ACCESS for Education Foundation Partners
The ACCESS for Education Foundation would like to thank our corporate and educational partners, each of whom have contributed to the ACCESS Foundation through monetary or in-kind donations. If you have an idea of how your organization could contribute to the overall ACCESS effort, and you are interested in becoming an ACCESS for Education Foundation partner, please contact us. In addition, the ACCESS for Education Foundation accepts monetary donations to support the ACCESS for Education Program.
The ACCESS for Education Foundation is a Nonprofit Foundation Established to Carry Out the Educational Mission of Microgravity Enterprises, Inc.
The ACCESS for Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation of
Microgravity Enterprises, Inc (MEI).
Established in 2007, the ACCESS for Education Foundation strives to educate and inspire the next
generation of scientists and engineers by providing outreach and education opportunities focused on space
research and development. Under the ACCESS Foundation’s flagship program, called the ACCESS for
Education Program, MEI is donating payload space, free of charge,
on every one of its commercial launches for the purpose of flying student developed payloads to space.
Microgravity Enterprises, Inc. was founded in 2006 on the basic principle of commercializing space and making it a part of everyday life by developing useful and enjoyable space-based products that are available to the general public at affordable prices. MEI’s goal is to make space accessible, affordable, routine, and most importantly, something that everyone can benefit from every day. MEI is headquartered in Albuquerque, NM and currently launches the company’s products to space from Spaceport America in Upham, NM.
Check out MEI’s first three commercial space products, each of which is made from key ingredients that have actually been in space:
SIATech Students Work with the ACCESS Program to Complete Design Drawings for Inspirational Payload Containers
Working with a mentor from the ACCESS Foundation, a student team from Albuquerque’s
SIATech® (School for Integrated Academics and Technologies) campus completed the solid models and design
drawings 
for the ACCESS Program Inspirational payload containers. The Inspirational payload
containers, which are about the size of an oversized tuna can, will house science payloads developed by K–12
student teams from across the nation during their trip to space and back. SIATech’s participation
with the ACCESS Foundation was recently highlighted on the RAPSA
(Reaching At Promise Students Association) webpage – check out the story –
Students Draft Parts
to Send Into Space.
SIATech® (School for Integrated Academics and Technologies) is an accredited,
award-winning high school program geared toward at-risk students. The program is
classroom-based and student-paced, and uses a standards-aligned customized curriculum
taught through computer software and small group instruction. The core academic subjects
are taught through real-life application of programs that prepare students for success in the
classroom and the modern economy. SIATech at Albuquerque Job Corps Center is thrilled to work in partnership with
the ACCESS Foundation and Microgravity Enterprises, Inc. Information on the Albuquerque SIATech school
can be found at www.siatechabq.org.
AFRL/PTI Provides Machining Services to Make the First ACCESS for Education Inspirational Payload Containers
The Phillips Technology Institute (PTI) and the ACCESS for Education Foundation recently signed
an Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA), the objective of which is "to facilitate K-12 and university students/classes
in the space flight of student designed and built experiments." As a first tangible step under the agreement,
PTI utilized the Air Force Research Laboratory, Space
Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV) machine shop to fabricate a flight compliment of ACCESS Inspirational payload containers,
which will be distributed to local and national K-12 student teams, and flown on the next ACCESS launch.
The Phillips Technology Institute (PTI) is part of the Air
Force Research Laboratory, Space
Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV), located at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. PTI’s
mission is to seek out partnerships between industry, academia, and the Air Force Research Lab that result in
innovative technical and business solutions which benefit the United States Air Force.