Celebrating 25 Years by Sailing the Silver Sky with Purdue Space Day

As a family-owned roastery in central Indiana, we love our local community and actively support education in our twin cities. Purdue University, also known as the “Cradle of Astronauts” due to its 25 astronaut alumni, is located less than 10 miles from our Office and Roasting Plant. And both their School of Aeronautics and Astronautics and The Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering are only a 10-minute walk from our Hi Vine Café. Given our affinity for space and our proximity to Purdue, we take every opportunity to support their work, helping students Reach for the Moon.

For the past 25 years, the West Lafayette campus of Purdue University has offered Purdue Space Day (PSD), a free, one-day educational outreach program held in the fall for students in 3rd–8th grades and  Copper Moon Coffee is a proud sponsor. This year PSD instructed over 4,000 students (from 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and four other countries) with interactive learning about engineering and space exploration. Students listened to presentations by Purdue alumnus astronauts throughout their day, and they participated in age-appropriate hands-on experiences that are designed to spark their interest in space-centered science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). PSD is also a student-run event, led by several hundreds of Purdue volunteers who act as role models and mentors to participants.

This year, the 25th Annual Purdue Space Day went virtual. The theme was “Sail the Silver Sky,” and all activities focused on the mission planning involved in reaching the Moon. Students also had the unique opportunity to hear presentations from Purdue alumnus astronauts about their first-hand experiences in space. This year’s VIP Astronauts included: Mark Brown (1998, 2005), Scott Tingle (2012), Jerry Ross (2016), Charlie Walker (2007, 2014, 2018), and José Hernández (2019). Throughout the day, participants also had the opportunity to engage in the following space-focused activities. Click the links to download the official Purdue Space Day Handouts

Copper Moon Coffee is honored to be numbered among the partner donors who have helped provide a full day’s worth of space-centered activities at no cost for the youth who participate in Purdue Space Day. We look forward to continuing this partnership for the next generation.