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Astronaut Abby is Kicking off the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) Alumni Webinar Series

September 22, 2016 By groundcontrol Leave a Comment

We are excited to announce that our founder, Astronaut Abby, will be kicking off an Alumni Webinar Series for AEOP, Army Educational Outreach Program. This Alumni Webinar Series will give alumni all over the country the opportunity connect with one another to continue their learning and journey in STEM. The series will launch in October and will allow alumni to hear from success stories from those in the STEM field first hand.

This webinar series is such a great opportunity for people of all ages to hear and learn more about STEM. We are so honored to have Abby be a guest on the first two webinars on October 8 and October 10, 2016. Abby will have the opportunity to share her involvement in STEM and our worldwide outreach initiative to engage students in all things STEM, space and also talk about the importance of students pursuing their dreams.

The AEOP, Army Educational Outreach Program is dedicated to providing both students and teachers a synergetic portfolio of Army-sponsored STEM classes that attract and inspire the next generation of talent. AEOP provides courses for K through College level in order to establish a diverse and highly competent workforce for the Army, Department of Defense and the nation.

The AEOP’s priorities and core objectives are to broaden and diversify the STEM talent pool,to support and empower teachers with unique Army resources, and to develop a sustainable STEM education outreach infrastructure.

TMG Student Space Ambassador Invited to White House Women’s Summit

June 16, 2016 By socialnicole Leave a Comment

Photo Credit: LaTonja Richardson

One of our Student Space Ambassadors (SSA) is well on her way to achieving her life dream of becoming the first African-American person on Mars. This week, TMG SSA Taylor Richardson added to her list of accomplishments attending the White House United State of Women Summit in Washington, DC that occurred on June 18. The summit focused on gender equality issues, centering on six distinct topics including: economic empowerment and health and wellness. The event features speakers like President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, as well as leaders like Oprah, U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi, astronaut Christina Koch, Amy Poehler, Shonda Rhimes, and Kerry Washington, just to name a few.

Meet Student Space Ambassador Taylor Richardson

At just 12 years old, Taylor is already making a difference with her life. She is an honors student, a triathlete, a Girl Scout, and more. Taylor started a book drive in her local community of Jacksonville, Florida, through which she has collected 3,000 new and gently used books for kids between the ages of 3 and 13. She was one of the youngest students ever accepted to Space Camp. Her passion for exploration was inspired by astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, who Taylor had the opportunity to meet earlier this month.

Taylor is exactly the type of student we love to have as part of our ambassador program. Her passion for space and dedication to hard work exemplifies what it takes to lead in this industry. As Taylor’s role model Dr. Jemison said, “Make your place at the table and be a voice. Don’t just sit at the table, be heard.”

We are so proud to have Taylor working with our organization. Congratulations on your invitation to the summit! We can’t wait to see what Taylor does in the future.

Air and Space Museum Visit: This started everything!

May 17, 2016 By groundcontrol Leave a Comment

Here is Astronaut Abby filming for the STEM in 30 program produced by the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Do you remember your childhood dreams? When you started thinking about your future and what you wanted to be when you grew up? For our founder, Astronaut Abby, her childhood dreams of wanting to someday go to space, have guided her on a journey that has no end in sight. And part of those dreams led her to the Air and Space Museum and that eventually led to founding our organization, The Mars Generation.

As Abby’s mom, I often get to tell the fun and cute stories of Abby growing up. And believe me there are many. The story of the Air and Space Museum is one of my favorites. It is because of her desire to visit this museum that Abby’s blog and Twitter account were started and that led to her outreach program which eventually led to this nonprofit.

A great photo of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution observatory. So much fun to see up close.

When Abby was 13 and in 8th grade she came to me and declared that she was going to participate in her school’s National History Day competition. National History Day is a competition that schools around the country participate in and students compete to move to state and hopefully the national final championship. In Minnesota, History Day is a big deal! And for parents it is the bane of our existence as teachers tie it into the classroom curriculum every other year from 5th to 12th grade. The students have to perform well as their grade is dependent on their project, and that is where the fun starts. As a single mom, I had two kids going through this “hell” (that is hell for me) and I was pretty much buying presentation boards, editing papers, helping paste photos, edit videos or some other function that parents are often tasked with doing.

