09/17/2021
School District 43 - Coquitlam has been selected to take part in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) run by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) and will be providing a student‐designed science experiment to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) in low Earth orbit. The experiment will be conducted by the astronauts, with the subsequent data analysis performed by SD43 students. SD43 students first sent an experiment to space in spring 2017 as part of Mission 11.
Students from grades 5 to 12 will work in teams during a nine‐week experiment design phase from September
to November to create and submit their proposals. The winning proposal will be selected on December 16,
2021. The experiment will be part of the SSEP Mission 16 payload to the ISS and is currently planned to launch
on a SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, adjoining the Kennedy Space Center, late
spring 2022.
In addition to submitting project proposals, SD43 students from kindergarten to Grade 12 will have the
opportunity to submit a design for a “Mission Patch” that may, if selected, also fly aboard the ISS.
Key Events / Timeline:
* September to November 3, 2021 – 9‐week experiment design phase
* November/December – Internal school competitions and events
* December 16, 2021 – winning flight experiment is selected / Mission Patch logo design selected
* Spring 2022 (projected) – Experiment travels to ISS with a 4‐to‐6 week Return‐to‐Earth
* June or July 2022 (projected) – National Conference at Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC
Attention Students! You have an opportunity to design an experiment that goes on the International Space Station!
