HARRISVILLE, New York (WWNY) – From their minds to the Milky Way. Three Harrisville Central School students are headed to Florida before a science experiment they created is launched into space.
Back in February, we met Ethan LaVancha, Elaine LaVancha and Hailey Meagher. Their experiment was chosen out of nearly 60 proposals submitted to Clarkson University’s “Clarkson Discovery Challenge – Space” program.
Simply put: the experiment will find out the nutrients necessary to keep algae alive in space.
In just a few days, the students will get a tour of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and see their passion in person.
“I never thought I’d actually get to go. I thought, maybe one day, but I never thought it was actually going to happen,” said Elaine.
It took a lot of hard work and trial and error during the experiment, and some setbacks after that partly due to the war in Ukraine.
“The launch kept getting pushed. It was supposed to be in the summer, we were supposed to go to the Smithsonian. But we just had to remember, that yeah, it’s coming. We put in all this work and we’re going to get our reward, and that’s what this is now,” said Hailey.
Before they take off, they enjoyed a send-off from their Harrisville Central School family.
“There were a lot of people. The whole school, cheering. The response we got from the school, it was honestly one of the best feelings ever,” said Ethan.
The experiment is scheduled to launch on November 21 and will be conducted on the International Space Station.
From their lab here on Earth, they’ll compare the outcome of their own results.
It’s an unforgettable moment for their teacher, Nicole Taylor.
“The growth of these kids in their inquiry has greatly increased. I’m sure whatever these children decide to do with their lives, they’ll be very successful,” she said.
From the classroom to the cosmos.
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