HIGHER ORBITS FOUNDATION

Go For Launch!



Go For Launch! is a multi-day that uses Space Exploration as a platform to launch student involvement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), STEAM (Art), teamwork, communication, and leadership. This program is created and presented by Higher Orbits, a non-profit, and was developed to reach high school-aged students but can easily be modified for middle school/junior high or collegiate aged groups well.

Students are immersed in the wonder of Human Spaceflight through a variety of talks delivered by experts in the fields of space & STEM: such speakers have included an astronaut, former International Space Station (ISS) and Space Shuttle Flight Controllers, Astronaut Instructors, scientists, and engineers. Students get insight and feedback from experienced space and STEM professionals whose goals are to illustrate the numerous possibilities that exist in the world of STEM. A unique facet of Go For Launch! is that the students will work with an astronaut for at least two - if not all three -days of the event.

Broken into teams, students will work together for the entire event. Nearly every talk features collaborative activity, before or after, where team members must work together to complete tasks for daily awards. These tasks are designed to build leadership and teamwork skills, as well as enhance team communication. The culminating exercise is a design project. Each team must define and design a space experiment. At the conclusion of each program, the teams will present their ideas to a panel of judges from the Space & STEM fields, who will then choose a winner from each Go For Launch! event. Depending on funding, the experiment will either launch, or it will be in competition with a handful of other projects from the event division and the winner of the allotment will go to space. Options for launching into space include launch to the International Space Station or a Parabolic Flight. Higher Orbits has agreements in place to facilitate both options.

Go For Launch! is a unique and memorable experience that brings spaceflight to communities that might not otherwise have access to this. Space inspires! The Go For Launch! experience gives students experience and skills that can lead to success in any venture that requires imagination, leadership, teamwork, and problem solving skills.