Neel Mehta
Orbital ATK will host students of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) at the company’s Dulles, Virginia-based headquarters in support of Higher Orbits’ Go For Launch! program, Loudon Now reported Thursday.
Higher Orbits, a non-profit organization, will hold its three-day program next month at Orbital ATK’s Dulles headquarters for high school students to participate in space exploration-related activities, according to the report.
The program aims to provide human spaceflight insights to students through hands-on activities under the tutelage of space and STEM professionals, the report says.
Retired Astronauts Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK’s space systems group, Don Thomas, former International Space Station flight controller, and Astronaut Instructor Michelle Lucas will speak at the event that runs Jan. 14 through 16.
“We are honored to host this next generation of space explorers at our headquarters in Dulles, Virginia, and inspire them to design innovative science experiments that could be flown to the International Space Station aboard our Cygnus spacecraft,†Culbertson was quoted as saying.
Students will develop space exploration concepts and the winning participants will compete to gain approval for the launch of their projects to space, according to the report.
