The free Cubes in Space™ program provides students ages 11 to 18 an opportunity to design and compete to launch an experiment into space at no cost. Cubes in Space is offered by idoodledu inc, in partnership with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Wallops Flight Facility, the Colorado Space Grant Consortium, and the NASA Langley Research Center.

Based on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics), the global education initiative enables students to learn about space exploration using innovative problem-solving and inquiry-based learning methods. Participants have access to resources that help prepare them to design and develop an experiment to be integrated into a small cube.

There are two launch opportunities in 2017 — into space via sounding rocket from Wallops Island or via high-altitude balloon, launched from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in New Mexico.

The registration deadline is January 6, 2017. E-mail or visit the Cubes in Space website for more information, or call (888) 735-4565. — Thanks to AMSAT News Service via the NASA