Signatures in Space

April 6, 2009 —There’s Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and Columbus Day. Then there’s Labor Day, New Year’s Day and Space Day. Space Day? Yes, Space Day. The mission of Space Day, celebrated annually on the first Friday in May since 1997, is to use space-related activities to inspire and prepare people for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Already 130 events at schools, museums and other places are planned throughout the nation. Click here to see what’s planned near you. One of the highlighted projects will be NASA and Lockheed Martin's Student Signatures in Space. Student Signatures in Space began in 1997 as a way to create interest in space studies by giving them a personal connection to space. Participating schools are sent large posters for students to sign on Space Day. NASA and Lockheed Martin, of Bethesda, Md., are currently accepting school names for participation. The program is open to elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as science museums and regional Boy Scout and Girl Scout councils. After schools return the posters to Lockheed Martin, the signatures are scanned onto a disk and flown aboard a space shuttle mission. Schools also receive lesson plans and information about the mission their signed posters are flying on. Upon completion of the shuttle flight, the posters are returned to the schools along with a photo of the astronaut crew that took the signatures to space and a NASA flight certification verifying that the signatures flew in space. Since its launch, the Space Day educational initiative has evolved into a massive grassroots effort dedicated to the extraordinary achievements, benefits and opportunities in the exploration and use of space. International in scope, the award-winning program involves hundreds of thousands of teachers and millions of students throughout the United States, Canada and beyond. Space Day events have taken place in 21 countries around the globe on six continents.

A panel discussion during a previous Space Day event. Photo credit: www.spaceday.org Space Day was created in 1997 to generate interest in math, science, technology and engineering. Credit: www.spaceday.org A student signs a poster on Space Day. Signatures are then sent into space as part of the Signatures in Space initiative. Photo credit: www.spaceday.org

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