Teachers in Space - Free Workshop

Summer Workshops

In the summer of 2011, Teachers in Space will offer a series of one-week professional-development workshops for high-school-level science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers. Developed in cooperation with NASA, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and other partners, these workshops will provide teachers with an exciting look into the new world of commercial human spaceflight and suborbital science.

At the Suborbital Astronautics Workshop, teachers will learn about aeronautics and spaceflight while experiencing some of the training that future space pilots will receive. Expert instructors will include former Shuttle commander and XCOR Aerospace chief test pilot Col. Rick Searfoss (USAF-ret.). Participating teachers will fly in a glider and learn to pilot a flight simulator for the Lynx suborbital spacecraft now under development by XCOR Aerospace.

The Suborbital Astronautics Workshop will be held for the first time at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, TX on June 20-24. Repeat sessions will be held at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL on July 18-22 and the NASA Dryden AERO Institute in Palmdale, CA on July 25-29.

At the Space Medicine and Human Factors Workshop, teachers will learn about high-altitude physiology and respiration; decompression and vacuum exposure, space weather and radiation, and the effects of weightlessness, gee forces, noise, and vibration. The workshop will be held at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL on July 11-15.

At the Suborbital Flight Experiment Workshop, teachers will gain hands-on experience with space hardware as they build experiments to fly aboard an unmanned suborbital experiment as part of the Excelsior STEM mission. The workshop will be held at the NASA Dryden AERO Institute in Palmdale, CA on August 1-5.

Anyone who teaches science, technology, engineering, or math at the high-school level is encouraged to apply. Space is limited; only 25 seats are available in each workshop. The deadline for workshop applications is April 15, but selection may close early based on the number and quality of applications received. All workshops are free of charge to participating teachers. Subsidized housing will be available at a cost of $14 per night (shared rooms). Meals are not provided, but a limited number of stipends will be available to help defray the cost of meals and transportation. The maximum size of a stipend is $400. If you require a travel stipend, you are urged to apply early.

For more information, download the workshop flyers in PDF format:

Suborbital Astronautics Workshop

Space Medicine and Human Factors Workshop

Suborbital Flight Experiment Workshop

If you're ready for your next teaching adventure, then apply now.