EDUCATION: BASIC INFORMATION
JPL’s Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series is an outstanding educational resource. One recent lecture was “Shake & Bake: How Spacecraft Are Tested to Handle the Harsh Environment of Space,” mentioned below. JPL has posted 115 past von Kármán lectures, covering a wide range of topics; for more on the lecture series, see: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/jpl-and-the-community/lecture-series.
NASA Aeronautics Monthly STEM Newsletter: See the July newsletter here.
NASA eClips Summer 2024: (I love this name!) The NASA eClips program provides “educators with standards-based videos, activities, and lessons to increase STEM literacy, through the lens of NASA.” They have produced materials for grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, Student Productions, and more. So, if you are a teacher, or a care-giver looking to supplement your charges’ learning, or even someone wanting to get up on the latest NASA science, by all means check this program out! The eClips website hosts student-produced educational videos created under the Spotlite Design Challenge; for more information about this really cool opportunity, see: https://nasaeclips.arc.nasa.gov/sdchallenge/home! See the Summer 2024 eClips Newsletter at: https://nasaeclips.arc.nasa.gov/resources/downloadNewsletter/25 or in the Archive: Other Stuff section of the A+StW website..
Check out NASA’s Explore Flight “Museum in a Box!” For everyone, especially students in grades 5-12: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/museum-in-a-box-combined-lessons-02-09-11.pdf
Check out the JPL STEM Education website: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu! It has sections aimed at teachers, K-12 students, college students, and getting an internship at JPL. The “Learn” section has a LOT of really good learning activities for your (grand)children and students, and the “Teach” section has a LOT of resources for K-12 teachers and (grand)parents. Don’t miss the “Events” section, either. The JPL team had done a great job in creating wonderful on-line resource for learning at all levels!
NASA Has a First “A” and the mission directorate concerned with “aeronautics” has a number of teacher and learning resources; see: https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/resources.
See also: Ferguson, Robert G., 2013, NASA’s First A: Aeronautics from 1958 to 2008, from the NASA History Series, SP-2012-4412. ISBN 978-1-62683-010-3. It’s available as a free download at: http://www.nasa.gov/ebooks!
NOTE: The latest monthly NASA Aeronautics STEM Newsletter is posted on the A+StW website’s “Archive: Other Stuff” page, see here. Sign up to get your own monthly NASA Aeronautics STEM Newsletter here.
NASA STEM Resources
For Teachers: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/foreducators/k-12/index.html; NASA EXPRESS Newsletter: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/express
For Students: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/express and chat with other students and NASA experts at the NASA STEM Stars page; see: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/nextgenstem/nasa-stem-stars/index.html
For the Media: https://www.nasa.gov/news/media/info/index.html
EXPLORING NASA STEM
Join NASA’s Museum and Informal Education Alliance! For more information, see: https://informal.jpl.nasa.gov/museum/About
NASA has made a major investment in the advancement and promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. You can check out their offerings at https://www.nasa.gov/stem. See browsing tabs for students and teachers at different grade levels.
STEM for Educators: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/foreducators/k-12/index.html
The NASA Mars 2020 STEM Toolkit could be a valuable resource for teachers, and for lifelong learners as well. See: https://go.nasa.gov/mars-stem-toolkit.
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement offerings under their NextGen STEM Program:
Small Steps to Giant Leaps: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/nextgenstem/ssgl/index.html
Commercial Crew Program: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/nextgenstem/commercial_crew/index.html
Moon to Mars: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/nextgenstem/moon_to_mars/index.html
STEM on Station: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem_on_station/index.html
NASA Aerospace Education Resources
Join NASA’s Aeronautics for Educators Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nasaaeronauticsforeducators
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Education Resources: https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/resources
Leveled Readers: https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/resources/leveled-readers
Museum in a Box: https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/resources/museum-in-a-box
NASA Aeronaut-X STEM for Next Gen: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/nextgenstem/aeronaut-x/index.html
STEM Modules for Aeronautics for K-4: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/aero-prek.pdf
STEM Module: Quiet(er) Supersonic Flight: https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/stem/X59
STEM Module: “Seeing” Sound (Educator’s Guide): https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/chevrons-educator-guide-v6.pdf
STEM Module: X-57 Electric Airplane: https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/stem/X57
STEM Module: Advanced Air Mobility: https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/stem/AAM
Astronomy Teaching Aids for the Visually Impaired: NASA recently released the digital files for 3-D printing of tactile models of the Chandra data of X-Ray universe, see: https://chandra.harvard.edu/resources/misc/visually_impaired.html.