Greater Lawrence Tech Students Build for NASA, Work to be Sent to International Space Station

Dr. Florence Gold, left, NASA Johnson Space Center HUNCH mentor for Massachusetts, speaks with Greater Lawrence Technical School students. (Courtesy photograph.)

Greater Lawrence Technical School students will see their work launched into space aboard the International Space Station.

The students are part of High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware—HUNCH, for short—a instructional partnership between NASA and local school districts. Students are tasked with creating cost-effective hardware and soft goods in collaboration with HUNCH team members.

“Any time you have a project such as this that is meaningful, it brings value to our students,” Superintendent John Lavoie said. “They can create something that will contribute in the real world, and they work hard to be successful.”

Dr. Florence Gold, NASA Johnson Space Center HUNCH mentor for Massachusetts, met with more than 50 Greater Lawrence Tech students last Tuesday, Oct. 12.

Students in the Advanced Manufacturing and Machine Tool Technology pathways are creating a latch for a storage locker on the Space Station. Gold told students that the project is far more important than it sounds at first, because lockers hold equipment, tests, and chemicals that must be kept under tight control in zero gravity.

She praised students for tackling a project that requires intense planning and exacting attention to detail throughout design and manufacturing. Dr. Gold urged students to work as a team and persevere through each step.

“Don’t worry about making a mistake. It’s a learning opportunity,” Gold said.

At the end of the presentation, participating students signed a panel that will be attached to the locker.

The HUNCH program works with more than 280 school districts in 44 states. Projects cover six areas, culinary, design and prototyping, design for flight, hardware, softgoods and video and media.

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