South Huntington Middle Schoolers Send Experiment Into Space

Stimson middle schoolers Hussain Babar, Dylan Cellamare, Jacob Veeder, Leo Mustitano, Richard Kurjanski prepare their experiment for launch. Not pictured is Stephan Tsolis, also a member of the experiment team. Photo/South Huntington School District

A team of Stimson Middle School sent one of their experiments to space earlier this week.

Rising eighth-graders Hussain Babar, Dylan Cellamare, Richard Kurjanski, Leo Musitano, Stephan Tsolis, and Jacob Veeder launched their experiment with Space X-9 from Cape Canaveral, Florida and sent it toward the international space station Monday morning.

The students were in Carol Kelly’s sixth-grade science class when they conceived the idea to find out if polymer beads can clean laundry in zero gravity. Their findings could help astronauts clean their clothes on the International Space Station, and, in the future, on the moon or on Mars.

“The district is thrilled to support the amazing work of our young science students,” said Dr. Jared Bloom, the South Huntington School District’s assistant superintendent. “We are all inspired by their work and commitment.”

A mission patch designed by rising seventh-graders Mia Stampfel and YiMei Potzinger is traveling to the International Space Station with the experiment. The patches will be certified as having flown in space and returned to display in South Huntington after the flight is completed.

On Monday, Space X-9 had a successful launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida toward the international space station. Onboard is a unique student experiment from students at Stimson Middle School.

The team is part of a select group of students who are launching experiments through the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program. The Wyandanch School District also has an experiment aboard the Space X-9.

SSEP is a national science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) program undertaken by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education in partnership with NanoRacks, which is working with NASA under a formal Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

Mari Scardapane, South Huntington’s STEM coach, added, “Over the next few weeks, our students will monitor the progress of their experiments in space and conduct ground experiments that will serve as controls. The experiment is scheduled to be returned from space on Aug. 10. That’s when we will find out if their results will help astronauts keep clean in space.”