JFK Space Lab Launch

Posted November 7, 2019

Students posing for JFK Space Lab

Volunteers from Raytheon joined us yesterday to launch our JFK Space Lab!

This summer, our school was one of five across the country to receive a first-of-its-kind JFK Space Lab presented by Raytheon to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing and President Kennedy’s vision that got us there. We were selected for the space lab because of our demonstrated commitment to STEM education, as well as our ongoing efforts to honor and advance the legacy of our namesake.

Our new JFK Space Lab is provided by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and Raytheon, in cooperation with the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab. It includes a series of experiments in Earth science, biology and computer science that will immerse and inspire JFK students, helping them achieve a deeper understanding of scientific principles on earth and in space, and furthering their overall proficiency in STEM. The best part: every experiment is connected to the ISS. Our students will become citizen scientists, contributing their findings to those of real scientists and astronauts in space.

Our JFK Space Lab will be managed by our engineering teacher, Heather Randall. Our Space Lab is located in Rm 111, where we aim to engage our students in experiments throughout the 2019/2020 school year and beyond. Students will perform the following activities as part of the JFK Space Lab:

  • Grow plants with special cameras and sensors
  • Perform DNA analysis with the same equipment used on the ISS
  • Complete an online course that includes a simulated mission to the ISS
  • Monitor the orbital path of the ISS
  • Venture outdoors with antennas and other software to attempt radio contact with the ISS and other entities o Build an electronics kit to explore heat flows and then write code to operate the same experiment on the ISS.

We can’t wait to show off the upcoming, unique projects our student’s will get to experience because of this opportunity!