HUNCH Program Shows High Schoolers How To Put Their Talents To Work For The Space Agency

Students and teachers who took part in NASA's High school students United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) program will showcase their work during an event Saturday, May 19, at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.

As part of the NASA HUNCH program, some student projects eventually fly aboard the International Space Station. Projects have included stowage lockers for experiments, handrails, documentary videos, breakfast entrées and software applications used by astronauts in space. Many of the different projects will be on display starting at 12 p.m. EDT.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei will speak to those in attendance at 12:30 p.m. and recognize participating students. Vande Hei logged 168 days in space on his first mission to the station and returned to Earth in February. He regularly connected with schools on Earth during his time aboard ISS. The in-flight education downlinks are an integral component of NASA's Year of Education on Station, which provides extensive space station-related resources and opportunities to students and educators, and are continuing this summer.

The HUNCH program shows high school students the many ways they can put their talents to work for NASA, beyond the role of astronaut. The program provides students a hands-on experience with the space agency, building NASA-designed parts for use by agency personnel.

(Source: NASA news release. Image provided by NASA. NASA HUNCH engineer George Kessler working with students on the Double Ball Clamp Mechanism)

FMI: nasahunch.com, www.intrepidmuseum.org