NATIONAL CONTEST FOR FUTURE ASTRONAUTS
SpaceKids Global Launches National Contest for Eight Students to Form the First SpaceKids Press Squad. Press Squad winners will fly to Florida for a two-day adventure to interview engineers and spacecraft designers, tour Blue Origin, and visit NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
SpaceKids Global, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating elementary school-aged children in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics), announced the National SpaceKids Press Squad Competition is open for entries. The contest will provide eight students with an exclusive opportunity to visit Blue Origin’s Rocket Park manufacturing facility in Florida to tour the rocket factory, visit NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, and receive press training from a real-life reporter.
While at Blue Origin, the SpaceKids Press Squad will interview engineers, spacecraft designers and managers to learn about their careers and experiences. They may also watch the official live webcast of a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket launch in West Texas from the Blue Origin Mission Control center in Florida. If the launch occurs as scheduled, the Press Squad will have the chance to remotely interview several of the astronauts from the crew, including SpaceKids founder Sharon Hagle.
The competition is available to U.S. students ages 8 to 12 enrolled in public, private, parochial or home schools. The eight winners will include one from an active-duty military family, one from an active-duty first responder family, one member of a Boys & Girls Club, and five others across the United States.
All entries must be submitted by Friday, June 14, 2024, at 12:00 a.m. EST
“Our mission at SpaceKids is to reach children at a young age and get them excited about all of the careers available in the space industry,” stated Sharon Hagle, Founder of SpaceKids Global. “We are bringing the possibility of space to kids everywhere with opportunities like the SpaceKids Press Squad. My flight to space alongside my husband, Marc, was life-changing, and we can’t wait for these eight lucky kids to experience an out-of-this-world adventure, too! We hope to inspire a new generation of space explorers and future leaders to pursue STEAM careers.”
Winner Prize Package:
- Two (2) round-trip coach airfare tickets for child and their guardian to Orlando, Florida
- Two (2) nights of hotel accommodations
- Round-trip ground transportation to and from Orlando International Airport and while on the Space Coast
- Tour Blue Origin’s Rocket Park including interviews with space professionals
- Schedules permitting, watch a live webcast of a New Shepard rocket launch
- Visit NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex
- A SpaceKids Press Squad course before the trip to learn interview skills by a professional reporter
The SpaceKids Press Squad contest is in collaboration with Blue Origin’s nonprofit, Club for the Future, whose mission is to inspire and engage future generations to pursue STEAM careers.
For more information about SpaceKids Global, visit www.spacekids.global.
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