A Smile as Big as the Moon

Mike Kersjes is a high school special education teacher whose students have disabilities such as Tourette's syndrome, Downs Syndrome, dyslexia and a variety of emotional problems. But that doesn't stop Mike from believing that his students would benefit from going to NASA Space Camp, where they could compete in a variety of activities similar to those experienced by real astronauts.

The only problem is that the NASA Space Camp program had been specifically designed for gifted and talented students, the best and the brightest from America's most privileged high schools.

With remarkable persistence, Mike breaks down one barrier after another, from his own principal's office to the inner sanctum of NASA, until Space Camp finally opens its doors, on an experimental basis, to special ed students. After nine months of rigorous preparation, during which the class molded itself into a working team, they arrive at Space Camp, and turn in a performance so surprising that it will leave you breathless.