Purdue invites grade-schoolers for STEM activities and to meet an astronaut

More than 660 children in grades 3-8 participated in educational activities and met astronaut Jerry Ross (BSME 1970, MSME 1972)

On October 26, the Purdue School of Aeronautics and Astronauitcs hosted 660 students in grades 3-8 for an annual one-day space-themed educational camp called Purdue Space Day. The theme for 2024 was Gadgets of the Galaxy, so the hands-on activities followed the scope of real tools made for space missions. These included:

  • Design a version of the Canadarm robotic arm used on the ISS, and practice moving objects with it.
  • Design a habitat for the moon, which projects from cold, radiation, and meteorite impact.
  • Build satellite models that include a flashlight, to see how much coverage the satellite could provide.

a child hops in Neil Armstrong's footsteps

Purdue AAE also invites an astronaut to speak and meet with the participants. This year’s guest was former NASA astronaut Jerry Ross (BSME 1970, MSME 1972), who captivated the audience with photos he captured during his seven Space Shuttle missions.

PSD is an annual educational outreach event from the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The event drew a record number of volunteers this year — more than 500 Purdue students supported this year’s aspiring aerospace engineers.

Browse the photos from Purdue Space Day on our Flickr photo album.

Publish date: December 2, 2024