The INSPIRE Project, Inc. began with a test bed project, ACTIVE/HSGS (High School Ground Station), which involved 100 high schools making observations of transmissions from the Soviet ACTIVE satellite. The second major project was support to a NASA Shuttle/Spacelab mission, ATLAS 1 investigation, SEPAC, in which 1,200 schools participated. In an interview after this project Dr. Taylor said, " it was a giant science fair. I don't think anything quite like this has even been done. There's no way we could afford to fund thousands of professionals. The students are helping us do research in space physics to an extent not possible without them."
In 2000, INSPIRE data began to be streamed from MSFC, 24x7, and in 2001, from the University of Florida Radio Observatory, during the non thunderstorm season, shared with Radio JOVE data.
In Summer 2004, data from GSFC began to be streamed and in the Fall of 2004, an audio/video stream was established from Mt. Aurora, near Fairbanks, Alaska. The audio stream was INSPIRE data and the video stream was in real time television of the aurora.
From the beginning INSPIRE had creative clear vision. It started a pioneering model for education and public outreach in science and technology. This legacy will continue.
A couple other of important INSPIRE history years. In 1989, the organization that will become INSPIRE participates in the ACTIVE Program in collaboration with the Russian Space Agency. In 1991, The INSPIRE Project, Inc. is formed into a nonprofit educational/sciencetific 501(c)(3) corporation.
To read more about early projects please go to Archives under INSPIRE Project Journal.
