Space Exploration and Astrobiology
The National Space Society is dedicated to an era when explorers will return to the moon and beyond...
Links
The National Space Society is dedicated to an era when explorers will return to the moon and beyond. It features biographies about all of the astronauts, supplemented with images and sound.
Space Day is a tribute to those endlessly engaging phenomena which constitute our universe, and to the people who, through their space-related work, have contributed so much to science, medicine and everyday life. With such growing interest, this event has become an annual education event. So if you miss it this school year, you can be ready for it another day.
Outer Orbit is an up-to-the-minute resource with classroom lessons and opportunities for chats with science and industry experts.
At Rice several videoconferencing sessions with space experts are scheduled via CUSeeMe, as well as a number of web links.
NASA Kids Club is targeted towards kids in lower elementary school, while almost all other sites aim at older children. The cartoon-like format evokes question-asking, such as when will our sun become a shooting star? Interactively, kids can connect dots to learn about constellations. If you or your students want to blast off during this summer, try Space Camp.
The Exploratorium in San Francisco is offering astrobiology, the understanding of extreme forms of life on our planet and, more importantly, other planets and space bodies. Visit laboratories in sites, unaccessible to students in the real world,such as Licancabur Volcano in Chile.
Will NASA find evidence of water on Mars? Comprehensive resources can be foun at the National Astrobiology Institute's homepage. Even on earth like Yellowstone National Park where temperatures in the hot springs might be above ninety degrees Centrigrade, life thrives in and around them!
The Genesis spacecraft's mission is to collect samples of the solar wind; comparisons among samples will tell more about the formation of our solar system. NASA also sponsors a Cosmic Dust resource list.
See Also
Annotation
In Telecommunications in Education News, vol 8, #1, published by ISTE, a cool project called "Houston...We Have a Problem" was implemented by linking schools in southern California, Hawaii and Maine via e-mail. To solve the problem one school functions as Mission Control while others simulate functions in the Apollo capsule. They are given space-specific tools, e.g., a nuclear fuel cell, and compete to reach home the fastest. (And, you will recall, speed was critical to the lives of the astronauts so let's agree that this model is a "good" competition). This project is also very authentic in its requirement for coordination between Mission Control and the capsule itself.
Let's think of other projects with similar advances in learning via telecommunications. The world of space science offers rich resources for students. Try integrating these resources with historical studies, such as early explorations.
