Filed under: Conference, K-12, NASA, STEM, Science, Teacher Development, Teacher Opportunities, Webcasts
Join NASA and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for the Apollo Space Program Virtual Conference for Educators, a FREE online conference taking place on Nov. 10, 2009, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.
Forty years ago the Apollo Space Program met President Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the moon, one of the most significant achievements of the 20th Century. Join experts as they present the challenges of the Apollo program and examine the remarkable technologies that made the moon landings possible.
Participate in interactive discussions that highlight the Apollo program and its impact on American and world history and our lives today. Explore ways to teach your students how to use primary source materials.
The online conference includes sessions of general interest and sessions for secondary teachers with ties to the NASA History Advanced Placement and Human Geography Advanced Placement projects.
Are you new to virtual conferencing? A virtual or online conference is similar to other professional conferences, only you access it online. Registration is free and open to everyone. All of the conference sessions are recorded and archived so they may be played at any time.
Registration is required. To learn more and to register online, visit http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/eventDetail.cfm?eventID=1609
Filed under: Astronomy, Cool Science, Higher Education, K-12, STEM, Science, Student Opportunities, Webcasts
YouTube viewers have the opportunity to “Ask a Nobel Laureate” a question via the Internet. NASA Astrophysicist John Mather, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2006, is the first Nobel Laureate to participate with Nobelprize.org, the official Web site of the Nobel Foundation, and he will answer a selection of video questions uploaded onto YouTube.
Nobelprize.org manages TheNobelPrize YouTube channel and disseminates content from their archives gathered since the first Nobel Prize was awarded in 1901. Mather is the first NASA researcher to receive the Nobel Prize, which he received with George Smoot for their discoveries regarding the echoes of the Big Bang – providing extraordinary glimpses of the beginning of the universe.
Questions must be submitted by Oct. 30, 2009. John Mather will post video responses to a selection of questions shortly after.
To participate online and see questions that have already been submitted, visit http://www.youtube.com/thenobelprize
For more information about John Mather and his discovery, visit http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2006/index.html
Filed under: Cool Science, K-12, NASA, STEM, Science, Student Opportunities, Webcasts
Cassini scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California will answer questions about Saturn from students who entered the Cassini Scientist for a Day essay contest.
This live event will air on the “NASAJPL” channel on Ustream TV (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasajpl) on Oct. 20, 2009, beginning at noon PDT (3 p.m. EDT). This program will also be archived for later viewing.
More information on the Cassini mission is available at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and http://www.nasa.gov/cassini
Filed under: Astronomy, Cool Science, Higher Education, K-12, NASA, Science, Student Opportunities, Teacher Opportunities, Webcasts
NASA invites students and faculty to an internet chat with Peter Schultz, co-investigator with the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission. NASA’s LCROSS, which is searching for water ice in the Cabeus A crater near the moon’s south pole, culminated with two lunar impacts on Oct. 9, 2009. Schultz is also involved with two other NASA missions: Stardust-NExT and Deep Impact eXtended Investigation. To learn more about Peter Schultz and his career, please visit http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/centers/kennedy/technology/schultz_peter.html.
The chat will begin at 2 p.m. EDT on Oct. 15, 2009, at http://ESMDSpaceGrantProject.universitywebchat.com/chat9385/.
The chat room will not be available until 5 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. There are 100 slots available that will be filled on a first come/first serve basis.
Participants are encouraged to submit questions ahead of time to Mandi.C.Falconer@nasa.gov. Questions about the activities surrounding LCROSS can also be asked during the chat.
For more information about the mission, visit the NASA mission page at http://www.nasa.gov/lcross. You can also follow the mission on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LCROSS_NASA and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/LCROSS-Lunar-Impactor-Mission/154478180006
Filed under: Aeronautics, K-12, NASA, STEM, Science, Student Opportunities, Webcasts
NASA and Disney Parks, which collaborated to carry toy space ranger Buzz Lightyear into orbit, are launching new efforts to encourage students to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The 12-inch-tall action figure spent more than 15 months aboard the International Space Station and returned to Earth on Sept. 11. On Friday, Oct. 2, a ticker-tape parade at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., will officially welcome Lightyear home.
“Buzz’s historic spaceflight is a great example of spreading the excitement of space exploration with students around the world,” said Joyce Winterton, NASA’s assistant administrator for Education at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We hope our space station crews and Buzz will continue to spark student interest in the space station and its scientific potential.”
NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, the station commander from October 2008 to April 2009, is spending the day at the Magic Kingdom to tell students about two new educational design challenges and a new online game.
Mission Patch Design Challenge: Students ages 6-12 will have the opportunity to design a patch to commemorate Lightyear’s mission and his accomplishment of being the longest serving space ranger. The student with the most creative mission patch and 100-word essay will win a tour of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and a trip to Walt Disney World Resort. NASA will fly the winning patch into space then present it to the contest winner.
Kids in Micro-g Experiment Challenge: Students in the fifth through eighth grades are encouraged to devise experiments to be conducted aboard the space station. The 12 winning experiments will be performed by the end of the school year and videotaped for the winning schools.
For more information about the challenges, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/buzzoniss
NASA and Disney Parks are launching a new online game as part of the Space Ranger Education Series. The series includes fun educational games for students and materials for educators to download and integrate into classroom curricula. In the newest game, “Putting It All Together,” players can build the entire station using all of the real modules.
