Fifth Graders Reach for the Stars

While studying space technology and exploration, Shorecrest fifth graders enjoyed a visit to the St. Petersburg College Planetarium and Observatory, a virtual meeting with NASA Jet Propulsion Lab Engineer Mick Frawley, and an in-person visit from Nicole Stott, a retired NASA astronaut and aquanaut who spent 104 days in space on two space shuttle missions. This was followed by a week of Drop Everything and STEAM projects.

The excitement continued on Thursday with a trip to the Kennedy Space Center, where Chargers toured the facility and took part in a unique Astronaut Training Experience. Students impressed their teachers as they tackled zero-gravity simulators and tried their hands at the future of space exploration through virtual reality.

And the journey doesn’t stop there - fifth grade art is officially headed to space. Each student is creating a postcard illustrating what they believe is the best part of life on Earth. With the support of Nicole Stott, the postcards will be sent to Club for the Future, loaded onto an upcoming Blue Origin New Shepard rocket, cross the boundary into space, experience weightlessness, and return to students stamped “Flown in Space.”

In addition, high-resolution images of the postcards will be featured this April on the Piccadilly screen in London as part of a special Earth Day mosaic.

Nicole Stott’s work as a founding director of the Space for Art Foundation continues to inspire. The organization connects children in hospitals, refugee centers and schools around the world through space-themed art to provide healing and hope.