Ready For Launch: Deerfield Student Experiment Headed To Space Station

DEERFIELD, IL — Move over NASA, excusez moi ESA, and Извините Роскосмос, there's a new space agency on the scene: DASA. It's made up of five Deerfield High School students who won the top division at the inaugural Go For Launch! program last year, and the team is set to witness the launch of its student-designed experiment up to the International Space Station (ISS) on SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services - 12 (CRS-12). Blast off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is scheduled to Monday at 11:31 p.m. CST.

DASA is made up of students Justin Bank, Chirag Goel, Dan Kambich, Zach Levy, and Katherine Strecher. They came up with an microgravity experiment to test the effects of radiation on living cells in space. Their experiment is set to be placed inside newly installed TangoLab facility on the ISS, which is operated by Kentucky-based startup Space Tango. The DASA experiment will be able to run on its own while inside the facility.

Monday's scheduled launch will mark the first time the educational nonprofit Higher Orbit has sent one of the projects designed by its participants in the Go For Launch! program into space. Two Deerfield High School students, Bank and Goel, plan to attend.

"To see an idea that started a few months ago as a sketch on a piece of paper actually take shape and fly to space is a rare opportunity," Stecher said. "The anticipation has definitely built, and I can’t wait to see what answers our experiment brings back." (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Deerfield — or your community. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

The Go For Launch! program offers students access to former astronauts (including Astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger who was at the entire Deerfield event), former ISS and Space Shuttle controllers, astronaut instructors, scientists and engineers, offering insight into the types of research investigations possible in microgravity.

Students were broken into teams and worked on collaborative activities under the guidance of the guest mentors, with the final exercise to design a potential ISS flight experiment. Out of all participants, including programs in Illinois, Kentucky and Massachusetts, the DASA team had the most feasible flight concept.

"We are thankful to Higher Orbits for the opportunity they have provided our students in realizing their potential in science, technology, engineering, engineering, arts, and math," said Deerfield High School Principal Kathryn Anderson.

Go For Launch! will be returning to Deerfield High School, Feb. 17-19. The program is open to students from any school in grades 8-12.

» Read more: 3 Days With An Astronaut: 'Go For Launch!' Returns to Deerfield High School

Top image: Team DASA, the 2016 Winners of Higher Orbits Go For Launch! Andromeda Division | Courtesy Michelle Lucas