SAULT STE. MARIE — Higher Orbits’ three-day “Go for Launch” summer camp started Tuesday at Lake Superior State University.
The camp helps 8th- to 12th-graders engage in science and space exploration. This year, dozens of students from across the state participated.
On the first day, student teams worked together on different activities to early daily awards. Wednesday and Thursday, they will design their own space experiment and present their ideas to a panel of judges. The judges will then choose a winner from this event.
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The winning team will compete against other “Go for Launch!” teams from across the nation. Whichever team wins nationally will get to send their project into outer space.
“While space may seem a little out of reach, it’s not. Space is a part of our everyday lives. Being able to bring them project-based hands-on learning that applies to space, that they can then turn back and understand how it applies to their studies at school, is a really powerful tool to keeping them motivated in STEM,” said Michelle Lucas, Higher Orbits founder/CEO.
Last year’s national winners, six girls from Sault Area Public Schools, got to see their project flown to the International Space Station on a SpaceX rocket.