COLORADO SPRINGS — A new grant is expanding a space program at Watson Junior High School In Colorado Springs. The Space Foundation received a $50,000 grant to help fund their Cadet Space Explorer Program.
On Friday, sixth graders at Watson Junior High School made and experimented with straw rockets. Tim Eberwein, a career and technical education teacher, is in charge of the Cadet Space Explorer Program.
“They're going to record the distance and take any notes on it and I want them to do a couple of trials and they can set the angle and pressure of their launch to anything they want for the first couple of trials,” Eberwein said.
The students tested what angle would the rockets launch the furthest.
“They need to evaluate what happened in their trials, they need to modify it somehow and then re-test,” Eberwein said.
This activity is a part of The Space Foundation’s Cadet Space Explorer Program.
“So this program involves a lot of technology, a lot of hands-on building,” Eberwein said.
Bobby Gagnon is the Director of Education for the Space Foundation. He said the Space Foundation equips teachers, like Mr. Eberwein, with a curriculum, lessons, project ideas and materials for them to teach their students about space innovation.
“The goal really is to bring awareness to all about space and space for all to help them see all of the different ways that they have a place in space,” Gagnon said.
Students learn about current NASA missions and space exploration.
“Right now we're really focusing on the moon mission. So like the Artemis mission that NASA is putting together. So we're doing a lot of that we're looking at satellite builds, we're looking at the moon terrain, we're looking about why we're going, what our objectives are, and long term missions for the moon as well, including Mars,” Eberwein said.
They will also build prototypes of different technologies used in space like a 3D printed model of a CubeSat. CubeSats are small satellites that use sensors to measure and collect different data in space.
“We have them work on the design, and at that phase, we don't actually have them launch it. But it's really exciting to get them to start thinking about, well, what would I do, and then design a theoretically functional model of a CubeSat design,” Gagnon said.
The grant money will fund additional materials for hands-on projects and prototypes.
“A lot of it is the technology portion that could get pretty expensive pretty quickly. So things like iPads, the little robots that they bring in the sphere robots, a lot of the stuff that you see out here right now they've helped us out with,” Eberwein said.
Mr. Eberwein said he hopes this program will get students interested in engineering, math and science.
“This might be the first time they've really been involved in a stem type of class like this. So I really hope they gain an interest in IT and engineering could be a future career for them.” Eberwein said.
Gagnon said it is crucial to expose students to these programs and other STEM opportunities at a young age.
“It's very important that we have these programs that inspire and instill curiosity, opportunity innovation for them right away,” Gagnon said.
Sixty students are part of the program.
Gagnon said the space foundation is looking to implement more educational programs in Colorado Springs schools.
If a school, school district or parent is interested, Gagnon said they can contact the Space Foundation.
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