EarthKAM is a NASA educational outreach program that enables students, teachers, and the public to learn about Earth from the unique perspective of space. During Sally Ride EarthKAM missions students and the public from around the world request images of specific locations on Earth. The project was initiated by Dr. Sally Ride, America’s first woman in space, in 1995 and called KidSat. The KidSat camera flew on three space shuttle flights (STS 76, 81, and 86) to test its feasibility. In 1998, the program was renamed EarthKAM. The EarthKAM camera flew on two more shuttle flights (STS 89 and 99) before moving to the International Space Station (ISS) on Expedition 1 in 2001. Sally Ride died in 2012, and in 2013, NASA renamed the program Sally Ride EarthKAM. The Sally Ride EarthKAM camera remains a permanent payload on the ISS, supporting about four missions annually.

Discovery Museum will be offering a unique opportunity for the general public to request images from the Sally Ride EarthKAM during Mission 20, running from July 14 through 17.  Online registration is required to participate.

Registrants will receive:

• Username and password information to login to the Sally Ride EarthKAM online Mission Operations Center.
• Assignment of unique “codewords” that will allow you to request your unique images from space.
• Printed instructions and worksheets to support your mission.
• Access to instructional video content on activities you can do at home.
• An invitation to a live tag-up event on  July 13^th at 4:00 PM, hosted by Discovery Museum astronomers, walking you through the steps to request images using the Sally Ride EarthKAM Mission Operations Center.
• Your unique high resolution image available for viewing and personal download, typically within 24 hours.
• Discovery Museum will post the “Best of Mission 20” onto a digital gallery on our website and social media.  Make sure to tell us why this place on Earth was so special to you.