Space Industry Experience preparing city students for a career in science

Year 11 students from Leicester City schools participated in the Space Academy's pilot Space Industry Experience.  This intensive two week enrichment project gave participants an insight into the life and work of space scientists through hands - on practical activities, the opportunity to meet and speak to space industry professionals and focused on strengthening key skills that they will need for the future. 

For the report please click here

Space Academy presents at the European Space Camp 2010

Space Academy Education Officer Sophie Allan presented a two hour masterclass to participants of the 2010 European Space Camp at the Andoya Rocket Range in Norway.

For more details please click  here 

Space Academy competition winner has a successful launch at the European Space Camp.

Ryan MacDonald, winner of the Space Academy's senior competition jetted off to the Andoya Rocket Range in Norway accompanied by Space Academy Education Officer Sophie Allan. Over the course of an amazing week he participated in a number of exciting, once in a life time space based activities, and conducted real, hands on rocket science by helping to build and successfully launch a sounding rocket.

Click here for the report from European Space Camp 2010

Space Academy masterclasses at European Space Agency’s 2010 Teacher Conference

The Space Academy Director Anu Ojha delivered masterclasses as part of ESA’s 2010 Teacher Conference from June 28th-30th at ESTEC – the European Space Research and Technology Centre in Holland.

Click  here for a summary of the event.

Space Academy presentation at ESA-EC strategy session

In March this year Project Director Anu Ojha was invited to present at a European Space Agency/EC strategy workshop held at the International Space University in Strasbourg and focusing on the roles of science and education within Europe’s long-term strategic planning for robotic and human space exploration. 

Click here for more information.

Space Academy project highlighted as “best practice” by European Union (EU)

The European Union’s NEREUS initiative (Network of European Regions using Space Technologies) has highlighted the Space Academy project as an example of educational “best practice” in the use of space as a context for formal student and teacher curriculum support. Click here for more information

Click here for more information.

Space Academy - further NASA collaboration

The Space Academy team has been invited to collaborate on two NASA education projects focusing on the use of GPS (Global Positioning System) and EO (Earth Observation) in high school teaching. Project Director Anu Ojha will be co-ordinating work with NASA Dryden (located at Edwards Air Force Base in California) and NASA’s Human Research Program (Johnson Space Center) on these new initiatives which may yield major new opportunities for UK science teachers to work with US colleagues and to participate in Earth Observation research during 2011 as part of NASA’s AREE program. For more information on the AREE program click here

Space Academy Project Director chosen as European Space Agency (ESA) “Space Champion”

The National Space Centre’s Director of Education and Space Communications, Anu Ojha, has been chosen as an ESA “Space Champion” for England. As part of his role, Anu will be expanding the current availability of Space Academy masterclasses, teacher CPD opportunities and careers events for students and teachers across the United Kingdom. Anu shall also be presenting about the Space Academy project at an ESA-EC conference on March 29th-30th at the International Space University, Strasbourg. The conference theme is Science and Education in Human Space Exploration.

Space Academy teacher wins Royal Society award!

Space Academy Lead Educator Judith Green, an Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) at Robert Smyth School in Market Harborough, is a winner of the Royal Society’s Hauksbee award for 2010. Judith and the 9 other winners from schools and academia were chosen from a National field of candidates to acknowledge their outstanding work in supporting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.  For a link to the Hauksbee awards page click here

Space Academy launches space apprenticeship with Magnaparva

Magna Parva Ltd www.magnaparva.com – the international provider of engineering design services for applications in hostile environments – is showing an innovative route to encouraging talented young people into engineering by successfully recruiting the first apprentice under the Space Academy programme.

Josh Thompson will work with Magna Parva for an initial three years while working towards his BTEC HNC qualifications. He will also receive training at the National Space Centre on space exploration and communications skills. For more information on the apprenticeship click here

Space Academy success in Houston

The Space Academy team were recently invited to present sessions at the world’s largest space education conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The team - Project Scientist Dr Catherine Muller (University of Leicester), science teacher Ruth Williamson (Priory LSST Academy, Lincoln), Project manager Dr Sarah Hill and National Space Centre Education Director Anu Ojha – showcased how ESA’s Rosetta mission could be used to teach high school physics and chemistry concepts. In addition, they focused on new teaching ideas developed by the project that focus on GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) – and how science from space can be used to safeguard the future on Earth. For more information please click here

Space Academy and RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine

The Space Academy programme is working with the RAF’s Centre of Aviation Medicine at RAF Henlow to develop new curriculum programmes and teacher CPD focused on how Human Spaceflight can be used as contexts for STEM learning. The Royal Air Force has supported the installation and equipping of the new Space Academy Science Laboratory – to be officially opened in the Summer of 2010 - and has provided invaluable support through the loan of various items of equipment for use in student and teacher masterclasses – including a British-designed high-altitude full pressure suit and a (decommissioned) ejection seat!

The new teaching laboratory will be used for student and teacher masterclasses as well as for training/education sessions by the Royal Air Force and other industry partners.

Space Academy Roadshow News

The Space Academy Roadshow is a three day event for students involving curriculum masterclasses, team-building activities including simulated space missions in the Challenger Learning Centre and kinaesthetic physics activities including flying in a vertical wind tunnel!

Recent roadshows were held for students from Lincolnshire (King’s School Grantham and Kesteven and Grantham Girls School) and Birmingham’s Building Bridges project. Birming Building Bridges project website

Further roadshows planned for this summer include for Northamptonshire and Derby City schools. For details on how to arrange a Space Academy Roadshow for your school click here.

European Space Camp 2009

Dr. Sarah Hill, the Space Academy Project Manager visited the Andoya Rocket Range in Norway to observe the European Space Camp 2009.  One lucky Space Academy competition winner will be awarded a place next year.

Click here to read Sarah's report

Click here to go to the Space Academy competition page 

This week long Science and Engineering residential is run by the Norwegian Space Centre and ESA (European Space Agency).

During the week attendees work with Scientists and Engineers at the world's most Northerly rocket launch site.  The week culminates with students designing, building, launching and tracking their own Mach 2+ rocket into the lower stratosphere.