Creativity, critical thinking and scientific inquiry are developed and applied to design a simple experiment to fly on a NASA mission this summer!
Online Cadet Academy - 2026
-
Author:
Amber Agee-DeHart -
Student Level:
10-13 Years of Age -
Time to Complete:
at least 8 weeks
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Online Cadet Academy
for Upper Elementary and Middle School students
for Upper Elementary and Middle School students
suborbital science and engineering
nothing but nerdy awesomeness here
Deadline to Enroll: 22 March 2026
nothing but nerdy awesomeness here
Deadline to Enroll: 22 March 2026
Write your awesome label here.
Write your awesome label here.
Write your awesome label here.
Big Science in Little Cubes
Suborbital Science
in Action
This is an exciting and new offering to our Cubes in Space program. Cadets learn and apply the FUNdamentals of scientific inquiry and design processes. This is not your typical lecture course. We will engage WITH cadets to develop, improve and apply creative and critical thinking skills while learning about suborbital space science. This is definitely an action-packed "learn it - apply it - do it" approach to learning. Cadets will communicate and collaborate with each other during weekly class sessions and learn from each other too! And we can't wait to start working with these brilliant young minds!
Ingenuity Taking Flight
Cubes in Space™
Cubes in Space™, an iEDU program, is offered in collaboration with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center - Wallops Flight Facility, NASA's Balloon Program Office and NASA's Sounding Rocket Program Office.
What Cadets Will Do
Read Testimonial | Join! | Learn! | Launch Experiment!
Frequently asked questions
Is my child's experiment guaranteed to fly on the Cubes in Space mission?
As part of this course, we reserve a space on our Research Balloon-11/NASA Salter Test Flight mission launching in August 2026. However, students must successfully complete all activities on time and give a final experiment presentation for their experiment to fly on the RB-11 mission. (We will discuss our Sounding Rocket-12 mission in the context of a different type of suborbital space flight. In our program, only US citizens or permanent residents are eligible to fly an experiment on NASA's sounding rocket program. )
Will you communicate with parents?
Absolutely! Each week we will send a short message describing your child's progress. And if there are issues with which we need your assistance to help your child to be successful, we will not hesitate to contact you in a timely manner.
Do we get a refund if my child doesn't successfully complete the course.
Short answer: no. We ask for your help to encourage your child to meet all the requirements and complete the course.
What happens if my child misses a class?
Class sessions will be recorded and posted for one week. Students will need to watch the missed class and complete the activities on their own.
When are activities "due"?
Unless otherwise specified, activities must be submitted by Sunday evening by 11:59 PDT (-7GMT). This gives the instructor a full day to review activities and provide personalized feedback.
What happens if my child does not complete a required activity?
The instructor will email parents on Mondays if an assignment is not submitted. Students will be permitted to submit one assignment late. This late assignment must be submitted no more than one week past the due date. For extenuating circumstances (illness, family emergency, death in family, etc), parents must contact the instructor to discuss and agree to a completion schedule.
Will you contact my child directly?
ONLY if you give permission and supply their email address. If we are given permission to contact your child, we will ALWAYS cc you. However, standard procedure is to direct message correspondence to you.
Do parents/caregivers see the course content and messages?
YES. As parents register and enroll their child in the course, that adult has full access to the course. The parent will need to provide the login and password information to their child to access the course and activities.
What platform is used for the live class sessions?
We use Zoom. The meeting invitation link is posted each week, and the link also stays the same week-to-week. However, we will send out an email and the meeting link the day before our live session. Additionally, now our Zoom account provides AI summaries of meetings. The summary will be posted within 48 business hours of the live meeting in the course.
What if for privacy reasons my child can't be video recorded?
Please contact us directly, and we will discuss the best solution for you and your child. info@cubesinspace.com
What is my child required to have for this course?
- Access to a computer and stable internet.
- Parents, please create a Padlet account (www.padlet.com) for your child. We use this platform as a transparent and safe way for students to collaborate with each other and receive constructive feedback on activities.
- Access to a free Canva account (www.canva.com)
- A notebook where pages are permanent (not a binder)
My child has special learning needs - is this course a good fit?
This is an honest answer. We do not receive any federal, state or local government funding sources to support Cubes in Space. We are an entirely privately-owned entity. Therefore, we are not legally required to accommodate special learning and behavioral needs. However, the Director of Cubes in Space and the Instructor for the Cadet Academy does have a MS degree in Special Education and has decades of experience with accommodations and individualizing educational experiences. Please contact us at info@cubesinspace.com to set up a call to discuss your child's needs prior to purchasing the course. We want to ensure that this course is the right fit for your child while ensuring a high-quality experience for all students in the course.
Meet the instructor
Amber Agee-DeHart
Over 25 years of experience in program management, communications, instruction, curriculum development and instructional design. Accomplished in the design and delivery of environmental science, integrative STEAM, workforce development and aerospace education programs for students and teachers for organizations such as NASA, the National Institute of Aerospace, Universities Space Research Association (USRA), idoodlesoftware inc, the Rubik Learning Initiative (RLI), and the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC).
Recipient of numerous awards including: the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Team Award; the NASA LaRC Director’s Award for Creativity, Teamwork and Innovation; the Virginia Math and Science Coalition’s Programs That Work Award; the NASA Robert H. Goddard Exceptional Achievement Team Award, and the NASA Robert H. Goddard Outreach Award.
Elected to serve as Chairperson on the University Space Research Association's Science and Engineering Education Council and serves on the Virginia Aerospace Business Association Outreach and Scholarship Committee.
Recipient of numerous awards including: the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Team Award; the NASA LaRC Director’s Award for Creativity, Teamwork and Innovation; the Virginia Math and Science Coalition’s Programs That Work Award; the NASA Robert H. Goddard Exceptional Achievement Team Award, and the NASA Robert H. Goddard Outreach Award.
Elected to serve as Chairperson on the University Space Research Association's Science and Engineering Education Council and serves on the Virginia Aerospace Business Association Outreach and Scholarship Committee.
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