Global Space League to Sign Up its First Explorers
FREDERICK, OK (April 14, 2003) Students all over the United States will soon be sending off application packages addressed to Frederick, Oklahoma with the enthusiasm they once reserved for letters to the North Pole at Christmastime. The applications will be going to Frederick-based Global Space League, Inc. — a new organization which arranges for student science experiments to be taken to remote places normally accessible only to professional scientists: up into the atmosphere twenty miles high, out to the bottom of the sea off the coast of California, flying on innovative aircraft when they attempt to break records, and so on.
A grant from the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA) has allowed Global Space League to offer signups to fifty Oklahoma schools for the remainder of this school year and next year (Editors note: list appended to this release.) The schools are the same schools that volunteered in March 2002 to take part in an earlier OSIDA space flight activity, plus schools in the Frederick area that are being supported by the Frederick Chamber of Commerce.
Global Space League is also including in its pilot ten schools from the Santa Clara, California area that will be chosen by Santa Clara University’s Robotic Systems Lab (http://rsl.engr.scu.edu). Santa Clara has been providing avionics and tracking support for flights to date and will in future additionally be providing use of their seagoing robotic submersibles. Finally, Pasadena Entretec, a technology industry association in Southern California (http://www.pasadenaentretec.com) will be selecting ten schools in its service area to participate.
In addition to these sponsored schools, thirty more schools will be accepted into the program during the next few weeks on a complementary basis to participate in events through August 31. After that schools can subscribe for $150 per school per year to have the opportunity to compete to participate in these activities. Actual cost of the flights is covered by sponsors and there is no further cost to the school. These thirty schools will be selected on a first-come, first served basis; interested parties should follow the instructions posted at http://www.globalspaceleague.org, or call 580-335-2126.
In one event planned for July 4 of this year, students from Global Space League member schools will be given an opportunity to make a paper airplane that is decorated to best express why they want to become a scientific explorer, in honor of the memory of the scientist-explorers onboard the last flight of the Shuttle Columbia. Planes will be judged based on originality, clarity of message, overall design, and conformance to other requirements we will make available to participants. Then we plan, subject to regulatory approval, to place these planes in special carrier boxes, each of which will be carried by a lighter than air vehicle from a release site near Frederick, OK up to approximately 100,000 feet. At peak altitude, the paper airplanes would be released. Each plane will have a registration sticker on it that will state that it is an Oklahoma spaceplane and that the finder should register it on a website. Makers of planes can then see how far their particular message went.
We are also planning on having on-ground science learning displays near the release site in Frederick for participants.
Executive Director Joan Horvath said, “There are quite a few Global Space League events in the planning and fundraising stages. In particular, we are looking at summer oceangoing explorations onboard a miniature submersible off the California coast; ride-along experiments onboard various professional research vessels; and meteorology experiments over Frederick in the fall.” She further noted that sponsors are currently being sought for these and other events.
Oklahoma schools which will be offered charter participation in Global Space League (California and other schools TBD):
SCHOOL NAME, CITY
- Alva Middle School, Alva
- Ardmore Middle School, Ardmore
- Burns Flat Junior High, Burns Flat
- Cache Middle School, Cache
- Carl Albert Junior High, Midwest City
- Classen School of Advanced Studies, Oklahoma City
- Commerce Middle School, Commerce
- Crescent Junior High School, Crescent
- Crooked Oak Middle School, Oklahoma City
- Dibble Middle School, Dibble
- Dickson Jr. High School, Ardmore
- Duncan Middle School 6th Grade Center, Duncan
- Elk City Jr. High, Elk City
- Ewing Halsell Middle School, Vinita
- Frederick Middle School, Frederick
- Grove Middle School, Grove
- Harrah Middle School, Harrah
- Lakeview Middle School, Yukon
- Laverne Public Schools, Laverne
- Leslie F.Roblyer Middle School, El Reno
- Longfellow Junior High, Enid
- Longfellow Middle School, Norman
- Madill Middle School, Madill
- Mangum, Mangum
- Mannford Middle School, Mannford
- Mayfield Middle School, Oklahoma City
- McLoud Junior High School, McCloud
- Muldrw Middle School, Muldrow
- Nowata Middle School, Nowata
- Obuch Middle School 8th Grade Science, Antlers
- Okmulgee Middle School, Okmulgee
- Oologah-Talala Middle School, Oologah
- Owasso Sixth Grade Center, Owasso
- Pauls Valley Middle School, Pauls Valley
- Plainview Middle School, Ardmore
- Pryor Junior High School, Pryor
- Salina Middle School, Salina
- Snyder Elementary School, Snyder
- Stillwater Junior High School, Stillwater
- Tecumseh Middle School, Tecumseh
- Thoreau Demonstration Academy, Tulsa Public Schools, Tulsa
- Verdigris Middle School, Claremore
- Vian Middle School, Vian
- Wagoner Middle School, Wagoner
- Walters Middle School, Walters
- Washington Jr. High, TBD
- Weleetka Public Schools, Weleetka
- Wellston Middle School, Wellston
- Whittier Middle School, Norman
- Wright City Schools, Wright City
CONTACT:
Joan Horvath, Executive Director
Global Space League, Inc.
www.globalspaceleague.org
105 South Main Street, Frederick, OK 73542
Voice: (580) 335-2126 Cell: (626) 695-2951
Email: joan@takeofftech.com
