TA Student’s Science Experiment Headed to the International Space Station
January 07, 2025
Thetford Academy sophomore Nick Smallwood’s science experiment is headed to space! Nick recently attended a Go for Launch!” (GFL!) space camp hosted at Norwich University. GFL! is exciting program that leverages space flight and exploration to help students develop skills in STEM, teamwork, communication, research design, and leadership.
Students in the two-day program work side-by-side with an astronaut – this year it was Greg H. Johnson, a retired NASA astronaut and Air Force pilot who flew two Space Shuttle missions – and other experts in STEM to cultivate ideas for conducting science on the International Space Station.
During the workshop, Nick worked with his team, the Space Hydras, to design an experiment that would look at the formation of precipitants in microgravity. The team’s work was chosen to be one of the program’s three finalists, and the students then had about one month to refine and expand their experiment.
After the final experiments were submitted, Go For Launch! announced the winners of the design contest via a Facebook Live event. Nick and the Space Hydras emerged victorious, with their science experiment headed to space to be conducted in 2025. Congratulations, Nick!