Students work directly with astronauts and space professionals to design real scientific experiments with the potential to fly to the International Space Station or on a suborbital flight.
Higher Orbits' Go For Launch! program is a multi-day event that uses space exploration to engage middle and high school students (grades 8-12, including rising 8th graders and recently graduated seniors) in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), as well as STEAM (Art), teamwork, communication, and leadership. Students are immersed in the wonder of human spaceflight through talks delivered by experts in space and STEM fields, including astronauts, former International Space Station (ISS) and Space Shuttle Flight Controllers, astronaut instructors, scientists, and engineers. A unique aspect of the program is that students work directly with an astronaut throughout each day of the event.
Broken into teams, students collaborate on activities designed to build leadership, teamwork, and communication skills. The program culminates in a design project where each team defines and designs a space experiment. Teams present their ideas to a panel of judges from the Space & STEM fields, who then choose a winner from each Go For Launch! event. Depending on the series, winning experiments have the potential to be launched to and conducted aboard the International Space Station or on a suborbital flight.
A typical day involves students working in teams on collaborative activities, attending talks from space and STEM experts, and designing a space experiment with guidance from an astronaut.
This program is ideal for aspiring astronauts and space enthusiasts in grades 8-12 who want hands-on experience in space exploration and STEM, while developing teamwork, communication, and leadership skills.
Amazon Headquarters 2, South Arlington, VA
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