The Spaceflight and Life Sciences Training Program – Developing Human Capital for Space Exploration through Systematic Scholarship

This paper presents the experiential learning framework of the Spaceflight and Life Sciences Training Program (SLSTP). SLSTP is an approach to meeting human capital development needs for the biological and environmental science requirements of advanced space flight. SLSTP provides an intensive six-week participatory exposure to conducting ground-based experiments, understanding how experiments for space are designed and executed, as well as gaining an appreciation of the impact of space launch on the environment. Undergraduate students, including underrepresented groups, are provided guided opportunities to conduct research and participate in developing and or furthering some aspects of the science and technology required for successful human space exploration. SLSTP, as designed, provides the opportunity for developing systematic scholarship. This is accomplished through mentor-guided student research and through the design and management of the boundaries between knowledge and action. Using published literature and pertinent background information in math, technology, engineering and science concepts, trainees conduct research projects that enhance the legitimacy and credibility of the program design. The trainees demonstrate the incorporation of learning acquired through the information and presentations the students produce, while at the Kennedy Space Center and upon return to their home institutions. The program facilitates communication and understanding, across the traditional boundaries of academic disciplines and diverse frames of reference, in the unique learning environment of Kennedy Space Center.