NSIP students prepare to vibrate their space experiment module.

Students Learn Science Through Experiments in Space xperiment Modules

Students from across the country spent the week of June 10 at Goddard's Wallops Flight Facility, working along side engineers and technicians in the Shuttle Small Payloads Project Office preparing their experiments for a future flight on the Space Shuttle.

The Space Experiment Module (SEM) was developed by NASA as an educational program for students who want to discover more about space by building experiments that may ultimately fly on a Space Shuttle. The SEM program focuses on zero-gravity and microgravity science projects.

With the help of a teacher or mentor, students create, design and build an experiment and apply for the annual national competition through the NASA Student Involvement Program (NSIP). Experiments are qualified for the program through a flight certification process that includes an experiment proposal review. Selected student experiments are flown in NASA provided modules. The SEM carrier system accommodates ten modules in a standard Get Away Special canister that mounts in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle.

For the complete article on the shuttle small payloads project, go to: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2002/02-19.htm