"Space Laboratory of YouTube"

As a child, I read out space science fiction. I remember that a separate impression on me was made by a thin book in the soft cover “I have a spacesuit, ready to travel” Robert Heinlin. Still, the main character and I were almost the same age. And we had the only dream - to fly to the moon.

Educational experiments are regularly conducted on the ISS, the results of which can be used by schoolchildren (and even be directors). For example, this year, during the ISS-27 expedition, an experiment “Spiders in Space” was conducted, during which two spider Nephila Clavipes spent round (three-dimensional) web, which are not in earthly conditions.

The boy from Heinlin was lucky, he was able to participate in the competition with the main prize - a tourist ticket to the moon. And let him won not a desired flight, but a spacesuit, a large space journey awaited him. I was less fortunate, cosmic romance in Russia was declining, it was no longer talking about flights to the moon. But the situation may change. Perhaps the new generation of the guys will again light the romance of the conquest of the cosmos in their hearts? And they have chances. If during my childhood, only science fiction writers described serious space contests, now they are becoming reality.

Space Adventures and YouTube (Google) with the support of NASA, ESA and JAXA announced the contest "Space Laboratory of YouTube" (YouTube Space Lab).

Schoolchildren and students aged 14 to 18 years can take part in this competition. To do this, you need to apply for up to three people an application for a competition and come up with one or more space experiments for conducting an international space station on board in 2012

The essence of the space experiment must be recorded in the form of a two -minute video and uploaded to YouTube (you can use several languages, including Russian, but it is recommended to present your experiment in English). The proposed work will be evaluated by both the jury and Youtube users.

The deadline for filing applications is from October 11 to December 7, 2011.

Experiments can be of any orientation, but with understandable restrictions on safety and space flight conditions. Examples of previously conducted experiments (physical and biological) are posted on the competition website.

On January 31, 2012, regional winners will be announced, and on March 13 - international.

Among the prizes there is still no flight to the moon, but the winners are waiting not only for satisfaction from the fact that their experiment will be carried out on board the ISS. The authors of the most interesting experiments will be able to go to Japan, to the start of the HTV cargo spacecraft, or to the Center for the training of astronauts in a star town. Other prizes are waiting for them. Including ... yes, your own spacesuit!

Details of the competition on www.youtube.com/spacelab

Alexander Khokhlov
Photo: NASA, BIOSERVE