I’m an Astronaut, Get me out of here was funded as part of the Principia Mission Education and Outreach Scheme.
Four different zones (Training, Launch, Orbit and Touchdown) were run between October 2015 and June 2016 alongside different stages of Tim Peake’s mission. A final live chat (Debrief Zone), involving Tim and nominated schools, was held in November 2016.
Below is a summary of our main findings. Read more in the full report here: I’m an Astronaut Final Report
- I’m an Astronaut engaged 2,004 students from across the UK with real people helping to make human space missions possible.
- 26 different people from across space industry and science, 16 directly related to the ISS and the Principia mission, were able to engage with school students as part of the Astro support Team. This included members of the ISS flight control team successfully working together on the site to provide students with a direct link to the mission as it happened.
- Students asked the Team 1,628 questions about astronauts, the International Space Station, the particular work and research of each Team member, and how to get involved in the space industry.
- Taking part improved students’ attitudes towards science, especially among those students who were less interested in science jobs before taking part.
- 100% of the teachers who responded to a survey were satisfied with their experience of the event, with the majority (93%) saying they were “Very Satisfied”
The whole school have been involved…It has created a real buzz here – Teacher, feedback survey
- Members of the Astro Support Team said they wanted to do more public engagement after taking part, and 100% agreed they had gained a better understanding of how students see their work. They were satisfied with the experience and felt that the online engagement an effective way to engage with students
This was more one to one and an amazing opportunity for the students to connect to experts. It was really fun. Some questions I’d never have thought of before! – Astro Support Team member, feedback survey
- Students from 7 schools talked directly with Tim Peake and four members of the Astro Support team in a Live Chat in Debrief Zone on the 4th November 2016. See the highlights of the chat here.
- £500 was awarded to ESA research doctor Beth Healey after she was voted the overall winner of the event by students. This prize will be used by Beth to support her public engagement, extending the impact of the project.
- More than 23,000 unique visitors and over 200,000 page views of the I’m an Astronaut site over the course of the project.
