CUBES IN SPACE™ - Applications for 2025 year will be accepted after the orientation sessions in November. Please feel free to inquire with Bob if you are interested.
A specialized activity of NE SciTech's Space Science Club, specifically for students ages 11-17, Cubes in Space™ (CIS), a program by iEDU, teaches students about the atmosphere, rocketry, high-altitude balloons, general laws of physics, and space science. Students work in teams to design and propose experiments to launch into space or a near space environment on a NASA sounding rocket and zero-pressure scientific balloon. Students then submit their proposals and could have a chance to fabricate and fly their projects. Space is limited.
Photo: The 2023 Cubes-in-Space Team gathered for a photo with their new souvenir T-shirts. Both the team logo and the 2023 Cubes-in-Space logo were designed by Abriana (4th from left), who won the national competition for best design. Her design flew on a NASA rocket this past summer along with the team's medical experiment developed in collaboration with the University of Louisville. The Team presented their project to NASA administrators at Wallops AFB in June and to the public at the New England HamXposition in August.
Students attend regular educational CIS curriculum workshops and team meetings in the winter and spring terms. Regular meetings are usually most weekends from January through April. For teams with projects that have been selected to fly, there will be additional prep and build meetings in May and June. The rocket flies in mid-June. The hi-alt balloon flies over the summer, usually in late August. We will schedule additional CIS meetings in the fall for students to examine their flown projects when recovered from NASA.
NOTE: This web page explains the details of this workshop. To register, please click on the actual course start-date in the EVENTS CALENDAR and look for the REGISTER tab to the upper right.
This CIS program is free for student members* of New England Sci-Tech, with a small lab fee** to cover printed materials and general supplies. Before taking the class tudents should have had experience in physics, electronics or arduinos, or be currently enrolled in an amateur radio course during the CIS program. Space is limited. Please inquire or attend the orientation before signing up.
"Cubes in Space™, a program by EDU inc., is the only global competition offered at no cost for students 11-18 years of age to design and propose experiments to launch into space on a NASA sounding rocket and zero-pressure scientific balloon.
Cubes in Space is offered in collaboration with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center - Wallops Flight Facility, NASA's Langley Research Center and the Science Systems and Applications Inc."
Photo: The 2023 Cubes-in-Space Team at the RocketFest science fair at Wallops AFB in Virginia. Their experiment flew on a NASA sounding rocket. The team's medical experiment was developed in collaboration with the University of Louisville. The Team presented their project at the New England HamXposition in Marlborough.
Out of thousands of entries worldwide, under a hundred get picked to fly. However, our mentors, running this program for the past seven years, have had a 100% success rate for CIS projects accepted for spaceflight each year.
Watch the Cubes in Space promotional video. Cubes in Space is offered by EDU inc., in collaboration with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Flight Facility, NASA’s Langley Research Center, and Science Systems and Application Inc. (SSAI). (Space Act Agreement Number: SAA1-18977/SAA 18977)
Watch New England Sci-Tech's 2022 Cubes in Space video on YouTube.
2022 NESciTech Cubes-in-Space Video
Students who successfully complete the program and successfully fly a project will receive an official CIS certificate and may list their CIS success in personal resumes, school transcripts, and college applications.
2025 ORIENTATION VISITS
Get to know us, CIS preliminary overview, and tour of facilities. Attend one of these open house times (allow about 30 minutes):
2024 Saturday, Nov 6, 1:00 PM
2024 Saturday, Nov 23, 1;00 PM
2024 Saturday, Dec 7, 1:00 PM
2024 Saturday, Dec 21, last day for Cubes in Space signups
2025 SATURDAY MEETINGS, 1:00-2:00 pm. Lab is open from 9:30 am - 3:30 pm.
Jan 4 – Meeting 1, Intro to NASA rocket and balloon flights.
Jan 11 – Meeting 2, Layers of the Atmosphere; Dependent/Independent Variables.
