2015 Pathway to Adventure Council, BSA Space Station National Design Challenge

Sponsored by the ISS National Lab

Welcome to the ISS National Lab Request for Applications

RFA No. CASIS 2015-NDC | Applications Due: June 5, 2015

The International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory is a one-of-a-kind research platform that is now available for student research via the ISS National Lab. The ISS National Lab has developed a pilot program titled, Space Station National Design Challenge, which is a research competition that facilitates authentic student research and experiment design with selected experiments being flown to the space station.

Space Station National Design Challenge will be implemented in Chicago and the surrounding area through the Pathway to Adventure Council, BSA to youth ages 12-20. Teams will compete to design, build, and send their own original research experiments to the International Space Station in the summer of 2016. While on orbit, the data from these experiments will be available for the student teams to analyze and compare to their ground-based data via an ISS downlink.

The ISS National Lab and its industry partners, NanoRacks, Texas A&M University, and SparkFun Electronics, will assist the teams in experiment and engineering design and payload integration by providing resources, technical training, and support.

Applicants should follow the step-by-step process below to ensure an easy, efficient submittal process.

	Download the PDF to review the Program Description and Timeline.
	Review the Application Instructions and Scoring Rubric.
	Read answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Submit questions regarding this RFA to Diane Matthews at dmatthews@issnationallab.org Watch the Interactive Webinar recorded on April 22, 2015 to learn more about the Space Station National Design Challenge.
	Applications will be accepted on or before June 5, 2015.
	All submittals must be uploaded electronically in PDF format by 5:00 pm CDT on June 5, 2015. Only Adult Facilitators 21 years of age or older are permitted to submit an application to the Challenge. At the time of submission, the Adult Facilitator will be required to provide contact information on the online form before uploading the completed application and any letters of support.