The Space Show Presents Teachers In Space with Elizabeth (Liz) Kennick and Noah Luogameno

The Space Show Presents Elizabeth Kennick & Teachers In Space, Friday, 30 Oct. 2026

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Quick Summary:

This program focused on the work of Teachers in Space, a nonprofit led by Elizabeth and Noah to work with K-12 teachers to design and fly CubeSat experiments and to promote STEM to their students. Elizabeth and Noah explained that the program provides teachers with training, equipment, and flight opportunities on platforms like high-altitude balloons, zero-g flights, and suborbital rockets such as Blue Origin’s New Shepard. They described how teachers use these experiences to engage students in STEM, often in Title I schools, by building 1U CubeSats and analyzing flight data. Noah detailed the use of affordable sensors and Arduino-based programming, noting that AI is used appropriately to help teachers integrate new sensors into their code. The group discussed the challenges of funding, the importance of workforce development, and the goal of sending teachers to space to inspire students. David and other participants also discussed the role of risk in space exploration, the use of simulations like Kerbel Space Program for education, and the need for accessible resources to explain complex aerospace concepts to non-engineers.

Detailed Summary:

Together with The Space Show Wisdom Team, Noah and Liz discussed how common AI tools have become in business settings, with Noah sharing examples of AIs being used for interviews and other business functions. We started with Liz giving us an update on her organization’s space education initiatives, including their 2U CubeSat experiments launched with Blue Origin on New Shepard, which have flown repeatedly since 2019 and included a flight with Lauren Sanchez in 2026. The team discussed space safety standards, with participants debating whether space flights should conform to aviation safety guidelines, and whether risk-taking is necessary in the early development of new space technologies. The conversation included introductions for today’s Wisdom Team: John Jossy, John Hunt, and Dr. Ajay Kothari who shared his connections to University of Maryland and discussed their perspectives on space safety and industry standards. Noah and Marshall briefly shared their respective farming experience and background.

In addition, our introductions included Liz telling us about Noah Lugano, the program manager of Teachers in Space, and explained the organization’s mission to get K-12 teachers into space. She described how the program has evolved from a project of the Space Frontier Foundation in the 1990s to a 501C3 organization that received significant funding from Blue Origin in 2021, enabling them to launch classroom experiments on suborbital and orbital flights. The organization currently has 10 mission ambassadors selected based on their commitment to expanding the program and willingness to fundraise, with plans to send the first teachers to space next year.

Noah explained his work training K-12 educators to build CubeSats, providing ongoing support throughout the school year as students work toward milestones including writing experimental proposals and building functional satellites. The CubeSats contain environmental sensors like temperature, pressure, accelerometer, gyroscope, and light sensors, all using open-source materials based on Arduino microcontrollers and Adafruit sensors costing around $120 per kit. Liz detailed the various methods they’ve used to send CubeSats to space, including stratospheric balloon missions since 2012, human-tended payloads on commercial resupply missions to ISS in 2014-2015, stratospheric glider flights since 2016, and flights on New Shepard and Firefly vehicles since 2019, with plans for additional flights next year.

Our TIS guests discussed their educational program where students build CubeSats and conduct space experiments. Elizabeth explained how they received funding from ARDC to teach teachers about amateur radio, providing equipment and opportunities for students to communicate with satellites. Noah described how the program can inspire students who initially showed little interest in STEM, explaining that participating in the engineering design process and seeing real data can fundamentally change students’ perspectives on science and technology.

Noah explained that the main challenge in engaging students in STEM is not lack of interest but lack of awareness about these career possibilities. He described how the CubeSat program introduces students to various skills through hands-on projects, including environmental sensors, sound level measurements, and radiation experiments. Both Liz and Noah provided examples of student hypotheses, including experiments about space capsule environments and radiation protection materials, with one notable student experiment leading to a PhD in chemical engineering.

Liz discussed the evolution of their space education program since 2011, noting that while initial funding came from NASA, they later secured support from various foundations and corporations. She explained that schools don’t directly pay for the program, with funding coming from grants and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Elizabeth described how the program has adapted over time, moving from focusing on NASA enthusiasts to broader audiences interested in aviation and engineering, and noted that teachers’ technical skills have advanced significantly, with many now familiar with Arduino technology.

The discussion focused on a space education program where teachers participate in zero-gravity flights to engage their students. Elizabeth explained how the program has evolved from balloon flights to zero-G research flights, with the first full team of five teachers flying in 2022-23. Noah emphasized the significant impact teachers have as “hometown heroes” after space flights, bringing back valuable experiences and inspiration to their classrooms. The program is currently accepting new teacher participants, with contracts typically being finalized in October for the fiscal year starting that month.

Elizabeth and Noah discussed their approach to recruiting teachers for their STEM education programs, explaining that they target specific geographic areas and work with local education departments to reach teachers. They noted that administration leaders often drive teacher participation, and highlighted a positive trend of newer STEM teachers being hired to write curriculum. The discussion also covered their recent initiative to partner with colleges to teach pre-service teachers, marking a new direction for their program beyond K-12 education.

Before ending, we addressed the appropriate use of artificial intelligence in education, particularly in STEM programs. Both our guests explained how they use AI to help students with programming and sensor integration for CubeSat projects, demonstrating how AI can reduce development time from two days to just a few minutes. The conversation also addressed the challenge of making complex space concepts accessible to middle and high school students, with participants discussing resources like Kerbal Space Program and suggesting that simpler explanations of rocket science could be developed for younger audiences.

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Attendees: David Livingston, Dr. Sherry Bell, Philip Swan, Marshall Martin, Dr. Ajay Kothari, Elizabeth Kennick, John Hunt, Noah Luogameno, John Jossy.

Special thanks to our sponsors:American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Helix Space in Luxembourg, Celestis Memorial Spaceflights, Astrox Corporation,