The KidSat project flight system

This paper was written to discuss the technical aspects of granting students in classrooms the ability to explore and study Earth sciences from a unique view of our planet. A high-resolution digital imaging system mounted in the space shuttle cabin window made it possible, in part, to provide real-time student interaction with the space program. This access provided an individual ownership of research and interest in our environment and Earth sciences. The other project technical elements, also key to the program success and real-time student interaction, were the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) web-based mission operations system and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) ground data system