Space Lab student competition on YouTube attracts 5500 teams
ESA astronauts will join Google and YouTube managers on 30 November to present highlights of the 'Space Lab' competition. Space Lab is challenging students around the world to design a science experiment for the International Space Station.
Launched just seven weeks ago, Space Lab has already attracted 5500 experiment proposals by registered team and individual competitors – and the dedicated YouTube site has recorded 14 million views.
Space Lab, supported by ESA, was initiated by YouTube, NASA, Japan's JAXA space agency, Space Adventures and Lenovo. It challenges students around the world to design a science experiment to be performed on the International Space Station.
Space Lab site accessed 14 million times
"By late November, a stunning 14 million views had been registered at the Space Lab YouTube site," said Fernando Doblas, ESA's Head of Communications.
"Owing to the large number of excellent submissions received, many coming from Europe, the Space Lab campaign partners have decided to extend the deadline for submission of experiments from 7 to 14 December."
30 November at ESA's Astronaut Centre, Cologne
On Wednesday, ESA astronauts Frank De Winne, Reinhold Ewald, Christer Fuglesang, Thomas Pesquet and Timothy Peake will join campaign managers from Google and YouTube to present highlights of the venture to international media at ESA's European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.
ESA experts will also be on hand to discuss the latest aspects of the Agency’s science activities on the Space Station.
A highlight of the event will be a presentation of a submission example on the capillarity effect, followed by Q&A with students interested in ISS science. Presentations will be streamed live via Livestream.com/eurospaceagency.
About Space Lab
Individually or in groups of up to three, students aged 14–18 years may submit a YouTube video describing their experiment to YouTube.com/spacelab.
A panel of prestigious scientists, astronauts and teachers, including the renowned Professor Stephen Hawking, astronauts Frank De Winne, Samantha Cristoforetti and Timothy Peake of ESA, Leland Melvin of NASA, Akihiko Hoshide of JAXA, Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency and Cirque du Soleil's founder Guy Laliberté, will judge the entries with input from the YouTube community.
Six regional finalists will gather in the USA in March 2012 to experience a zero-gravity flight and receive other prizes.
European finalists will win a visit to the training facilities of the European Astronaut Centre. This will include scientific discussions and a personal tour led by European astronauts.
Finally, two global winners will be announced, for their experiments to be sent into orbit and performed on the Space Station in summer 2012 – live-streamed on YouTube from space.
Media registration
Information and registration for media here.
