Mission 6 is Community’s First SSEP Flight Opportunity: Yellow
Mission 6 is Community’s at Least Second SSEP Flight Opportunity: Green
View SSEP Mission 6 to ISS Communities on a larger map
The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) in the U.S. and its international arm, the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education, are proud to announce the 19 communities across America and Canada that have come aboard Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 6 to the International Space Station (ISS). The eighth SSEP flight opportunity since program inception in 2010, Mission 6 provides for a microgravity experiment design competition in Winter/Spring 2014, and a projected flight of Yankee Clipper—the Mission 6 experiments payload—to ISS in Fall 2014. SSEP program operations began in the 19 Mission 6 communities on February 24, 2014. See the Mission 6 Critical Timeline for a list of milestone events.
To the thousands of students participating in Mission 6 to ISS, and to their teachers, families, and communities, welcome to America’s and Canada’s space program, and real research on the frontiers of human exploration.
The Mission 6 community leadership project that across the 19 communities 7,970 students will be fully immersed in microgravity experiment design, and at least 1,590 flight experiment proposals will be received from student teams. Mission 6 is therefore expected to be the SSEP flight opportunity with the largest student engagement to date. For Mission 6, community leadership also project that a minimum of 15,485 grade K-12 students will be fully immersed in local art and design competitions to select the Mission Patches to fly along with the communities’ selected flight experiments (see the Mission 6 Mission Patch page for more information).
Listed below are the 19 communities participating in Mission 6 to ISS, together with their partner school districts and/or schools, and Community Program Directors.
1. Kamloops/Thompson, British Columbia, Canada
Noteworthy: this is the second community in Canada to participate in SSEP
Partner Institutions
School District No. 73
SSEP Community Program Director
Paul Hembling
Principal, Bert Edwards Science & Technology School
2. Oakland, California
Partner Institutions
Urban Promise Academy
Oakland Unified School District
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Alison Ball
7th Grade Science Teacher & Department Chair, Urban Promise Academy
Julia Lehman
6th Grade Math/Science Teacher Department Chair, Urban Promise Academy
3. San Diego, California
Partner Institutions
Lead: Clairemont Mesa Education Foundation
Madison Community of Schools
Clairemont Community of Schools
San Diego Unified School District
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Mike Snyder
President, Clairemont Mesa Education Foundation
Jennifer Moreno
Biology & Engineering Teacher, Science Department Chair, Madison High School
Kevin Regardie
Advanced Mathematics Instructor, Clairemont High School
4. San Marino, California
Noteworthy: this is the third SSEP flight for San Marino
Partner Institutions
San Marino High School
San Marino Unified School District
SSEP Community Program Director
Wyeth Collo
Science Teacher/Department Chair, San Marino High School
5. Washington, DC – DC Space Grant University Community
Noteworthy: this is the first SSEP community dedicated to 4-year colleges and universities
Partner Institutions
District of Columbia Space Grant Consortium (DCSGC), on behalf of the NASA K-12 STEM Educator Program
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Eric Day
Program Manager, DCSGC
Megan Kemble
Assistant Director, DCSGC
6. Plaquemine, Louisiana
Partner Institutions
Iberville Mathematics, Science, and Arts Academy-West
Iberville Parish Public School System
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Loren McIntyre
ARTE Lab Director
Scott Stephenson
Teacher, Gifted and Talented, Iberville Math, Science, and Arts Academy-West
7. Kalamazoo, Michigan
Partner Institutions
Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Becky Reits
Principal, St. Monica Catholic School
Katie Gilbert
Advancement Director, Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo
8. Madison Heights, Michigan
Partner Institutions
Madison District Public Schools
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Randy Speck
Superintendent, Madison District Public Schools
Angel M. Abdulahad
Lead Enrichment Teacher, Wilkinson Middle School
9. Kansas City, Missouri
Noteworthy: this is the second SSEP flight for Kansas City
Partner Institutions
Benjamin Banneker Charter Academy of Technology
A STEAM Village Alliance
SSEP Community Program Director
William Wells
Network Administrator, Robotics and STEM Coordinator Benjamin Banneker Charter Academy of Technology
10. Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
Partner Institutions
Governor Livingston High School
Columbia Middle School
Berkeley Heights Public Schools
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Jim Flakker
Physics Teacher, Governor Livingston High School
Susan Rembetsy
Berkeley Heights Public Schools Science & Art Supervisor
11. Long Branch, New Jersey
Partner Institutions
Long Branch School District
SSEP Community Program Director
Jena Carpenter
Science Department Head Teacher, Long Branch High School
12. Ocean City, New Jersey
Partner Institutions
Ocean City Public School System
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Daniel Weaver
Physics Teacher
Matthew Oster
Science Team Leader and Biology Teacher
Mikenzie Helphenstine
Director of Curriculum, STEM, Ocean City Schools
13. Flushing, New York
Partner Institutions
World Journalism Preparatory School
New York City Department of Education, District 25
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Nancy Poulos
Assistant Principal, World Journalism Preparatory School
Dr. Mark Baribault
AP Chemistry Teacher
Helen Reed
Parent Coordinator
14. Colleton County, South Carolina
Partner Institutions
Colleton County Middle School
Colleton County School District
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Patti R. Drawdy
STEM Coach for Professional Development and Curriculum Redesign, Colleton County Middle School
Senaca Baines
Principal, Colleton County Middle School
15. North Charleston, South Carolina
Noteworthy: this is the second SSEP flight for North Charleston
Partner Institutions
Palmetto Scholars Academy
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Marty Hale
Principal, Palmetto Scholars Academy
Timothy Gott
Rising Principal, Palmetto Scholars Academy, 2014-15 school year
Kellye Voigt
Science & Research Teacher
16. Knox County, Tennessee
Partner Institutions
Knox County School System
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Becky Ashe
STEM Coordinator
Dr. Jon Rysewyk
Director of Innovation and School Improvement
17. Somerville, Tennessee
Partner Institutions
Fayette Academy
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Donna Burrus
Biology Lab Instructor
Melissa Norwood
Algebra and Physical Science Teacher
18. Rockwall County, Texas
Partner Institutions
Rockwall Independent School District
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Jean Laswell
Career Technical Education Coordinator
Joey Belgard
Secondary Science Coordinator
19. San Antonio, Texas
Partner Institutions
Northside Independent School District
SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Nancy Kreth
Instructional Specialist, Elementary Science
Amanda Ewenson
Instructional Support Teacher, Elementary Science
The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) is a program of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) in the U.S., and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education internationally. It is enabled through a strategic partnership with NanoRacks LLC, working with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory. SSEP is the first pre-college STEM education program that is both a U.S. national initiative and implemented as an on-orbit commercial space venture.
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), and Subaru of America, Inc., are National Partners on the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program.
