Teachers in Space, Inc.

09/21/2026

Space is a place of exploration, of learning, of...turning plastic into delicious 3D-printed cookies?

Astronauts unfortunately can't run to the store for ingredients when they want treats, so challenged scientists to create edibles from on-hand materials. A team from Southern Illinois University (SIU) Carbondale then created µBites (a.k.a. "microbites").

According to a recent press release from the American Chemical Society, the recipe includes:

- Take PET plastic, discarded corn plant stalks and leaves, and other biomass.
- Use a proprietary method to turn the material into fats, proteins, and acids.
- Add yeast, protein, and fiber.
- Extrude dough through a 3D printer.
- Bake.

Teachers in Space would like to volunteer as taste testers.

https://www.acs.org/pressroom/presspacs/2026/august/this-cookie-started-its-life-as-a-plastic-bottle.html

Specialized microbes transform inedible material into protein-rich snacks.

09/18/2026

We know Teachers in Space a great nonprofit that achieves its mission of educating STEM teachers. Now the rest of the world knows it too, thanks to our platinum seal of transparency from Candid--the highest level of accountability a nonprofit can earn.

Your donation to https://www.tis.org will go toward funding workshops that train teaches and engage students across the U.S. And one day, your donation will help achieve our ultimate mission: to send a teacher to space.

09/15/2026

Teachers in Space wants to thank the Boeing Employees Amateur Radio Society (BEARS) for hosting a visit in their radio shack in Seattle. BEAR Don Sandstrom, W7VXS, gave our teachers a first-hand look at station-to-station satellite communications.

As our teachers learned, amateur radio operators are able to use satellites like the SO-50 to communicate from one station to the next--and these stations are 1500 miles away.

Because of this, our teachers watched W7VXS have a short conversation with someone all the way up in Alaska. :)

Side note: Teachers are wondering why the BEARS call their setup a radio "shack" a not a "den."

09/07/2026

Teachers in Space believes it's perfectly acceptable to wear white after Labor Day.

Photo by NASA.

09/02/2026

What did I do on my summer vacation? Not much. Just hung out.

08/28/2026

So...what did YOU do on your summer vacation?

08/14/2026

An eclipse–the moon’s shadow blotting out the sun–is a space phenomena you can see here on planet Earth…just as long as you don’t use your naked eyes.

David Sattar had just the right equipment for Wednesday's partial solar eclipse in the U.K.: a smart telescope with a solar filter. Thanks to Sattar for sharing his pic with TiS:

📷

.kennick

08/11/2026

Tomorrow Night!
The Perseid meteor shower is the ultimate highlight of the stargazing calendar.
Here is why this mid-August event is considered the year's best display:

High Frequency: Observers can spot roughly 50 to 100 shooting stars every hour.

Vivid Trails: The fast-moving meteors often leave behind beautiful, lingering wakes of color.

Perfect Weather: The peak coincides with warm summer nights, making outdoor viewing highly comfortable. The new moon on August 12 ensures dark skies that are perfect for viewing.

Stunning Fireballs: The shower is famous for its fireballs, which are ultra-bright streaks (magnitude greater than -3) triggered by larger pieces of comet dust that burn longer than standard meteors


kennick

07/29/2026

Introducing Our New York Program Director and Mission Ambassador: Jim Kuhl

"I am passionate about people flying, living, working and eventually populating Space! I have been alive for the entire Space Program. All of my life I have been interested and involved in learning more about Space. I applied to NASA’s Teacher in Space Program with Christa McAuliff and thousands of other teachers in 1984. I made that application a blueprint for professional development activities and was rewarded for that, by being selected in 2004 as one of the top 197 Educator Astronaut Applicants. Those who were not selected to fly became participants in the NASA Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers (NEAT Teachers). I spent 4 years training at NASA facilities (all but NASA Stennis) learning about implementing NASA Education Programs and Activities in all aspects of curriculum. I have drawn on this training while developing TIS training programs, which are the essence of what was the best part of NASA education programs. As a trainer of teachers, I feel it is important for me to experience flight into space so I can use that experience to develop relevant training programs for teachers. I have pursued flying in space my entire life and hope to make that dream a reality with Teachers in Space!”


kennick

05/24/2026

We’re coming to Seattle!! 13-16 July
Register Now! Just *5* seats left!
https://www.tis.org/in-person-2

$35 for Washington / Oregon K-12 teachers
Includes a tour inside Blue Origin!
- Meet Inspiration4 astronaut Chris Sembroski!
4 days hands on, No Experience Needed!
– Arduino microcontroller & sensors
– programming & data collection
– solder basic components of CubeSat
– assemble a 1u CubeSat frame
– understand & use the Engineering Design Process to develop future CubeSat experiments with students.
– track and receive data from orbital satellites using amateur radio.

You get:
- $250 Stipend upon completion of training
- Free laptop for all participants in our school-year support program
-Breakfast and Lunch each day of training
- Access online course materials through our Pathwright Online Learning platform
- Two (2) CubeSat kits, which include all of the parts necessary to assemble a working CubeSat during the training as well as in class with your students
- Access to regular office hours and troubleshooting with TIS staff after the workshop is over, throughout the 2026/2027 school year support program
- Opportunity to fly a student-built CubeSat aboard a High Altitude Balloon or other Stratospheric flight platform
- Opportunity for your students’ experiments to be built into a 2u CubeSat that will fly aboard a suborbital rocket flight.
- Certificate of completion for 24 hours of professional development credit.

Join our in-person CubeSat training for K-12 educators. Gain hands-on experience building and launching CubeSats with comprehensive support and resources.