The most critical aspect in the students’ learning experience was having them
master the engineering process. The eighth graders were introduced to the scientific
method earlier in the school year and the NSB project was the ultimate reinforcing tool.
In the student comment section, many agreed that this “once-in-a-lifetime experience”
made them feel like a real scientist and able to collaborate on a real space mission (Figure
21). The pre- and post-survey was designed to evaluate if the balloon project improved
the students’ STEM dispositions.