{"id":16053,"date":"2018-05-22T13:55:15","date_gmt":"2018-05-22T17:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=16053"},"modified":"2018-05-22T13:55:15","modified_gmt":"2018-05-22T17:55:15","slug":"winning-projects-selected-in-guardians-of-the-galaxy-space-station-challenge-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=16053","title":{"rendered":"Winning projects selected in Guardians of the Galaxy Space Station Challenge contest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Winners have been selected in the\u00a0Guardians of the Galaxy Space Station Challenge<\/a>\u00a0student competition mentioned here back in January:<\/p>\n

Guardians of the Galaxy Space Station Challenge Winning Projects Selected<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (May 22, 2018)\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 After a robust response from students around the country, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and Marvel Entertainment today announced two winning concepts from the recent\u00a0Guardians of the Galaxy Space Station Challenge<\/a>.\u00a0The challenge was an opportunity for American students ages 13-18 to submit microgravity flight experiment concepts that could be conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory.\u00a0The contest focused on Rocket and Groot, characters from the\u00a0Guardians of the Galaxy\u00a0comic book franchise<\/a>. Students were encouraged to develop innovative concepts to be tested in space based on the attributes of these Super Heroes. The two selected flight concepts will become official ISS National Lab investigations, intending to launch to the space station in 2018.<\/p>\n

Students with an interest in technology and engineering were encouraged to submit flight concepts through\u00a0Team Rocket\u2014a Super Hero with strong ties to technological innovation and engineering. Students interested in fundamental biological concepts were encouraged to submit flight proposals under\u00a0Team Groot\u2014a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy who is the embodiment of genetics and plant biology.<\/p>\n

Below is an overview on the two research concepts selected through the challenge.<\/p>\n

Team Groot:<\/strong>
\nAeroponic Farming in Microgravity<\/em>
\nProject Lead: Sarina Kopf
\nGolden, CO<\/p>\n

This experiment seeks to explore an alternative method for watering plants in the absence of gravity. Aeroponic farming utilizes a misting device to deliver water to the plant roots and an air pump to blow excess water off of the roots. In space, aeroponic farming has advantages over other methods of watering plants that are gravity dependent. The project aims to test mister behavior in microgravity. Specifically, how the water behaves immediately after it is ejected from the head of the nozzle, and how moving air affects the water on the roots in the absence of gravity. Too much water is just as bad for plants as too little water, and root rot from over watering can be a problem when growing plants in space. Results from this experiment may have profound implications for both the future of spaceflight and for life on Earth by enabling humans to grow fruits and vegetables in microgravity and eliminate a major obstacle for long-term spaceflight.<\/p>\n

Hardware Partner:\u00a0Space Tango<\/a><\/p>\n

Team Rocket<\/strong>:
\nStaying Healthy in Space<\/em>
\nProject Lead: Adia Bulawa
\nGreeneville, TN<\/p>\n

Staying healthy in space is extremely important. A broken tooth or a lost filling is painful on Earth, but in space it can be detrimental to an astronaut\u2019s health. This experiment intends to analyze the effectiveness in microgravity of a dental glue that is activated by UV light. The team proposes to treat\u00a0simulated, broken teeth with the dental glue, expose them to UV light, and observe them onboard the space station. Soldering in microgravity results in weaker bonds due to air bubbles, and the team wonders whether the same will happen with UV activated glue.<\/p>\n

Hardware Partner:\u00a0DreamUp<\/a>\u00a0(with hardware integration partner\u00a0NanoRacks, LLC<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u201cThis challenge created an incredible response from young researchers around our country, which is a testament to the reach and excitement of collaborating with an entity like Marvel Entertainment,\u201d said CASIS Director of Operations and Education Initiatives, Ken Shields. \u201cThe two selected investigations provide diverse, fun, and important research concepts, and we thank our partners at Marvel for bringing further awareness to research opportunities available through the International Space Station.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The winning students will work alongside partners DreamUp (with team member NanoRacks, LLC) and Space Tango, Inc. to help transform their ideas into research questions to be tested on the space station. In the coming months, students will work with these commercial partners and be exposed to space station facilities, hardware development, and the engineering required to ensure successful projects on the orbiting laboratory.<\/p>\n