When Abby informed me that she wanted to do the competition in her “off” year – the year she was not required to participate – I was not overly pleased. I asked why would she want to do that to me and she said because she wanted to win and make it to nationals so she could go to Washington D.C. for free and go to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. How can I argue with that? So I said what does a winning project look like and she found a 12th grade presentation board project and then fun began. Long story short – Abby created an amazing project about the “Debate and Diplomacy of the development of the ISS”. We utilized our handyman to make her a metal presentation board out of metal roofing materials and her science coach made her a base and wood title board – the display could be a max of 6 feet high. Abby used magnets and velcro to attach all the pieces to her presentation and it was pretty awesome. She even built a model ISS – with the help and friends and neighbors. This was the project to beat. But she did not win. As she was told it was too much like a science fair project than a history day project.

It’s a small world! We ran into a Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) student at the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution – so much fun to connect after TARC2016!

Losing was a bummer, but she had already won because she had done so much to build the project, including getting on Twitter for a few quotes from NASA employees, which led to me taking her to her first launch at Kennedy Space Center. After that launch we had connected with so many wonderful people in the space industry (remember we are from Minnesota so there is not a big space industry here). Abby also met her mentor Astronaut Luca Parmitano which allowed her to attend his launch and start her outreach program. That one school project changed the course of Abby’s life. And my life too. I was not a space fan but I am now. I never imagined running a Mars nonprofit, but now I am. Thanks Abby!

Abby began to have opportunities to attend space events around the U.S. and world but she never made it to D.C. After 5 years of speaking, doing web chats, attending events, autograph signings and more – Abby finally made it to D.C. for the Humans to Mars Summit and TARC launch in May 2016. These two events led us to connecting with the Air and Space Museum and they kindly invited Abby in for a tour with one of their curators. She was interviewed for their STEM in 30 video series that broadcasts to schools around the U.S. and she got some time in the observatory as well. Overall it was an amazing day and we feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet the amazing staff and get such a great tour.

Dreams really do come true. This may have been a dream from the past. And while it didn’t come true for her at age 13 she finally made it. And she is now one step closer to Mars. Keep checking those items off your list Abby! Good job! – Love Mom

It was so kind of Paul Ceruzzi, one the curators of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution to take an hour out of his busy schedule to give us a tour. His knowledge was amazing!

Here Abby is with a another student Explainer – talking toilets in space. Always a funny conversation!

Astronaut Abby and Mausonaut participating in the Living Maths Google hangout at the National Air and Space Museum.

Team America Rocketry Challenge’s National Finals 2016

May 16, 2016 By groundcontrol Leave a Comment

TARC 2016 We were so honored to be asked to attend Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC)’s National Finals in Washington, DC May 13- 14. Our very own Astronaut Abby spoke at the Safety Briefing. She delivered a strong message to the hundreds of students in attendance to take everything they have experienced through this competition back to their communities and share it. They were encouraged to not only share what they learned but inspire others to dream big and support STEM. This was an exceptional way to get kids excited about learning, STEM, and chasing their dreams!

Photo courtesy of TARC

We had a lot of fun checking out the finals and seeing every team compete, even though the weather took a
turn for the worse and things had to end early. There were over 100 teams in attendance and the top 10 teams split $100,000 in scholarships. We were amazed by all of the teams and want to say congratulations to each and every participant. You are all winners!

Here are some photos from the events! We are already looking forward to continuing our partnership with TARC. Together we can change the world!

The Safety briefing crowd! Lots of students. Lots of fun!

On the stage speaking to students. Astronaut Abby rocks it!

How Do I Become Part of the Astronaut Corps?

April 11, 2016 By groundcontrol Leave a Comment

By now, many space enthusiasts have heard that NASA had a record number of applicants during its most recent astronaut application period with more than 18,300 potential candidates. Several news outlets have explained the basic eligibility requirements, but what does it take to actually become one of the select few to join the Astronaut Candidate class?

Before we jump into a bunch of statistics, please note that the information in this post only applies to US citizens. Every space agency has different methods for selecting astronauts, so if you’re outside of the US, you should follow one of the links below to find more information about the astronaut application process relevant to your geographic region:

Canadian Space Agency (CSA)
China National Space Administration (CNSA)
European Space Agency (ESA)
Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)

The path to becoming an astronaut is not only highly competitive; it is also quite lengthy. According to NASA’s website, the timeframe for selecting the newest astronaut class will take more than a year.

NASA’s 2017 Astronaut Candidate Selection Calendar

December 14, 2015	Application opens
February 18, 2016	Application closes
February-September 2016	Qualified applicants reviewed to determine Highly Qualified applicants
October-December 2016	Highly Qualified applicants reviewed to determine interviewees
February-April 2017	Interviewees report to JSC for interviews, medical evaluations, and orientation
May 2017	Finalists determined
June 2017	Astronaut Candidate Class of 2017 announced
August 2017	Astronaut Candidate Class of 2017 reports to JSC

In the last round of applications, only 79% of applicants fulfilled the basic requirements; if this statistic remains steady, about 3,800 people in this round will be cut immediately. From there, NASA expects to cut the pool to 400-600 “highly qualified” applicants, out of which approximately 120 people will be invited to Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston for interviews and medical evaluations.