Feb 18 – Optional, (Holiday weekend) Intent To Fly Form (IFF) deadline to file Feb .
Jan 25 – Meeting 3, Radiation, Temperature, Pressure; Choosing a project.
Feb 1 – Meeting 4, Choose SR-9 rocket or balloon; Writing the Intent to Fly Document.
Feb 8 – Meeting 5, Ozone Layer, Ionosphere; Revisions for IFF due Mar 3.
Feb 15 – Optional, (Holiday weekend) Intent To Fly Form (IFF) deadline to file Feb .
Feb 22 – Optional, (Spring Break weekend) Intent To Fly Form (IFF) deadline to file Feb .
- - under revision - -
Mar 4 – Meeting 6, Rocket propulsion, Newton's Laws, Atmospheric Buoyancy.
Mar 11 – Meeting 7, Begin App. for Spaceflight (AFS); Mission Patch Design opens Mar 13.
Mar 18 – Meeting 8, Electromagnetic Spectrum, affect of atmosphere on energy wavelengths.
Mar 25 – Meeting 9, Radio Spectrum, effect of ionosphere on radio propagation.
Apr 1 – Meeting 10, Earth's Magnetosphere, Auroras, Radiation; Geomagnetic storms.
Apr 8 – Meeting 11, Final work on application; Application for Spaceflight (AFS) due Apr 10.
Apr 15 – Optional, (Spring Break) Work on revisions to AFS; work on Mission Patch.
Apr 22 – Optional, (Spring Break) Revisions to AFS due Apr 24.
Apr 29 – Meeting 12, Final Class if we are NOT selected to fly; wrap-up and recap.
May 5 – Spaceflight Selection Notification; Mission Patch Deadline.
IF ACCEPTED FOR SPACEFLIGHT
May 6 – Meeting 13, Cube project building begins.
May 13 – Meeting 14, Cube project building continues; Mission Patch winner announced May 13.
May 20 – Meeting 15, Cube project building continues.
May 27 – Optional, (Holiday weekend) Final cube assembly, pack to ship; SR-9 cube must arrive by Jun 9.
Jun 3 – Meeting 16, work on science fair display for RocketFest, for those planning to attend.
Jun 10 – Optional, prep for RocketFest, for those who plan to go. RocketFest Jun 19-22.
June 22 – SR-9 Rocket Launch from Wallops AF Base in Virginia. RocketFest Jun 19-22.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
These dates are subject to change based on changes in the rocket flight schedule or project submission deadlines. On alternate and holiday weekend dates when Cubes does not meet, students are welcome to attend other clubs, such as rocketry, robotics, or battlin' bots, or to continue working on Cubes projects.
Because of traffic conditions and for your convenience, you are welcome to drop off and pick up for up to 30 minutes on each side of class time.
If a class cannot meet in person because of severe weather, we may switch to online classes via Zoom.
*NOTE: Students must be a current member of New England Sci-Tech as a "Teen" or "Adult" or "Family" membership level. Having a club membership alone (radio or rocketry club) or supporting membership does not qualify a student for general NEST activities and programs like this. Membership must run from at least January through April for class participation, and membership must continue through June for cubes building and launching.
**NOTE: Special Update: The lab fees and materials costs for 2023 will be covered by a grant for Space Science Education. There will be no additional charges beyond the requirement that students be active Members of NESciTech. [The lab fee covers incidentals, hands-on labs, and printed materials. It does not cover the cost of materials or special equipment needed for specialized cube projects. It is the responsibility of the student teams to acquire and pay for specialized materials or lab equipment above and beyond the scope of incidentals. (Example: students need wire, solder, and wood for their cube project - yes we can give you that. Students need to purchase special carbon fiber material at a cost of $80 - the team needs to cover that.)]
Please be aware of our Cancellation and Refund Policies. For questions, e-mail info@nescitech.org or call 508-720-4179.
In addition to registering for this workshop, please fill out the Student Permissions Form.