The Guardians of the Galaxy Space Station Challenge is a featured program of Space Station Explorers, a CASIS-led collaborative science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) consortium of partners who are committed to developing, promoting, and delivering ISS National Lab-themed educational curriculum, products, and outreach to student explorers. To learn more about Space Station Explorers\u2019 broad range of student opportunities, please visit\u00a0http:\/\/www.spacestationexplorers.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

To learn more about the ISS U.S. National Laboratory, please visit:\u00a0www.iss-casis.org<\/a><\/p>\n

About CASIS<\/strong>:\u00a0The Center for Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) is the nonprofit organization selected to manage the ISS National Laboratory, with a focus on enabling a new era of space research to improve life on\u00a0Earth. In this innovative role, CASIS promotes and brokers a diverse range of research in\u00a0life sciences,\u00a0physical sciences,\u00a0remote sensing,\u00a0technology development,\u00a0and\u00a0education.<\/p>\n

Since 2011, the ISS National Lab portfolio has included hundreds of novel research projects spanning multiple scientific disciplines, all with the intention of benefitting life on Earth. Working together with NASA, CASIS aims to advance the nation\u2019s leadership in commercial space, pursue groundbreaking science not possible on Earth, and leverage the space station to inspire the next generation.<\/p>\n

About the ISS National Laboratory<\/strong>:\u00a0In 2005, Congress designated the U.S. portion of the International Space Station as the nation\u2019s newest national laboratory to maximize its use for improving life on Earth, promoting collaboration among diverse users, and advancing STEM education. This unique laboratory environment is available for use by other U.S. government agencies and by academic and private institutions, providing access to a permanent microgravity setting, a vantage point in low Earth orbit, and varied environments of space.<\/p>\n

About Marvel Entertainment<\/strong>:\u00a0Marvel, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world\u2019s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy-five years.\u00a0 Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing.\u00a0For more information visit\u00a0marvel.com<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a9 2018 MARVEL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winners have been selected in the\u00a0Guardians of the Galaxy Space Station Challenge\u00a0student competition mentioned here back in January: Guardians of the Galaxy Space Station Challenge Winning Projects Selected\u00a0 KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (May 22, 2018)\u00a0\u2013 After a robust response from students around the country, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and … Continue reading Winning projects selected in Guardians of the Galaxy Space Station Challenge contest<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,22,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-contests-and-games","category-education","category-living-in-space"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-4aV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15455,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=15455","url_meta":{"origin":16053,"position":0},"title":"Guardians of the Galaxy Space Station Challenge to select student experiments for ISS","author":"TopSpacer","date":"January 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A contest opens for students to win an opportunity to send an experiment to the International Space Station: CASIS and Marvel Entertainment Unveil Guardians of the Galaxy Space Station Challenge -- Challenge Allows Students Ages 13-18 to Submit Flight Concepts for Microgravity Research -- --Two Student Projects Will be Selected\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Contests and Games"","block_context":{"text":"Contests and Games","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=16"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/marvel-sse-wide-banner1-1024x463.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6084,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=6084","url_meta":{"origin":16053,"position":1},"title":"Zero Robotics SPHERES Challenge on Jan.17 – Webcast on NASA TV","author":"TopSpacer","date":"January 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Students will once again compete in programming the SPHERES robots on the ISS: NASA, MIT, DARPA Host Fifth Annual Student Robotics Challenge Jan. 17\u00a0 NASA will participate in the fifth annual Zero Robotics SPHERES Challenge Friday, Jan. 17, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus in Cambridge, Mass. 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