Yes, you heard correctly! Cubes! in Space! Read about how D-E sent students to Virginia to send Cubes to Space!

This past June, D-E’s Innovation Coordinator Colleen Larionoff and 14 Middle School Students made a trip to RocketFest2023 at NASA’s Wallops Virginia Flight Facility to launch their projects into literal space with Cubes in Space.  

Cubes in Space is a global competition by iEDU.  Students aged 11-18 can learn about space conditions and the scientific method and then propose an experiment that would take place in a space environment. Well-designed and novel proposals are invited to submit an application for spaceflight, which is a complete and lengthy research proposal. 

Of those, a small number are selected to fly in a NASA sounding rocket or high-altitude research balloon.  This program allows students to practice research skills and choose a project that interests them. At RocketFest, students were able to interact with engineers, scientists, astronauts, and students from around the globe and watch the rocket launch that sent their student experiments outside the stratosphere!

Additionally, students were able to present their experiments via posterboard at RocketFest! The four presentations were on:

1. The Effects of Low Oxygen, Accleration, and G-Force on a Mango Seed Mass, Color, and Growth 

2. Space Spinach! How Varying Levels of UV Radiation Affect the Pigmentation & Photosynthesis of Spinach Leaves

3. The Effects of UV Radiation on Strawberry DNA

4. The Effects of UV Radiation & Extreme Temperature on the Bouciness of Natural Rubber to Determine Possbility of Space-Based Applications. 

Congratulations to all our young scientists for an awesome festival and trip!