Higher Orbits Galactic HQ – June 17, 2024  - Higher Orbits, a STEM-focused non-profit based in Colorado is giving its flagship student program, Go For Launch!, the interplanetary treatment as it heads to Mars, PA. Students in grades 8-12 can now register to participate in a multi-day event packed with activities that are designed to help them develop critical skills needed for success in their future careers.

Through a series of space-inspired activities, students have the opportunity to learn from a featured astronaut and a number of other aerospace professionals, who will serve as mentors throughout the event.

Wendy Lawrence, a retired NASA astronaut and Navy captain who flew multiple space shuttle missions, is the featured astronaut during the event. Lawrence has participated in multiple Go For Launch! events as an astronaut mentor and she cannot stress enough how important opportunities like the Go For Launch! program are, and how these types of programs help nurture student's dreams.

"As someone who dreamed of becoming an astronaut after watching the Apollo 11 mission at age 10, I wish I would have had something like a 'Go for Launch!' event to attend," shares Lawrence. "It would have been just the type of activity to not only keep the dream alive, but also help me take steps toward turning it into a reality."

Go For Launch! is a hands-on program created by Higher Orbits to reach high schools students in hopes of inspiring them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The program is designed for students of all backgrounds—from the STEM novice to the more experienced—with the hopes of
helping ALL students gain the skills and confidence necessary to enter the workforce as the STEMists and Explorers of the future.

The students work with industry professionals on teamwork, communication, research design, and leadership skills. While focusing on spaceflight, Go For Launch! students have the rare chance to work alongside a featured astronaut at each event to learn and develop important skills that can be applied in any professional field.

Go For Launch! participants not only have access to incredible mentors, they also have the opportunity to compete to design an experiment that could fly to the International Space Station.

"This event is a great opportunity for a future in advancing students' success for possible careers in the space industry," said Mayor Gregg of the Borough of Mars, PA. "It will be great to read on a resume that you worked on a project that was on the International Space Station for the betterment of humankind!"

One lucky team will be selected as the winners of the Go For Launch! Mars event. Their team's experiment will then further compete against winning teams selected from other Higher Orbits 2024 series events, which includes events in Sault Ste Marie, MI, Huntsville, AL, Cape Canaveral, FL, and more. The winning team will have the chance to work with Space Tango, a Higher Orbits partner, who will build the overall winner's experiment. The experiment will then launch on a future cargo mission to the International Space Station.

Go For Launch! Mars is open to students in grades 8-12 (including rising 8th graders and recently graduated seniors) from anywhere, and is not restricted to only those residing in Pennsylvania. Running June 24-26, 2024, Go For Launch! Mars will be held in Mars, PA. Interested students can register online at

www.GoForLaunch.Mars. Financial aid is available to students who need assistance to attend this event.

"We are thrilled to welcome the Go For Launch! program to Mars," said Jeff Beckstead, president of the Mars Robotics Association. "Programs like this ignite the future of space exploration by keeping students inspired and engaged. Partnering with Higher Orbits' experts and offering the chance for student experiments to fly on the
International Space Station is truly exhilarating!"

Go For Launch! Mars is generously supported by the following sponsors: Mars Pathfinders Armstrong, RLA Learning and Conference Center, Mars Robotics Association; and Intergalactic Voyagers A-B Emblem, Uniphi Space Agency, Space Tango, and Space Shirts. All Go For Launch! Events are supported by the IDEA Space
Coalition which is supported by Burns & McDonnell, Iridium, and Ridgeline International.

Higher Orbits is truly honored to work with many communities, companies, and individuals. It's through these partnerships that the organization is able to inspire the next generation of STEMists and explorers—the future workforce of our country.

Sponsorships are still available for this event. If you'd like to encourage the workforce of tomorrow, consider sponsoring this event. Please reach out to Michelle@hogerorbits.org for more details.

Founded in 2015, Higher Orbits is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization creating an experiential learning lab for secondary school students across the United States, focused on the multi-faceted worlds of space exploration, research, and spaceflight in order to launch the next generation workforce our world desires. www.higherorbits.org  

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