YouTube and Lenovo today announced the culmination of the YouTube Space Lab competition in which astronauts will reveal the results of the two winning experiments live from the International Space Station (ISS) and share them with to the world on YouTube. The live stream will connect the ISS to YouTube’s London creator space on Thursday, September 13 beginning at 1:30 PM GMT/8:30 AM EST and will be hosted by Bill Nye “The Science Guy” and include the two global winners, Amr Mohamed from Alexandria, Egypt; and Dorothy Chen and Sara Ma, from Troy, Michigan in the U.S.
YouTube Space Lab,which launched in October 2011 with partners including Space Adventures and in cooperation with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is a worldwide science competition that challenged 14-18 year-olds to design a science experiment that can be performed in space. The world will now see the winning experiments performed by astronaut Sunita Williams during a live stream on YouTube from 250 miles above Earth aboard the ISS. The forty-minute live program will begin with host Bill Nye interviewing the global winners and special guests via Google+ Hangout, and feature the story of Space Lab told through videos since its launch last year. Then, NASA's Mission Control Center will connect the studio to the ISS for a conversation with U.S. astronaut, Sunita Williams, and the results of the winning experiments.
Renowned science educator Bill Nye “The Science Guy” said of the event, “YouTube Space Lab offers the unique opportunity to ignite students’ interest in science which is critical to our development as a society. I am thrilled to host YouTube’s live stream from the ISS, a scientific feat in and of itself, and look forward to seeing the results of the students’ experiments.”
Amr Mohamed (17-18 year old age group) andDorothy Chen and Sara Ma (14-16 year old age group) were named the winners at a ceremony in Washington, DC, in March. The event was attended by Space Lab partners including NASA, ESA, and JAXA. Now these winners will discuss the results of their experiments with the astronauts performing them aboard the ISS.
Amr Mohamed, 18, came up with an experiment to explore the question:“Can you teach an old spider new tricks?” As part of his prize, he went to Russia for a one-of-a-kind astronaut training experience in Star City, Russia, the training center for Russian cosmonauts. He proposed investigating the effects of microgravity on how the zebra spider catches its prey, and whether it could adapt its behavior in space.
Dorothy Chen and Sara Ma, both 16, created an experiment that asks:“Could alien superbugs cure disease on Earth?”. Their experiment investigates whether compounds and nutrients can block bacterial growth differently in microgravity, which ultimately could lead a path to fighting germs more effectively on Earth. As part of their prize, Dorothy and Sara toured JAXA facilities and watched the rocket with the winning experiments blast off from southern Japan.
Space Lab founder, Google’s Zahaan Bharmal added, “Our hope is that this live stream from space will be the world’s largest, coolest scientific classroom. Today’s Space Lab winners - as well as the millions of other young minds watching the stream on YouTube - represent tomorrow’s space explorers. They may one day walk on Mars!”
“For nearly 20 years aboard the ISS and numerous space shuttle missions Lenovo ThinkPad laptops have played a critical role in space exploration and research,” said Tracey Trachta, vice president, Brand Experience, Global Marketing, Lenovo. “The YouTube Space Lab competition places technology and opportunity into the hands of tomorrow’s space explorers, and we’re thrilled to be a part of such an effort.”
