Rocket Carrying OCHS Experiment Scheduled to Launch on Friday

Student scientists explaining their space experiment at a news conference in October 2014 include (from left) Dan Loggi, Lauren Bowersock, Alison Miles, Kaitland Wriggins, Mercy Griffith and Kristina Redmond. A rocket carrying an Ocean City High School science experiment to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch at 1:22 p.m. Friday (Dec. 19) from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The liftoff can be viewed through a live stream at NASA TV from 12:15 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday. Ocean City High School seniors Lauren Bowersock, Kristina Redmond, Mercy Griffith, Daniel Loggi, Kaitland Wriggins, Alison Miles and a handful of administrators and teachers had traveled to Wallops Island on Virginia's Eastern Shore in October to watch the experiment launch. Instead, they witnessed the unmanned rocket explode shortly after takeoff (read more). Nobody was injured in the explosion of the unmanned rocket, but the OCHS experiment was destroyed. The OCHS experiment is part of the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program (SSEP), a national program designed to inspire a new generation of scientists and engineers in the U.S. The Ocean City students competed against others nationwide for the opportunity to have their experiment conducted aboard the International Space Station. The Ocean City experiment analyzes the effect of microgravity on the attachment rate of E. coli bacteria to lettuce cells — information that would be practical if people ever tried to cultivate food during long periods of travel in space, according to Bowersock. At Wednesday's Board of Education meeting, board members saw an OCTV production featuring footage filmed by Ocean City High School's Matt Unsworth. "As tragic as it was, I think I got some good footage out of it," Unsworth said in a bit of understatement. The video was picked up by several major news networks and NASA itself (as part of its investigation) and provided what Unsworth called his "ticket to college." Wednesday's meeting included a recognition of the students in the program and their flexibility and perseverance in quickly reproducing the experiment. "Students like that make it easy for teachers," project advisor Dan Weaver said.