“We can’t thank our partners at NASA enough for bringing Buzz Lightyear home from space to his family, friends and fans here at Disney Parks — after all, this was his dream come true,” said Duncan Wardle, vice president of Disney Parks.
NASA Television will air highlights of Finke’s meeting with students and the Buzz Lightyear parade. For streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For information about other NASA education programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/education
For more information about the space station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station
For more information about the space shuttle, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
Filed under: Aeronautics, Astronomy, Cool Science, Educational Materials, NASA, STEM, Science, Webcasts
In 1969, millions of people around the world gathered around their television sets to watch NASA make history by putting the first man on the moon. Now, forty years later, we will gather around the television set again to watch the beginning of NASA’s Return to the Moon.
On Oct. 9, 2009, at approximately 7:30 a.m. EDT, the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, along with the spent Centaur upper stage rocket will impact a permanently shadowed crater near the lunar south pole.
Following four minutes behind, LCROSS will fly through the debris plume created by the Centaur. LCROSS will collect and relay data back to LCROSS mission control at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California before impacting the surface and creating a second debris plume. The impacts will provide a wealth of data that will help scientists determine the contents of these permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles.
Viewing parties are planned across the country to witness this historic event. To see a list of events taking place in your area, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/impact/event_index.html
For those unable to attend an event in person, NASA TV will stream live video. The broadcast will be available online at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For this historic day, NASA has created the LCROSS Impact Kit. This kit is full of videos and educational materials to inspire and engage your students in America’s return to the moon. The kit is available on the Web at http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/impactkit/
Filed under: Astronomy, Educational Materials, Higher Education, K-12, NASA, STEM, Science, Webcasts
In 1969, millions of people around the world gathered around their television sets to watch NASA make history by putting the first man on the moon. Now, forty years later, we will gather around the television set again to watch the beginning of NASA’s Return to the Moon.
On Oct. 9, 2009, at 7:32 a.m. EDT, the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, along with the spent Centaur upper stage rocket will impact a permanently shadowed crater near the lunar south pole.
Following four minutes behind, the Shepherding Spacecraft, or LCROSS, will fly through the debris plume created by the Centaur. LCROSS will collect and relay data back to LCROSS mission control at NASA’s Ames Research Center before impacting the surface and creating a second debris plume. The impacts will provide a wealth of data that will help determine the contents of these permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles.
For this historic day, NASA has created the LCROSS Impact Kit. This kit is full of videos and educational materials to inspire and engage your students in America’s return to the moon. The kit is available on the Web at http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/impactkit/.
Tune in on Monday, Sept. 21, 2009, at http://dln.nasa.gov/dln/content/webcast/ for a discussion of the contents of the impact tool kit and suggestions about how to use it in your classroom or in your community.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and space shuttle astronauts will participate in live education webcasts on Sept. 8 at 2 p.m. EDT and Sept. 10 at 1 p.m.
On Sept. 8, students will hear insights from Bolden, young agency professionals, and STS-128 mission astronauts Jose M. Hernandez and John D. Olivas about the challenges and successes of their exciting NASA careers.
On Sept. 10, Bolden will join astronauts from the STS-125 Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission to discuss the flight and newly released images from the observatory. Commander Scott Altman, Shuttle Pilot Greg (Ray J) Johnson and Program Scientist Eric Smith will participate.
Webcasts are produced free of charge by the NASA Digital Learning Network. NASA uses the network’s capabilities to deliver unique content by linking students and educators with agency experts. The program provides interactive educational experiences for students and teachers from kindergarten through college across the country and around the world.
To view the webcasts on Sept. 8 and 10, visit http://www.nasa.gov/education/dln
Tuesday, September 1 at 8pm ET/PT on PBS After four decades of fly-by probes, orbiters, landers, and rovers, the quest for life on Mars is as tantalizing as ever. With unique access to the NASA Phoenix and Mars Exploration Rover missions, NOVA shows scientists and engineers in action, directing the operations of spacecraft millions of miles away, as the robotic explorers drill into rock, claw into soil, analyze samples, and trundle across the rock-strewn landscape in search for signs that Mars once or maybe even still harbors some form of life. NOVA goes behind the scenes of the latest NASA missions to the Red Planet to reveal new clues and challenges on the road to answering this ultimate question: Is there life on Mars? See some of the finest images ever taken of the martian surface–including Phoenix’s most famous–on the program’s companion website.
Read more here; http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/mars
Remember, most NOVA episodes stream on their website the day after the premiere, so if you missed any broadcast, you can catch it at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/programs
Filed under: Cool Science, NASA, Science, Webcasts | Tags: Space Shuttle, Space Shuttle Discovery, Space Shuttle Launch, STS-128
The next attempt to launch the Space Shuttle Discovery will be at 11:59 pm EST tonight, Friday August 28, 2009. The previous attempt was aborted due to valve problems discovered during shuttle prep on Tuesday. The current mission, STS-128, will resupply the International Space Station, deliver the COLBERT treadmill, and drop off new crew member Nicole Stott.
For more information about STS-128, visit the NASA shuttle website at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html
To watch the shuttle launch lice online, visit the NASA TV website at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
