SpaceX Dragon Capsule Returns to Earth After Successful Mission to ISS

Congratulations SpaceX!

The SpaceX Dragon capsule experienced spashdown off the coast of Baja California. 27′ N 120′ W.  According to NASA, the landing was on target and recovery ships are working on retrieval.

This mission was a demonstration flight by Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, as part of its contract with NASA to have private companies launch cargo safely to the International Space Station.

Visit the NASA website for details about the mission:

There will be a press conference with NASA and the SpaceX team on NASA TV at 11 AM PST

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Celebrate the Launch of Astronaut Joe Acaba – Live Webcast May 15, 2012

Educator and astronaut Joe Acaba will launch to the International Space Station to join Expedition 31. Students and educators can join NASA’s Digital Learning Network on May 15, 2012, at 12 p.m. EDT to celebrate the launch and to meet an astronaut trainer who helps prepare astronauts for their missions. There will also be a chance to ask questions.

Before joining the webcast, be sure to take a moment and visit Teach Station, NASA Education’s newest website for students and educators about the International Space Station. Visit the website often and watch for opportunities to connect with expedition crew members and other NASA education opportunities. Be sure to check out the page A Teacher in Space and meet Joe Acaba. Read about his experience as an astronaut and his transition from being a classroom teacher to becoming an astronaut in the astronaut corps.

Visit the new website at http://www.nasa.gov/education/teachstation.

View NASA’s Distance Learning Network webcast at http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/dln/index.html.

Mathematical Models: Black Holes Web Seminar – March 29, 2012

Register for the Mathematical Models: Black Holes Web Seminar

As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences for educators, the NASA Explorer Schools and Learning Environments and Research Network, or LE&RN, projects are hosting a 60-minute live professional development Web seminar for educators on March 29, 2012, at 8 p.m. EDT. Misconceptions about black holes will be addressed, as participants learn background information about the structure and behavior of one of the universe’s most mysterious and spectacular bodies. Learn how to derive the equations used in the Black Hole Math problem set for students to better understand the physics of black holes.

For more information and to register online, visit https://digitalmedia.wufoo.com/forms/nes-webinar-registration-mathematical-models/.

To learn more about the NASA Explorer Schools project, visit http://explorerschools.nasa.gov.

Webcast for Teachers – Learn About the NASA Educators Online Network (NEON) – March 28, 2012

Join presenter John Weis from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., for an hourlong free webcast on March 28, 2012, at 3 p.m. EDT. This webcast will provide an overview of the NASA Educators Online Network, or NEON, learning community. Learn how this worldwide community of educators, scientists and engineers can provide you with support, training and resources. This session will emphasize the steps to join and how to make the community work for you.

For more information and to view the webcast, visit http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/dln/index.html.

To learn more about NEON, visit http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/nes2/home/NEON.html

Free Exploring Space Lecture – Big Bang for the Buck: Cosmology from WMAP – Webcast March 22, 2012

The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy, or WMAP, Explorer space mission mapped the remnant radiation from the Big Bang across the entire sky. From the patterns observed, scientists have deduced the age, history, contents and geometry of our universe. Professor Charles Bennett will discuss discoveries made and mysteries that remain.

The lecture will take place on March 22, 2012, at 8 p.m. Come early to see a free film and to meet the lecturer.

The lecture will be held at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and is free to attend. Tickets are required. The lecture will be webcast live for free viewing online. Lecture video will be archived.

For more information, visit http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/eventDetail.cfm?eventID=3725.

Live Video Chat: In Celebration of National Women’s History Month – March 22, 2012

In celebration of Women’s History Month, a panel of outstanding women at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., will answer student questions about their contributions to the missions and goals of NASA. Meet Judith Watson, a senior research engineer, Julie Williams-Byrd, an electro-optics engineer, Kimberly Land, a communications, education and public outreach manager, and Lindsay Rogers, a resources management analyst.

Join the video chat on Mar. 22, 2012 from 2-3 p.m. EDT to ask panel members questions about their career paths or the projects they work on. Submit questions during the chat through a chat window, or send them to NASA-Explorer-Schools@mail.nasa.gov.

To learn more about NES, visit the NASA Explorer Schools website. http://explorerschools.nasa.gov

For more information and to view the video chat, visit http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/nes2/home/women-history-month-chat.html.

If you have any questions about the video chat, contact NASA-Explorer-Schools@mail.nasa.gov.

Live Video Chat – Astronomy: Starry, Starry Night – March 16, 2012

On March 16, 2012, Dr. Michelle Thaller from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., will answer student questions from 1-2 p.m. EDT. Dr. Thaller’s research interests are hot stars, colliding stellar winds, binary star evolution and evolved stellar companions. Don’t miss this opportunity to have your students ask Dr. Thaller about her research and the path that led her to NASA.

Submit questions during the chat through a chat window, or send them to NASA-Explorer-Schools@mail.nasa.gov.

To learn more about NES, visit the explorerschools.nasa.gov website.

For more information and to view the video chat, visit http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/nes2/home/thaller-chat.html.

“STEM Through the Eyes, Ears and Heart of a Woman” Webcast Series – March 2012

In honor of Women’s History Month, NASA’s Digital Learning Network is pleased to invite you and your students to take a look into the intriguing world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics from a woman’s perspective.

This free webcast series titled “STEM Through the Eyes, Ears and Heart of a Woman” will feature a female NASA STEM professional, along with a high school senior from NASA’s Women in STEM High School Aerospace project, also known as WISH.

This hourlong webcast will take place each Wednesday at 1 p.m. Eastern during the month of March.

For more information and to watch the webcasts online, visit the DLN website at http://dln.nasa.gov.