A Classroom in Space

“Habitat Space” is a series of brief videos that focus on STEM education for students in grades K-12. The videos also provide insights into the experience of living and working in space.

John Shoffner, a 68-year-old man, has led a diverse life as a professional race car driver, a skydiver, and a businessman. However, from a young age, his greatest aspiration was to become an astronaut. Despite believing it to be an unattainable dream, he was given the opportunity to fulfill it this May. Thanks to Axiom Space, a private space company, John spent ten days aboard the International Space Station, traveling on a SpaceX rocket.

During his time in orbit, he conducted demonstrations on single-cell genome sequencing.

“We were able to accomplish so much and have a lot of fun — including creating videos about living in space,” he remarked.

The video series, Habitat Space, is a compilation of short videos that focus on STEM education for students in grades K-12. The videos also provide insights into the experience of living and working in space.

The videos can be utilized as a teaching resource in the classroom, allowing teachers to develop lessons around them.

Shoffner stated, “Children and students have a natural curiosity. Through these videos, we aim to engage them with content that aligns with their interests, encouraging them to explore further.”

In addition to imparting knowledge about STEM subjects, Shoffner believes that the videos teach important skills such as communication, creative thinking, and problem-solving.

He hopes that the videos will inspire both students and teachers to nurture their innate curiosity. “The possibility of that happening is truly exciting,” said Shoffner.