Knight Skies: Help Launch Our Experiment to Space

Hello! I am a part of a team of students at St. Francis High School in La Cañada Flintridge who have worked tirelessly to turn our science dreams into reality.

As competitors for the Knight Skies Space Competition, our experiment that we created won unanimously. Excitingly, that means our experiment will board the International Space Station (ISS) on SpaceX 31 on October 30, 2024.

Our Experiment:

Bacteria is an essential element for human life. It can contribute greatly to modern medicine, as it helps to produce medications that can save people’s lives. We are going to genetically modify E. coli bacteria to bear green fluorescent protein. In doing so, we will compare its behavior in space against a control group here on Earth. The following video gives a more in-depth description of our design:

https://youtu.be/7uonJYyHtXE

Why It Matters:

With society’s dreams of occupying outer space and other planets, our research could revolutionize the science of bacterial protein production. It can help us discover new ways to create medicine, create new opportunities for drug delivery systems, and help secure the health and safety of astronauts on long-term space missions.

How You Can Help:

St. Francis High School will be covering half of the cost to our experiment: $7,500. This means that it is up to my team and I to raise the other half. My goal of $2,000 will help cover the cost of placing our experiment in space, and help future students with aspirations similar to mine.

Join Us:

Not only will you be helping out my experiment, you will help future generations of society achieve their goals in the science and medical fields. With every donation, we become one step closer to making an imprint in life and space exploration as we know it.