A group of four students from Palm Middle School recently presented their project as part of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 13 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
The project, “The Grown and Development of Sustainable Brine Shrimp in Microgravity,” was developed by Palm Middle School Students Vince Mora, Vincent Ruiz, Aidan Alvarez, Andre Portlock, and Dorian Arias under the guidance of teacher Gayle DiCarlantonio. The project will examine how brine shrimp hatch and develop in microgravity, with a focus on how they adapt to a harsh environment. The team's ultimate goal would be to use their findings to contribute to the food chain in space or another planet.
The project is tentatively scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on board a SpaceX rocket. The mission's current launch date is July 21, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
“This is a true 21st-century learning opportunity for our students,” said Superintendent Dr. Martinrex Kedziora, “This once in a lifetime moment for each of them and seeing it launch later this summer will be a rewarding experience.”
The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program [or 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 DreamUp PBC and NanoRacks LLC, which are working with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.