Subject: STS-16
From: Daniel Adamo <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 06 May 2014 22:20:13 -0700

ATIG Members-

No, this isn't a blast from the past or a reenactment of the STS 51-D
mission.  It's the return-to-flight for students at Russell Elementary
School in Smyrna, GA.  Their 28-hour "long sim" begins this Thursday, May 8.
A YouTube broadcast schedule for the simulation and associated links can be
accessed at 
http://russellroadrunners.typepad.com/space/youtube-broadcast-schedule.html.

Back in the 1990s, student-run simulations like this were being performed
regularly across the U.S., primarily in middle schools and high schools.
They promoted interdisciplinary STEM education through the motivation of
creative applied study, together with fulfillment from teamwork and mission
accomplishment, before the acronym was even invented.  Over the next decade,
however, "teach to test" and the funding shortfall from No Child Left Behind
left little time or financial support for these simulations.  It's my
sincere hope that STS-16 will mark a turnaround in this trend.

I'd be interested in your comments about the Russell Space Team and their
latest mission, particularly if you can watch some of their YouTube
broadcasting.  If you advocate space exploration, this is the future.

-Dan

"That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."  -Walt
Whitman