Phase 2: Level 2
Destination Space will inspire children and families across the UK with space science
The UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres and the UK Space Agency are delighted to announce that they will once again join forces to bring the latest space science to children and families across the UK.
Following on from the huge success of ASDC's Destination Space education programme, the UK Space Agency is supporting ASDC to create new space resources that will inspire families and school-children with the exciting science and engineering of future space missions, including UK Spaceports and space launchers, the new James Webb Space Telescope, the ExoMars mission and satellite applications. Together, up to 14 UK science centres and museums will deliver specially created space activities to 200,000 children and adults until March 2021.
Destination Space is the national STEM programme created and run by ASDC and funded by the UK Space Agency. The first phase of this national programme ran from 2014 to 2017 and engaged, inspired and involved families with school-age children, school groups and teachers, and communities across the UK with the amazing stories, science and achievements of human spaceflight and Tim Peake's Principia mission. Overall 914,646 children and adults took part in this ASDC programme, participating in Destination Space workshops, family shows and meet the expert events across the UK. This includes 80,201 people who met and spoke with a space scientist or engineer and 152,348 school students brought by teachers for the curriculum-linked space workshops.
This new 2.5 year programme (Destination Space 2), builds on all the training, knowledge and enthusiasm for space science and exploration in science centres across the UK, and ensures delivery of this amazing programme and space activities continues well into the future. Together with its huge focus on celebrating the science and engineering of UK spaceports and future space missions, this programme will develop new hands-on activities and resources that can be used by science centres and other partners across the UK, into the future.
The programme will invite applications in January from the twenty Science and Discovery Centres and Museums around the UK that delivered Destination Space 1; from Eden in Cornwall to the Scottish Science Centres, and from W5 in Belfast to the Science Museum in London. Fourteen centres will be selected, and they will be trained in October 2019 to run this cutting-edge schools and families programme across 2019-2021 and into the future.
This programme will be directed and managed by the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres who have considerable experience managing national strategic multi-partner STEM programmes. The activities and events will be created in collaboration with space researchers, science centres with expertise in engaging the public, with space science, along with specialist expertise from researchers and UK Space Agency partners. This exciting new programme runs in science centres and museums from 1st November 2019.
Additional Notes
1. The Programme Vision: To engage, inspire and involve families with school-age children, school groups and communities across the UK with the amazing stories and innovative science and engineering of the UK’s world-leading space sector, especially focussing on UK spaceports, satellite applications and space exploration.
2. The Programme Mission: To create hands-on activities, school workshops, a family show and other resources to bring alive the new UK spaceports and launchers, innovative satellite applications, and areas of UK space exploration including the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, the James Webb Space Telescope and ExoMars, and to select and train Science Centres and Museums across the UK to deliver these to schools, families and communities nationally.
3. The Success of Destination Space 1: Overall 914,646 people have been engaged through Destination Space 1 activities. Of these, 152,348 were school children age 5-14 in curriculum-linked space workshops and 80,201 people met and spoke with a space scientist or engineer. The evaluation of over 12,000 school students showed that boys and girls enjoyed the activities equally and were equally inspired and engaged by them.
4. The UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC) is the national charity that brings together the UK’s major science engagement organisations to play a strategic role in the nation’s engagement with science. Within our membership are over 60 of the nation’s largest publically accessible science centres, discovery centres, science museums and scientific bodies. Together our vision is for a society where people of all backgrounds and in all parts of the UK are inspired and fully involved with the sciences.
Every year in the UK, 20 million people of all ages and backgrounds choose to get involved with science at one of the UK’s science and discovery centres or science museums. This equates to 385,000 people every week who come to our member centres to explore and discuss science in an involving and personal way. www.sciencecentres.org.uk
5. The UK Space Agency is at the heart of UK efforts to explore and benefit from space. It is responsible for all strategic decisions on the UK civil space programme and provides a clear, single voice for UK space ambitions.
The Agency is responsible for ensuring that the UK retains and grows a strategic capability in space-based systems, technologies, science and applications. It leads the UK’s civil space programme in order to win sustainable economic growth, secure new scientific knowledge and provide benefits to all citizens.
Contacts:
For information on this exciting National Project, or if you would like to be involved, please contact:
Dr Penny Fidler
The ASDC CEO and Project Director
0117 915 0186
Dr Jaclyn Bell
The ASDC Space and Physics Project Manager
jaclyn.bell@sciencecentres.org.uk
0117 927 6365
Andy McLeod
The ASDC Special Projects Manager
andy.mcleod@sciencecentres.org.uk
0117 925 9753