Aerospace Policy
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Legislative Initiatives
HR109/WeissSat-1 (Click Here)
State Initiative: ESTE3M (Click Here)
HR109: A resolution to increase public awareness of the educational benefits of the CubeSat Launch Initiative and prioritize funding of CSLI in the annual budget. Introduced to Congress in March 2018
ESTE3M: Increase funding available for experiential Title I teacher STEM training in the state of Florida.
Legislative Blitzes
Congressional Visits Day
Florida Space Day
Space Exploration Alliance
AIAA Congressional Visits Day: DC annually in February. Advocating on behalf of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
FLORIDA SPACE DAY: Tallahassee
2018 was the first year APPI attended Florida Space Day. We will attend this year, February 19th. Both years we set our own appointments with Fl Senators and Reps who have aerospace, appropriations, or STEM Education interests in hopes of promoting our state initiatives.
SPACE EXPLORATION ALLIANCE
Advocate on behalf of space industry annually in DC in February. Meet with all Florida legislators over two days
A resolution to increase public awareness of the educational benefits of the CubeSat Launch Initiative and prioritize funding of CSLI in the annual budget.
Participants:
Shawna Christenson
Kevin Simmons
Barry Smith
Sarah Miller
Participants:
Shawna Christenson
Kevin Simmons
Barry Smith
Sarah Miller
Most recent update:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4716406/repmast-weisssat-1-res.
As of 1/2020: This initiative is currently reintroduced as HR 85 and has been assigned to the Science, Space, and Technology committee. Seeking bipartisan support from outside Florida
Rationale:
Since participation in CSLI appears to be impacted by both lack of awareness as well as lack of funding, this resolution seeks to increase the public’s awareness of why CubeSats are an important educational tool as well and to inform about the process to apply for launch. The resolution assumes that with more applicants, there will be a need for more targeted funding.
Summary
Due to the success of WCDT, students wanted other students to be able to participate in such exciting and important endeavors. The question as to why more middle and high school students do not participate in launch missions was an impetus to creating a solution. In September 2017, students submitted a “Letter to Congress” detailing a need along with original proposed legislation. Since then, the Legislative Director for Representative Brian Mast has presented our ideas to both NASA and Congressional Research Services. Based on his input, we have revised the legislation and are awaiting the next step towards a non-binding joint resolution.
Background
According to NASA’s website, the “CubeSat Launch Initiative provides opportunities for small satellite payloads built by universities, high schools, and non-profit organizations to fly on upcoming launches. Through innovative technology partnerships, NASA provides these CubeSat developers a low-cost pathway to conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations in space, thus enabling students, teachers, and faculty to obtain hands-on flight hardware development experience.”
The Weiss CubeSat Development Team applied to ELANA’s Launch Initiative in 2016, and, consequently, was the only middle school to be selected for the 8th Class of Candidates for Launch. WCST seeks to validate a novel lab-on-a-chip system that will demonstrate a live/dead fluorescent dye staining approach and microfluidis to assess the viability of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria that have been thawed after being entrapped in water ice.
Blitzes
AIAA Congressional Visits Day
AIAA Congressional Visits day is held annually in February and is attended on behalf of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Florida Space Day
Florida Space Day is held next year on February 19th in Tallahassee, Fl. and is sponsored by Space Florida. The theme was appropriately titled: I Love Space, and those advocating did so on behalf of Florida's Space industries. Notably, many contacts were made for future APPI legislation.
The Space Exploration Alliance
Legislative Blitz is held annually in DC in February. SEA represents several space non-profits to advocate for increases to NASA's budget. Last year, students networked with Planetary Society members as well as Fl Senators and Representatives in order to increase awareness of CubeSat-1.