4. How did Ms. Samudio’s class eventually test its question about fireflies aboard the rocket? What did the results show?
5. How did the project undertaken by Ms. Samudio’s classes lead to Indiana getting a state insect?
6. The article concludes:
“Several parents told me that the simple question of asking their child what they had done in school that day exploded into amazing family conversations, extra reading and research, and the contemplation of future personal pursuits and goals,” Ms. Samudio said.
Has an activity you’ve done or discussion you’ve had in science class ever “exploded into amazing family conversations”? Does the article make you more interested in studying science and astronomy or pursuing either as a career? Why or why not?
Going Further
Option 1: Share Your Thoughts.
What are your experiences with science? Do you find your science classes to be engaging, challenging or meaningful?
Have you ever had a teacher like Ms. Samudio who is able to make science come alive? What do you think would make your own science classes more engaging and worthwhile?
What could your science teachers learn from Ms. Samudio? Do you think all teachers should incorporate real-life science experiments into their classes? Why or why not?
Do you think it is worth it for a school to pay $8,000 to have its students fly an experiment into space? Should your school?
Option 2: Develop Your Own Experiment for a Blue Origin Rocket.
What mysteries of space do you wonder about? What questions and hypotheses would you like to test aboard a Blue Origin rocket?
Work individually, with a partner or your entire class to design an experiment for the New Shepard suborbital spacecraft.
As Ms. Samudio’s class did, start with a question, something you authentically want to know the answer to. You might choose one of those you came up with in the warm-up. Then brainstorm and develop a way to test it aboard a Blue Origin flight. Remember, your payload must fit into a container that is 4 inches square by 8 inches tall. Finally, write a proposal to Blue Origin convincing the company that it should accept your experiment for a flight.
NASA, which partners with Blue Origin on its flights, provides a few tips on successful proposals on its website, including:
State Your Case for Flight. Why does your experiment need a test flight, and why now? Communicate what you will learn or gain by doing a flight experiment and why it cannot be done on the ground.
Communicate the NASA Benefit. How will your technology and flight experiment benefit NASA and its goals? Make sure this point has been carefully considered and communicated.
Be Clear and to the Point. Make sure your writing is clear and cogent. Ask for peer reviews to give feedback before you submit your proposal.
You might want to check out more information on past experiments that have flown on Blue Origin rockets here. (Keep in mind, that many were designed by college and university students.)