Physical Fitness Test for Astronaut Candidates

Recently, WIRED went to JSC to experience the astronaut physical fitness test. This test includes running, weightlifting, passing a medical exam, and spacesuit maneuvering. All of the candidates invited for interviews will have to complete the astronaut physical. After all of that, the applicants will have to wait a little longer to know their fate. By May of next year, NASA will announce the final 7 to 14 people selected to become part of the Astronaut Candidate Class of 2017. You can do the math…but I’ll do it for you: of the original 18,300 applicants, only about 0.05% will become Astronaut Candidates.

Next August, the new Astronaut Candidates will report to JSC to begin two years of training, and only after completing training will they be considered part of the astronaut corps. And the waiting doesn’t end there; it may take years for a member of the astronaut corps to be selected for a flight. Since a standard mission to the International Space Station lasts six months, flight participants must be carefully selected for compatibility with their counterparts and with specific mission goals. With responsibilities ranging from experimentation to medical examination and flight safety assurance, astronauts are chosen to ensure mission success. While they wait to be selected for a mission, astronauts will serve in various positions in the NASA team, including jobs like CAPCOM or acting as a delegate to foreign space agencies.

Regardless of the odds, we encourage everyone who thinks they might have what it takes to apply! At the very least, you could get a cool rejection letter to frame and add to your space enthusiast collection. And who knows? Maybe you could be on the first mission to Mars.

Don’t forget our annual #TrainLikeAMartian Challenge runs April 18-24, 2016. You can get details and sign up here.

White House Science Fair 2016 to Feature Rocket Contest Team

April 10, 2016 By groundcontrol Leave a Comment

Earlier this week, we covered a team from Virginia participating in the 2016 Team America Rocketry Challenge, the world’s largest student rocket contest.

Students from this year’s TARC continue to do remarkable things, with veteran Team Rock-It from Durham, NC participating in The White House Science Fair, being held this Wednesday April 13, 2016.

The Science Fair is meant to showcase student innovation. Any student or group of students can participate and show their work in anything from software engineering, to the next sustainable energy source.

Team Rock-It has not only previously participated in the TARC, but also NASA’s Student Launch Initiative, at which they won many significant awards.

We are excited to see organizations like TARC inspiring so many young people to pursue their STEM dreams. We are sure each member of the Team Rock-It, Samantha, Judy, Ryan, Emma, and Evan will have a remarkable time at the White House. We look forward to other leaders following in President Obama’s footsteps of encouraging innovation from the rising Mars generation.

For more information on Wednesday’s event, including other projects, click here. You can also follow the conversation on Twitter with the #WHScienceFair.

Author:

Rebecca Moore is part of the media team at The Mars Generation, focusing on public relations. She has a background in online writing and a passion for all things space.

Rocket Contest National Finalists Announced

April 10, 2016 By groundcontrol Leave a Comment

Team Dunuh: Rachel Li, Arpitha Shenoy, Mei Baek, Clara Kim and Renee Li, Neha Chinthapatla, their team captain, Diana Zavela.

Drumroll please…

We are pleased to congratulate Team Dunuh from Thomas Jefferson High School on qualifying for this year’s Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) finals! The team, which we featured here, has received a qualifying score high enough to move on to the next round of the competition.

The top 101 teams from all across the country were announced this weekend, and those on the list will be participating in the finals on May 14th to compete for the grand prize of more than $100,000 in cash and scholarships. In addition, the winning team will go to the United Kingdom to complete in the International Rocketry Challenge at the Farnborough Air Show in July.

The finals will be held in Plains, VA after they are received at the “Rockets on The Hill” event the day prior in Washington, D.C. The Mars Generation plans to attend the event with representatives, including its founder, Abigail Harrison, who will be speaking at the event.

Team Dunuh is very excited to be moving forward. They are one of the few all girls teams in this year’s contest, with seven members including Rachel Li, Arpitha Shenoy, Mei Baek, Clara Kim and Renee Li, Neha Chinthapatla, their team captain, Diana Zavela.

To see the full list of finalists, and other updates, you can go to the TARC website, as well as following their Twitter. Also, check back here for more posts following the events!

Author:

Rebecca Moore is part of the media team at The Mars Generation, focusing on public relations. She has a background in online writing and a passion for all things space.