Colorado SKIES Academy Middle School Learners Send Experiment to the ISS

    CENTENNIAL, CO, November 22, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Middle school learners (grades 6-8) at Colorado SKIES Academy invite the world to watch on November 22, 2022, 3:54 pm EST, as NASA's SpaceX CRS-26 launch carries their experiment to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch will be live at: https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive.

Learners at Colorado SKIES Academy are posing this question: "Can activated charcoal adsorb bacteria in microgravity?"

They have worked diligently through the entire process, in which they've written an experiment procedure including exposing the charcoal to bacteria. After the experiment is conducted in microgravity, it will be frozen and returned to the learners for examination and comparison to their control sample.

This exciting program has been organized and supported by DreamUp and Nanoracks.

The Activated Charcoal DreamUp to Space crew includes 8th graders chosen by Colorado SKIES Academy facilitators, including Ike Cohn, Principal Investigator, Evan Wilson, and Liam Lane. A mission assessor panel comprised of industry experts Carie Lemack, John Barry, Justin Pierce, and Marilyn McPoland have helped guide the experiment and program along. More on the mission's team can be found at https://coloradoskiesacademy.org/dreamup/activated-charcoal/.

Evan Wilson, one of the learners on the Activated Charcoal Team, said, "Throughout this project my favorite part has been when we went to Allosource and worked with the team and my dad to pack the Mixstix for Nanoracks. From this experience I learned to keep trying and persevering even though failures and challenges that came in the path of our team."

Colorado SKIES Academy math and science facilitator Subba Pratti, the Team Activated Charcoal learners, and their families are currently in Cape Canaveral, Florida, to watch the upcoming launch at Kennedy Space Center.

"I like how the team members collaborated with facilitators, mentors, and industry leaders at each stage, which includes promoting their mission by creating videos and writing blogs. Fundraising for experiment-related expenses as well as the opportunity to travel to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where they will present their experiment and watch it blast to space," said Pratti.

About Colorado SKIES Academy

Colorado Skies Academy provides a hands-on, project-based curriculum through the lens of aviation and aerospace to all learners in grades 6-8 from a tuition-free public charter school based at Centennial Airport. CSA was formed by community members in partnership with Maker Learning Network. The learning model promotes individualized instruction, active learning methods and opportunities for self-directed learning. The organization celebrates and fosters each child's individuality, and supports them in discovering their highest potential in the environment which best suits their learning needs. Spots are still available at the school; families can learn more by scheduling a campus tour here: https://coloradoskiesacademy.org/contact/schedule-a-tour/.

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