From moon landings to NASA research to the mystery of black holes, space holds a certain appeal to many. 

One junior, Aqil Ishaq, decided to act on these passions and start a space club at school.

“I felt the interest in space sciences in the general student body was very low,” Ishaq said, “and that there weren’t really any programs or many classes offered to students who were interested in the general topic of space.”

The club is sponsored by Mr. Joshua Moore, who teaches Earth and Space Science.

“A student I taught last year, Aqil Ishaq, came to me and asked if I would be interested in sponsoring a club where students can gather to discuss exciting topics around space science,” Mr. Moore said. “I thought that would be a great idea.”

The club meets in Mr. Moore’s room, Room 874, every other Friday.

“The core parts of the meeting include sharing upcoming and ongoing opportunities that relate to the space field, having discussions over recent space matters, sharing the NASA photo of the day and explaining it, highlighting space careers, as well as the member selected mission of the meeting,” Ishaq said.

With Ishaq acting as the club’s president, juniors Riley Hunt, Jocelyn Blouke, and Jacob Knott were elected as the club’s vice president, secretary, and historian, respectively.

“I love being able to lead a group of people who have the same interests and passions that I do,” Hunt said. “Space club members are all very intelligent and passionate, and it’s truly an honor to be their vice president.”

However, while the space club is new this year, this has been a dream for a lot longer than that.

“Back in my freshman year was when I originally came up with the idea of a space club. My original plan back then was to submit the applications and the signature list to the APs after we returned from spring break,” Ishaq said.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, school went asynchronous for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Furthermore, Ishaq was a remote learner last year, so he was unable to start his space club then, either.

“Earlier in my junior year, I refocused myself to get the needed signatures as well as the applications filled out, and I had help from many of my current and previous teachers including Mrs. May and Mr. Moore,” Ishaq said.

For many involved with the club, space is more than simply an interesting topic or fun hobby; it can be a lifelong passion.

“To me, space means opportunity,” Mr. Moore said. “It is an opportunity for humanity to test the limits of our capabilities to know and to do.”

To find out more on space club, the Google Classroom code is qrduca3 and the Remind code is @wesc2022.