The First ExoLab & What Comes Next!

Year 4. This was the 2016-2017 season. With the engineering expertise of our commercial service provider, Space Tango, and support from the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), Magnitude was finally headed to the International Space Station! Flown aboard the SpaceX-10 resupply mission, ExoLab-1 launched from Kennedy Space Center’s historic pad 39A on 19 February, 2017, and returned home 30 days later. The plant that was studied was the model organism Arabidopsis…

Jun 2023

By Tagami10n, ExoLab, ISS US National Laboratory, Space Hackathon, Space TangoLeave a comment

Opening up the Worldwide ExoLab Platform

The genesis of Magnitude was 10 years ago today! On that first day of summer in 2013, Tony and I decided to bring learning to the very edge of human discovery – and, with a bit of luck – the opportunity to bring others with us to peer over that edge. As a for profit company these experiences for the most part have been behind a pay wall. That changes today. Today, I am exhilarated…

Jun 2023

By Tagami10n, Balloon Launch, Boy Scouts of America, Cansat, ExoLab, Girls in STEM, High Altitude BalloonLeave a comment

Look Back: Year 6

The 2018-2019 year was the beginning of expanded international growth for Magnitude. We kicked the fiscal year off in San Francisco that July receiving an Innovation Award in STEM education at the ISS R&D conference. August had us joining a NASA contingent to Puerto Rico for university outreach. A partnership was launched in Germany with CodeDoor, and our South African NGO partner i-Innovate continued to reach underserved communities. Along the way we picked up 3…

Jun 2023

By Tagami10n, Balloon Launch, ExoLab, Germany, High Altitude Balloon, ISS US National Laboratory, Social JusticeLeave a comment

Look Ahead: ExoLab NEXT! Look Back: Year 7, The Leguminauts.

Look Ahead: ExoLab NEXT As we mentioned at the beginning of the month, we have some exciting announcements to make. We would like to continue to extend access to space for students, researchers, and citizen scientists all over the world. Today we are excited to announce ExoLab: NEXT. An open source hardware initiative for anyone that would like to construct their lab to connect with the ExoLab network of science laboratories. The current form factor…

Jun 2023

By Tagami10n, ExoLab, Leguminaut Challenge, Magnitude LIVE, Space HackathonLeave a comment

Look Back: Year 9. Promise and Uncertainty

2021-2022 was an extraordinary period for Magnitude.io filled with both promise and uncertainty. While the pandemic was raging, our work continued on. Great partners helped us redefine what these moments meant for learners around the world. ExoLab-9 launched aboard the SpaceX-23 cargo resupply spacecraft on 29 August 2021 along with 2,200 kg of payload to the International Space Station. ExoLab-9 carried Trifolium pratense (red clover) with the nitrogen-fixing bacteria Rhizobia leguminosarum for the second time…

Jun 2023

By Tagami10n, ExoLab, NSW Education, OYA, P4S - Plants For Space, United NationsLeave a comment

So Fun Scholarship 2024 [Look Back: Year 10]

In honor of our co-founder, I am pleased to announce the 2024 So Fun Scholarship will open on 21 June. Last year we had applicants from 6 countries, with awardees across 3 age groups. The scholarship program is in memory of the inspirational work of education leader and co-founder of Magnitude.io, Tony Fun Tong So whose middle name was literally “Fun.” Three $500-awards will be granted this year. Awards will be given, one for each…

Jun 2023

By Tagami10n, ExoLab, OYA, Powerhouse MuseumLeave a comment

World Space Week Day 5 with Magnitude.io – Germany and Sri Lanka

While our ExoLab missions exist in orbit 400 km above the planet, we study how to improve life here on Earth. This occurs in many different ways around the world, but it most often starts with teachers. Many partners have been with us for several years already. The unique partners we introduce today are CodeDoor with the Media Center for schools (M@US) in the Gießen-Vogelsberg region in Germany and Dreamspace Academy, a non-profit social enterprise…

Oct 2022

By TagamiExoLab, World Space Week 2022Leave a comment

World Space Week with Magnitude.io – Day 4: Senegal and South Africa

When Tony and I started Magnitude in 2013, we had no idea where it would go. We just knew we wanted to make a difference in the world through extraordinary learning moments. A few years later in 2017 our first mission to the International Space Station became a reality (yet even today I still have no idea where it will go)! What I do know is that we could not possibly do the things we…

Oct 2022

By TagamiExoLab, Opportunities for Youth in Africa, OYA, United Nations, World Space Week 2022Leave a comment

World Space Week – Day #3: Kenya and Morocco

A newly planted tree whip will not bear fruit immediately. It must be given ample water, light, and good soil. The young tree must also be given time to grow and mature. So too with the young minds and knowledge. A constant source of insight and inspiration for Magnitude.io comes from our NGO partners. They too understand that education often feels like planting young trees. The partners we would like to celebrate today are Zaidi-STEM…

Oct 2022

By TagamiExoLab, Opportunities for Youth in Africa, OYA, World Space Week 2022Leave a comment

World Space Week with Magnitude.io – Day 2!

After 9 missions to space, Magnitude.io has engaged schools, science centers, libraries, and museums around the world. World Space Week is a wonderful opportunity for us to share and celebrate the amazing work of our partner organizations as co-create experiences not just today, but for the future that is just over the horizon. For Day #2, we’d like to share the interconnected partnerships established in New South Wales, Australia and the Greater Sydney Area. …

Oct 2022

By TagamiExoLab, NSW Education, Powerhouse Museum, World Space Week 2022Leave a comment