Plano ISD Student Artwork & Experiments Blast into Orbit through NASA-Inspired Patch Contest

UPDATE: NASA and SpaceX now are targeting 6:05 p.m. EDT Friday, May 15, for the launch of the 34th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. 

From sketchbooks in Plano ISD classrooms to artwork tied to a real NASA mission, two student artists are reaching new heights after winning the district’s Mission 19 Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Patch Contest. 

Noah Walker, a fifth-grade student at Barksdale Elementary School, earned top honors in the elementary division, while Julius Willems, a sophomore at Clark High School, captured the secondary division title with his bold mission-style design.

The districtwide contest challenged students to create original mission patches inspired by space exploration, discovery and Plano ISD’s participation in the national SSEP program. What started as a creative opportunity quickly turned into a districtwide phenomenon, with an incredible 1,000 student submissions pouring in from across Plano ISD campuses.

Elementary students alone submitted 750 entries, while secondary students contributed another 250 designs, each bringing a unique artistic vision of space travel, science and innovation.

Now, the students’ artwork will help represent Plano ISD’s Mission 19 SSEP efforts — proving that creativity, innovation and imagination can launch students far beyond the classroom.

Academy High School students were also selected for flight with their experiment, “Capillary Action within Crassula ovata (jade plant) Leaf Cells in Microgravity.” Co-principal investigators Adeena Nasir and Camille Juliet Hatfield developed the project under the guidance of teacher Gwen Thomas. The investigation examines how microgravity affects capillary action—the natural process that allows water to move through plant tissues—using a jade plant cutting housed inside a Fluid Mixing Enclosure (FME) mini-lab. By introducing dyed distilled water into the sample and preserving the plant structure for post-flight analysis, students will be able to study how efficiently water travels through plant tissue in a reduced-gravity environment. Their research contributes to broader conversations surrounding plant sustainability in space and could help inform future space agriculture efforts tied to long-duration missions and human habitation beyond Earth.

A second Academy High School project earned honorable mention recognition for “Microgravity’s Effect on Lignin,” developed by freshman principal investigator Aiyana Xiong under the guidance of teacher facilitator Gwen Thomas. The experiment focuses on lignin, a major structural component found in vascular plants that provides rigidity and support within plant cells and cell walls. The project explores how lignin may respond to microgravity conditions and how those changes could impact plant sustainability in space environments. As scientists continue researching methods for growing fresh food during long-term missions, the investigation aims to contribute valuable insight into how plant structures behave beyond Earth. The findings could one day support efforts to engineer crops better suited for space farming and extended human exploration missions.

Families can watch the launch live and access additional mission details through NASA’s official launch page. Liftoff is scheduled for approximately 6:16 p.m. Central time on Tuesday, May 12.

Walker’s winning artwork feels like a scene straight out of a space adventure. His colorful design features an astronaut floating high above Earth beneath a glowing galaxy of stars and streaks of light. Bright blues, fiery oranges and cosmic purples fill the piece, creating a sense of movement and wonder that captures the excitement of exploring beyond our world.

Willems took a different artistic approach, designing a sleek, NASA-inspired mission patch titled “Mission Twenty.” Framed with a gold insignia border, the artwork showcases an astronaut holding the moon while the phrase “For the Benefit of All” stretches across the design. The detailed shading and classic mission-patch aesthetic give the piece the look and feel of an official spaceflight emblem.

Plano ISD extends a special thank you to Art Coordinator Colin McGrane and Career and Technical Education Coordinator Dan Blier for leading and organizing the Mission 19 SSEP Patch Contest and Spaceflight Experiments Program. Their collaboration helped bring this unique opportunity to students across the district, inspiring creativity, innovation and excitement surrounding space exploration.

The district also thanks the 17 Plano ISD staff members who served on the judging panel and helped select the winning artwork from nearly 1,000 impressive student submissions.