NSBE
Education
Students
and Teachers will participate in training workshops that explain the basics of
reduced gravity flight, experiment design and analysis, human spaceflight, and engineering
principles. Teachers will be provided
with an engineering, physics, and mathematics educational curriculum that incorporates
current space research problems and aligns to
Research Experience
The
NSBE Houston Floating Laboratory will leverage the NSBE Houston Space Chapter’s
membership base of NASA civil servant and contractor employees to develop
reduced gravity experiments relevant to the NASA Constellation lunar
program. Students will have an
opportunity to conduct real research that will aid in NASA’s return to the
Moon.
Each of the eight flight teams will be responsible for a zero gravity or lunar gravity experiment relevant to some aspect of the lunar mission and in support of design activity for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, Altair Lunar Lander, Small Pressurized Rover, or Lunar Outpost.
Outreach and Sustainability
The
goal of the program is to inspire students to pursue careers in science and
engineering and we are concerned with not only those who participate in the
flights, but all students we can inspire.
The structure of this program and the organizational model of the
National Society of Black Engineers lends itself to
maximize impact.
Following the flights, each team will make classroom
presentations about their experience, based on specific assignments coordinated
prior to the flights. A total of 120
classrooms across the
The
team structure will provide a high-powered education and career mentoring
environment for the participating students and teachers. Each middle or high school student will be
assigned a mentor on their team who is a current college student. Both the middle/high school and college
student will also be assigned a mentor on their team who is an engineer. This mentoring group will meet no less than
twice annually to discuss education and career options in science and
engineering. Additionally, with email,
the students will be able to contact their mentors at any time. The engineer will also form a professional
networking relationship with the two teachers on his/her team. After the flight, these teachers will have
direct access to the space program via ongoing communication and interaction
with their team’s engineer.
NSBE
also conducts annual regional and national conferences, many of which contain
technical competitions and technical presentation opportunities. The participating students will be encouraged
to enter their flight experiments in these competitions and in select cases
will wear their 
flight
suits and staff exhibits at the conference.
Through the networking opportunities at these conference,
students will also maintain connection with team engineers and other team
students.
In short, The NSBE Houston Floating Laboratory will annually impact 6000 elementary, middle school, high school, and college students; provide long-term mentoring relationships with 32 students; and permanently connect 16 teachers with the resources of NASA engineers.
Chapter Homepage * Program Overview * Sponsorship * Program Sponsors
For Additional Information please contact either:
Dr. Robert Howard, Jr. / President, NSBE Houston Space Chapter
/ president@nsbe-hsc.org
Elizabeth Underwood / Director, Education & Charter
Development / elizabeth@GoZeroG.com