STEM AND SPACE: ADVANCING REAL WORLD AEROSPACE TO PRE-COLLEGE STUDENTS

Young children have an innate interest in science.They behold the world around them, are natural questioners, and are not content to simply observe; they must utilize all their senses to make sense of what they perceive.Primary educators can and must capitalize on this interest by immersing students directly into not only hands-on applications, but also into the collaborative and communicative aspects that make up the 21st century skillset.This is particularly true if educators are to encourage and support underrepresented groups to enter STEM fields.This paper seeks to offer project-based STEM activities with a focus on aerospace to excite elementary and secondary students.Moreover, it suggests that creating a science identity early on, particularly for underrepresented populations such as students of color, lower socio-economic status, and females on whole is imperative to increase STEM career participation by using Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) Additionally, there is a focus on equipping teachers to reflect on their own practices as well as offer suggestions for implementing real world STEM in their classrooms.The authors have an active and successful aerospace program and lead the Wolfpack CubeSat Development Team, which is used as a model.Teammates in the middle school level have been selected twice by NASA for their CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI), with a third flying last year (2024) with Firefly.Because of the work of older students, younger students are exposed to the real work of space through mentorship.While satellite teams may appear out of reach for school-aged children, there are activities to scaffold the scientific concepts associated with aerospace.Teachers should take part in learning along with their students via professional organizations and professional development.