Garden City Students Watch Their Experiment Launch Into Space

GARDEN CITY, NY — Ahead of Thanksgiving, six Garden City Middle School students traveled to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch a science experiment they design launch into space.

The Student Experiment Team — which includes Bridget Coviello, Isabelle DeNoto, Samantha Racich and Elsie Ross — designed a microgravity experiment, which was chosen by National Center for Earth and Space Science Education’s Student Spaceflight Experiments Program Mission 16.

Additionally, two student-artists, Maggie Rogers and Sophia Cresciullo, created the mission patches to be flown on the International Space Station. While the Student Experiment Team will monitor their control experiments on Earth, they’ve written detailed instructions for astronauts to simultaneously conduct the same experiment in space.

During their trip to the Kennedy Space Center, the team got to hear from astronauts, explore the grounds and artifacts, and learn about past launches, in addition to watching the live launch of their own experiment.

“When I created my patch, I never could have imagined that it would lead to such an awesome experience," Maggie Rogers said. "Visiting Kennedy Space Center, learning about the space program, and meeting all the other SSEP delegates was truly inspiring.”