Explore the connection to space careers and technical education

Space-related career options include much more than just astronauts. Read “Space careers: A universe of options,” a Bureau of Labor and Statistics article, to learn about the CTE connection to space-related career paths and skills.

Watch the Sprouts video, “What happens when students engage in project-based learning,” for inspiration on how projects like building CubeSat prototypes benefit students in the classroom and beyond. 

Facilitate a discussion on how CTE can connect to many space-related careers and skills, using prompts such as: 

• What was the first career that came to mind when you thought of space? 
• What surprised you when you read more about the variety of careers related to space? 
• What are some of the common skills needed for different careers in space? 
• Can you think of any companies or career paths available in your local community that could benefit from similar skills?
• What skills do you want to gain from working on a CubeSat project? 

Define team roles and responsibilities

Team leads are CTE teachers or CTE coordinators in your school. If you have any questions, please contact your CTE state director using the Perkins Collaborative Resource Network Staff by State Responsibility list.

There are many roles students can play on a team, depending on their interests. Look through other CubeSat teams’ profile pages below to see how they structured their teams: 

• University of Washington A&A CubeSat team
• MIT BeaverCube team (see A4.0 Team Organizational Structure)
• Carthage College CubeSat team (see page 5 Team Members and Assignments)

Set up a project plan for mission design

The team lead can facilitate a discussion on project planning for Phase 1, using prompts such as:

• When, where, and how should we meet to work on mission design? Consider finding a recurring time at least once a week that works for all team members. If available and can be done safely, consider physical space to meet, or set up a virtual meeting space that all team members can access.
• How will we communicate with one another during mission design? Teams may already be using platforms like group text messaging, email, learning management systems, or Facebook Groups to communicate and can consider using platforms like Slack, Trello, or Google Classroom, which allow for document sharing and collaboration.
• What are some easy ways to track progress and milestones during Phase 1? Looking ahead, what about Phase 2? Consider creating a blog to show how students are thinking and learning. Consider working with your school’s journalism program to document the experience. Examples of blogging platforms include Blogger, WordPress, or Wix.