and the Space Arts Communities.  Winners will be selected from amongst the finalists by astronauts and entertainment industry representatives and announced in March. Winners will be awarded a monetary prize by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), and winning videos will be flown on the International Space Station and screened at the HollyShorts festival and other events. Visit www.humansinspaceart.org for more information.

SPHERES -- Zero Robotics
The Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites - Zero - Robotics (SPHERES-Zero-Robotics) investigation establishes a opportunity for high school students to design research for the International Space Station (ISS). As part of a competition, students write algorithms for the SPHERES satellites to accomplish tasks relevant to future space missions. The algorithms are tested by the SPHERES team and the best designs are selected for the competition to operate the SPHERES satellites on board the ISS. Visit the Zero Robotics website for details.

Spark 101 – Solving Space Station Challenges

             (click on image of interest for video, lesson plans, and more info)

NASA’s International Space Station (ISS) Program Office has teamed up with Spark 101 to deliver dynamic, real-world STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) content to the high school classroom. This content is designed to engage students and teachers, connect them to real work at NASA, and inspire them to pursue STEM careers. The content comes in the form of informational videos featuring NASA subject matter experts and educator resources (lesson plans, organizational tools, & related educational material). 

The focus of these videos is about the research performed on the Space Station. Students will be posed a real problem that a NASA scientist or engineer faced and will have the opportunity to explore the solution themselves based on a set of constraints given.  The NASA professional will then describe what solution they came up with and how they met the constraints. Students have the opportunity to analyze how their solution compares and then are able to hear more about careers at NASA that align with the problem. 

High Schools United With NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH)
The High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware, or HUNCH, project provides work experiences to inspire high school career technology and engineering academy students to pursue careers in science and engineering fields. Visit the website for opportunities.

To find information for students and kids at the space station international partner agencies, visit their websites:

Canadian Space Agency (CSA):
    › Kidspace
    › Tomatosphere
 

European Space Agency (ESA):
    › ESA Kids
    › ESA YouTube Channel/Education playlist

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA):
    › Space Station Kids!

Roscosmos:
    › Website