High School Student Experiment: From Paper To The International Space Station

Paper number

IAC-07-E1.1.05

Author

Dr. Giuseppe Codispoti, Italian Space Agency (ASI), Italy

Coauthor

Dr. Giuseppina Pulcrano, Italian Space Agency (ASI), Italy

Coauthor

Mr. Claudio Portelli, Italian Space Agency (ASI), Italy

Coauthor

Mr. Carmelo Mandarino, Italy

Year

2007

Abstract

This work describes the activities performed by ASI, Italian Space Agency, in order to promote the diffusion of space culture  throughout the Italian high-schools. This project financed by the Education unit of the agency, started with a national contest where several experiment’s ideas were proposed. The winner was a material-science experiment conceived by a technical high school from southern Italy. Those students proposed to realize the “sintering of powder in micro-gravity conditions” and were supported by ASI from the designing of the experiment, to the construction of the experimental facility, the relevant flight on the parabolic flight campaign, the scientific results validation and, finally, the media coverage.
In spite of the simplicity and reduced cost of the flight facility, the scientific relevance of the performed experiment is proven by the request of the experimental data from university researchers to be used for their studies.
Having evaluated the positive impact of this kind of initiative on high school and university students, ASI decided to continue this “school experiment” on board the International Space Station, ISS, looking also for collaboration with other country’s schools in similar projects.
The paper will describe the contest event, the experiment design, the parabolic flight and its set up, the scientific results and finally the ISS embarking conceptual proposal.

Abstract document

IAC-07-E1.1.05.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-07-E1.1.05.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.