FIFTH GRADE SPACE PROJECT

The Student Space Flight Experi-

ments Program (SSEP) (http://

ssep.ncesse.org) is undertaken by

the National Center for Earth and

Space Science Education

(NCESSE; http://ncesse.org) in

partnership with Nanoracks,

LLC. This on-orbit educational

research opportunity is enabled

through NanoRacks, LLC, which

is working in partnership with

NASA under a Space Act Agree-

ment as part of the utilization of

the International Space Station as

a National Laboratory.

In This Issue

Words of Encouragement

from the past champions!

Letters from Students

Research Paper Guidelines

Websites to help with the

research

What to do if I need help!

Timeline

Photo Caption

Mission 7 Continues... We are now getting farther into the project & this is where the students take over! If

you are working in a small group or as a whole class, it is all the same. The student,

not the teacher, needs to start researching the topic. Go onto the internet and

look for you project. You will need background information. What this is, tell me

about your project, what is involved, who has done this before, and why is it im-

portant? Go to the internet and find out as much as you can about your topic.

Please only refer to the government websites or national science websites. The in-

formation you get needs to be valid and authentic. Stay away from blogs and any

website that is an opinion. This is an authentic, scientific research project and needs

to be followed up by facts, not opinions. A lot of this research you can do at home.

Take notes of your information and be sure to write down your sources (places where

you got the information). Divide and Conquer! Get with your teammates and divide

up your research. By doing this, you can get more done in a quicker time period.

To Keep You Updated on the Project

Our own Hillsborough County Public Schools SSEP website:

http://fifthgradetampainspace.weebly.com/

Space Project Newsletter October 06, 2014

Hi 5th Graders!

So I've been told some of you want to participate in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). Well, as a former SSEP 5th grader myself, I'm here to give you some advice. When you are brainstorming ideas for your project, do something that is on your level and is a common interest among your peers. Also, to make life easier for you, form a group of two or three people. That way, you're not along on this project. Once you have agreed on an idea brainstorm some more to see if you can perfect your idea. It would give you and advantage, instead of just doing an idea with many flaws. Also, make sure that whatever you're dong can actually fit into a tiny test tube. I know it's crazy!

After that just trust your instincts, your mind, and most of all your heart.

Hoping you will win,

Srinidhi Raghavan

The Student Space Flight Experiments Program (SSEP) (http://ssep.ncesse.org) is under-

taken by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE; http://

ncesse.org) in partnership with Nanoracks, LLC. This on-orbit educational research oppor-

tunity is enabled through NanoRacks, LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under

a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a Na-

tional Laboratory.

Student Progress

We formed our groups this

past week. I am in a group of

four. We each had different

ideas on what we wanted to

do for the space project. So,

we sat down and talked

about it. After two days, we

finally decided to do a project

on the germination of corn or

wheat in micro-gravity. All of

us picked two different web-

sites to go get information.

We are recording our sources

and taking down notes. As

far as we can tell, corn has

not been grown in space.

We picked corn (wheat as a

backup) as it is a staple food

in the world. We are looking

at growing conditions, differ-

ent types, length of germina-

tion and many more. Before

we try to grow corn here, we

wanted to do the research

and make sure it can be

done. We also just read that

corn may be able to grow in

very sandy conditions like

that of Mars!

Good Luck to all other 5th

grade students.

The 2013-2014 Winning Team in Washington DC

How about… If you still have not

made up your mind on

a project, don’t worry,

it’s not too late! Find

a project on one the

websites listed on the

bottom of this page. I

found out that seeds

are HUGE for space

exploration. Also, the

formation of crystals

in space. I am trying

to decide on seeds,

crystals, or even,

does a powder sub-

stance like chocolate

powder mix with an-

other liquid? Does it

penetrate or just stay

on the outside of the

ball of liquid?

Research….

Make sure the web-sites you visit are from an official source. Stay with government sites, sci-ence organizations. Stay away from blogs and opinions sites.

Websites to Help Find a Project

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/

index.cfm?page=385

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/

station/research/

experiments_category.html

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/

http://www.education.com/science-fair/

earth-space-science/

Proposal Style Guide:

It is typical that a proposal guide for professional researchers includes information on the style and layout of a proposal. A standard style en-sures uniformity across all submitted proposals, which is not only help-ful to reviewers, but also ensures fairness. For example, one proposal should not be allowed to place more content on a page by decreasing font size or margins. All proposals submitted to SSEP must conform to the following style requirements:

Font: 12 pt Times New Roman

Line spacing: single spaced, 12 pt

Standard 8.5” x 11” pages; single-sided

1-inch margins all around

All pages numbered

Use the checklist below to make sure your proposal is complete.

A proposal has 7 sections —

Section I. Cover Page (1 page)

Note: the cover page must include a Project Summary not to exceed 250 words. The Summary should provide the reviewer a good yet basic under-standing of what is being proposed and why.

Section II. Student Team Members Page - Note: use as many pages as needed

Section III. Experiment Materials and Handling Requirements Pages—Note: use as many pages as needed

Section IV. Question to be Addressed by the Experiment—Note: this section has a 2-page limit

Section V. Experiment Design—Note: this section has a 3-page limit

Section VI. List of Reference Publications—Note: use as many pages as needed

Section VII. Letter of Certification from the Student Team’s Teach-er Facilitator

Note: this letter must be signed by the Teacher Facilitator

The Student Space Flight Experiments Program (SSEP) (http://ssep.ncesse.org) is undertaken by the

National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE; http://ncesse.org) in partnership

with Nanoracks, LLC. This on-orbit educational research opportunity is enabled through NanoRacks,

LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization

of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

Contact Us

If you should have any questions

about the project, please email the

Hillsborough County Public

Schools SSEP Director at:

scott.coonfare@sdhc.k12.fl.us

Past Winning SSEP Projects

How does an onion root cell divide in microgravity?

Growth of Radish Plant in Microgravity

How many seeds will germinate in microgravity vs. on Earth? FISHHAWK CREEK

WINNING PROJECT

Will microgravity conditions increase the rate of yeast fermentation in honey?

Core-Shell Micro/Nanodisks: Microencapsulation in Two Dimensions under Mi-

crogravity

Oxidation in Space

What is the effect of microgravity on mold growth on white bread?

Lettuce Growth

Size of Calcium Sulfate crystals grown in space

Creating Crystals in Space

Composting in Microgravity

Antibacterial cleaning agents

Hydroponics vs. Microgravity

Can Zero Gravity Affect the Germination of Chia Plants?

Milk in Microgravity

Thanks Again Suncoast Credit Union for allowing us to do “real science”!