Live From Space Station Outreach Payload, Phase I

The Live from Space Station? Outreach Payload (LFSSOP) is a technologically challenging, exciting opportunity for university students to conduct significant research in the biological or physical sciences culminating in a university student built payload that is launched and placed on the International Space Station. Experiment features will be accessed and controlled by high school students via a Live From Space Station? (LFSS) Internet computer interface. A national competition for university students will be implemented to award the payload contract. A separate national competition designed for elementary students will be initiated to help the university awardee name their payload. Museums and science centers will be the LFSSOP curriculum dissemination and training sites, as well as public outreach sites intended to intrigue and excite individuals of all ages. Exhibit kiosks running LFSS systems data, audio, video and student payload-related computer interfaces will stimulate public interest in the space sciences and the uniqueness of on-orbit research. Further, the excitement of working on a scientific problem, devising a payload to collect data, and analyzing results to prove a theory that will contribute to the body of knowledge in the biological or physical sciences will motivate and inspire students to study math and science.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.