The SpaceKind Foundation

Yuri’s Night under Space Shuttle Atlantis brings together diverse communities to ignite curiosity, foster participatory exploration, and further the understanding and benefit of human spaceflight in society using accessible means and inclusive programming.

In addition to hosting events under space shuttles in California and Florida, we also support the creation of local events around the planet (and beyond!) with resources including logos, music, videos, contacts, and best practices. These events are all listed and publicized on our site to empower small groups to make a large impact in their local area. Throughout the year, organizational leaders and volunteers regularly mentor new event hosts to support their events from concept to execution.

The Cosmic Odyssey Scholarship sends families affected by pediatric cancer to incredible, all-expenses-paid trip to custom Family Space Camp weekends in Huntsville, AL. The scholarship was conceived by Niko Blanks, a childhood cancer survivor himself as well as a four-time US Space Camp attendee. Niko found Space Camp to be a place where he renewed his confidence and passion for space exploration. This program is made possible through donations and a partnership with the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer. As of 2022, we have sent 17 families (a total of 64 people!) to Space Camp.

Mission: AstroAccess will launch a group of disabled scientists, veterans, students, athletes, and artists on a historic parabolic flight with the Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G) as the first step in a progression toward flying a diverse range of people to space. These “AstroAccess Ambassadors” will experience weightlessness and carry out lunar gravity, Martian gravity, and zero gravity observations and experiments investigating how the physical environment aboard space vessels should be modified so that all astronauts and explorers, regardless of disability on Earth, can live, work, and thrive in space. AstroAccess Ambassadors will not only participate in a parabolic flight, but will use their platform to act as public advocates for global disability access in STEM.

Our first parabolic flight will fly on ZERO-G on October 17, 2021, with the ultimate goal of flying one or more team members to space in the coming years. This project is being initially supported through The Whitesides Foundation and is part of the SciAccess Initiative, a collaborative international effort dedicated to advancing disability inclusion in STEM.

To further our goals of developing the next generation of leaders, Loretta Whitesides has led the development of our SpaceKind Training program based on her book "The New Right Stuff." The 8-week online program is offered 2-3 times per year at both beginner and advanced levels. Participants work in pairs, small groups, and teams to clearly articulate their ambitions and goals, assess their existing habits, institute a plan for reaching their goals, and create a support structure to enable their long-term success. The program has over 100 graduates as of the end of 2022 and several new projects have been developed (and incubated!) under this project.

Fiscal sponsor for emerging projects and organizations, supporting aligned initiatives with financial systems and leadership development. These include:
- The Analog Astronaut Conference
- The ZG4STEM Foundation
- The Proctor Foundation
- AstroAccess