Summary
In support of the Saudi Space Agency’s Human Space Flight Program and the Ax-2 mission, CraftED Curriculum partnered with DreamUp (in collaboration with the Saudi Space Agency, Axiom Space, and Nanoracks) to design the complete student curriculum and all teacher training for the DreamKits educational outreach. The work equipped educators and students across the Kingdom with high-quality, inquiry-driven materials that let them conduct ground-based experiments in parallel with the three microgravity experiments flown on the International Space Station. The result was a scalable STEAM experience that engaged thousands of students at dozens of sites, strengthened teacher capacity to facilitate authentic space science, and connected classroom learning directly to Saudi Arabia’s historic astronaut mission.
Case Study
Client: Saudi Space Agency (Human Space Flight Program) in partnership with Axiom Space and DreamUp / Nanoracks
Project: DreamKits student curriculum and teacher training for Ax-2 outreach experiments (Liquid Fireworks, Space Kites, and heat-transfer demonstration)
Date: leading into the May 2023 Ax-2 mission
The Challenge
The Saudi Space Agency’s inaugural human spaceflight mission (Ax-2 / SSA-HSF1) included three dedicated STEAM outreach experiments to be conducted by the Saudi crew on the ISS. The goal was to engage thousands of students across the Kingdom in real-time or near-real-time comparison activities using custom DreamKits.
DreamUp and the Saudi partners needed:
- Complete, classroom-ready student curriculum aligned to the three visual microgravity experiments.
- Clear teacher guides, facilitation protocols, and training so educators (many new to space science) could lead the activities confidently.
- Materials that worked at scale across dozens of official viewing sites and additional schools, while remaining accessible and engaging for a wide range of ages and prior knowledge.
- A design that connected the hands-on Earth-based work to the actual ISS experiments and the broader Human Space Flight Program.
The Solution
CraftED Curriculum was engaged to design the full student curriculum and all teacher training for the DreamKits outreach. Drawing on deep expertise in project-based and inquiry-driven STEM design, CraftED developed the educational framework, student-facing materials, and professional learning experiences that turned the space experiments into structured classroom learning.
Implementation Highlights
Key deliverables included:
- Complete student curriculum and activity guides for the three experiments (Liquid Fireworks / fluid behavior, Space Kites / aerodynamics, and heat-transfer comparison), including background science, step-by-step procedures, data-collection tools, and comparison protocols with the ISS results.
- Teacher guides and facilitation materials with clear learning goals, differentiation suggestions, timing, and prompts for discussion and reflection.
- Full teacher training design and delivery support (content, agendas, and resources) so central trainers and classroom educators could prepare students for the live or parallel events.
- Alignment of materials to inquiry-based practices so students actively gathered and analyzed data rather than simply watching a demonstration.
- Support for both structured site-based implementation (thousands of students at official locations) and more flexible public or classroom use.
The materials were designed to be practical for large-scale rollout while preserving the excitement of real space science connected to the Saudi astronauts’ mission.
The Results
The curriculum and training enabled widespread participation in the Ax-2 outreach:
- Thousands of students across the Kingdom conducted ground-based experiments using the DreamKits and compared their results with the microgravity work performed by the Saudi crew.
- Educators received structured training and ready-to-use materials, increasing their confidence to facilitate the activities.
- The program created a direct, tangible link between classrooms and Saudi Arabia’s first dedicated human spaceflight mission, supporting the Human Space Flight Program’s educational and inspiration goals.
- The materials proved scalable, supporting both large official events and broader school or public use.
This engagement demonstrates how carefully designed curriculum and targeted teacher training can turn a high-profile space mission into meaningful, hands-on learning for students at national scale. CraftED’s approach ensured the educational experience was rigorous, accessible, and tightly connected to the actual science happening on the ISS.
Ready to strengthen PBL (or space/STEM curriculum design) at your school or organization?
Contact Jenny at jenny@craftedcurriculum.com to explore custom curriculum design, teacher training, or ongoing coaching support.
Additional resources:
https://www.axiomspace.com/research/dreamkits
https://ssa.gov.sa/en/humanSpaceProgram/?path=/human-space-program/
About the Author: Jenny
