At the beginning of the 21st century, NASA described its educational mission objective interms of “inspiring the next generation of explorers … as only NASA can.” Thanks tothe dedication of the amateur radio community, over 300 successful school contacts havetaken place through Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), with afuture schedule set to average one contact per week. Prior to ARISS, well over 200school-to-shuttle contacts were accomplished via Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment(SAREX). Each event was filled with eager students, proud parents and teachers, andexcited members of the media who could not help but be caught up in the thrill of it all!But, what happened after the last student squeezed in a question before the orbiter or ISSmoved out of the “footprint”. . . After the glow of that “fifteen minutes of fame” haddimmed. . .after the return to homework, tests, football practice, and music lessons? Thequestion remains: Has indeed this “next generation of explorers” been inspired? Has theSAREX/ARISS experience actually made a positive difference in students’ lives?NASA’s new approach to education acknowledges that inspiration provides the base, butit must lead to engagement, followed by education, and finally employment. In this “casestudy” paper, a veteran teacher will trace the nearly two-decade history of her students’involvement with SAREX/ARISS from their middle school days to their current careers.She will follow their paths to illustrate how their involvement in these programs at ayoung age contributed to the inspiration that – as NASA’s current approach to educationemphasizes – has continued to engage them in science and technology throughout theirlives.
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