EDUCATION RESOURCES
Exploring Space Lectures!
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum offered several ongoing lecture series has for years, including my favorite, “Exploring Space.” The 2026 series theme is “Milestones of Exploration.” While there are no new installments coming up in the near future, three recent lectures are still available on-line here: https://airandspace.si.edu/event-series/exploring-space-lectures.
Our Future on Mars
Was webcast live on June 3, 2026, with Dr. Kelley Weinersmith and Emily Lakadawalla as speakers, see: https://airandspace.si.edu/whats-on/events/our-future-mars . Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the successful landing of the Viking spacecraft in advance (and the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the National Air and Space Museum’s National Mall building, too, see below). The Viking orbiters/landers were highly successful, leading to a number of important robotic missions to the Red Planet in the ensuing years. The speakers also discuss the challenges and rewards of upcoming human exploration of Mars.
Return to Venus
May’s installment of NASM’s Exploring Space Series was “Return to Venus,” presented by Sara Seager and NASM’s Bruce Campbell; see: https://airandspace.si.edu/whats-on/events/return-venus. Earth’s “fraternal twin” is of particular interest, because understanding why Venus is so different from the only place humans can live is incredibly important. Venus is about the same size as Earth, and its mass is also comparable to Earth’s, which means that its density is similar, which implies its bulk composition is similar. Yet Venus’ atmosphere is mostly CO2 and is ~90x denser than ours, resulting in a runaway greenhouse effect that makes Venus’ surface temperature hot enough to melt lead. The amount of solar energy received be Venus is obviously higher than that reaching Earth, but it is very difficult to see how that relatively minor difference could produce such major differences in surface environment.
One factor in the understanding of our climate system is the concept of “feedback.” In our person-to-person contact, positive feedback is a desirable thing. But in terms of system stability, positive feedback is terribly unstable. Some common examples demonstrate this. In an audio system, if a microphone gets too close to a speaker its linked to via an amplifier, any sound picked up by the mike gets amplified and put out the speaker. The resulting sound gets picked up and amplified again, resulting in a vicious cycle that produces an annoying screech.
Another example of a simple system with both positive and negative feedback is a home heating/air conditioning system. If it gets above the set temperature, the A/C acts against the temperature rise (negative feedback) and pushes the temperature back to the set level. If the temperature gets below that set, the furnace comes on to restore the temperature to that set. Now imagine if the system were cross-wired. If the temperature dropped below that set, the A/C would come on and make the situation even worse (positive feedback). Conversely, if the temperature rose above the set point, the furnace would come on and make the situation worse.
Another example: Imagine skateboarding on top of a large pipe. As long as you stayed above the centerline of the pipe, you’d be OK. But if you strayed from the centerline, even a little, gravity would cause you to fall off the pipe. On the other hand, if you were inside the pipe, you could travel safely; gravity would negate any deviation from the lowest point on the pipe.
The Earth’s climate system is complex, and contains a number of different feedback relationships. For example, if global temperatures rise a bit, ice near the poles melt back a bit, reducing the area of the highly-reflective ice cover allowing more heating of the surface, an example of positive feedback.
Here’s the troubling part. We have certain proof that human activity can cause local, regional, and even global change in the Earth’s climate parameters. The complex feedbacks mentioned previously are coming into play in ways we do not fully understand. Humankind is conducting an uncontrolled experiment in the only “test tube” in which we can live.
Here’s why Venus, so much like the Earth, yet with a surface environment so different, is so important. If all of the CO2 equivalent in Earth’s biosphere (our bodies, all plants, and all animals) could be liberated to our atmosphere, it would be 90X denser than it is today, and it would be almost all CO2. Just like Venus.
Many articles have been written about the dangers of a “runaway” greenhouse on Earth. One such is from EOS, a publication of the American Geophysical Union; see here.
Humans and Robots on Other Worlds
The April installment in the Exploring Space Lecture Series can be found here: https://airandspace.si.edu/whats-on/events/humans-and-robots-other-worlds. It was a panel discussion hosted by Astronaut Robert Curbeam, JPL Engineer and Robotics Technologist Havard Grip, and NASM’s own Valerie Neal. Robotic exploration of the Moon and planets has been an important part of the successes of NASA, ESA, and other agencies for over sixty years, and is essential in the upcoming return to the Moon and on to Mars efforts underway in the U.S. and elsewhere.
NASA Interactive PowerPoint Slides for Public Engagement
Get them while you can: https://science.nasa.gov/resource/collection-of-interactive-powerpoint-slides-to-be-used-in-public-engagement!
ATTENTION ALL! The website with internet sources to accompany THE SOURCEBOOK FOR TEACHING SCIENCE is a marvelous resource for developing scientific literacy, reasoning, critical thinking, and research skills, all for learners of all ages. Here’s the link for Chapter 7: Critical Thinking: https://www.csun.edu/science/books/sourcebook/chapters/7-critical-thinking.
SAD NEWS: A very valuable education resource is going away! The Annenberg Learner website will sunset on July 1, 2026. AL has been providing all sorts of educational support books, multi-media resources and more. One of my favorite items was their 20-minute documentary, A Private Universe (https://www.learner.org/series/a-private-universe), about otherwise-outstanding Harvard students continued to hold confused ideas about basic science concepts, particularly in astronomy. You can still access APU from the Annenberg site, but that will be going away. There are copies available on-line if you search…
(GRAND) PARENTS / CAREGIVERS: NASA’s SpacePlace is a great website for you to visit that will help you engage your charges with the excitement of Space exploration using games, crafts, activities, and other information!
TEACHERS: The My NASA Data website has a LOT of mini-lessons to support your classroom instruction in the natural sciences!
ENGAGE “is a resource designed for high school and undergraduate science teachers to improve science literacy and the use of science writing as narrative nonfiction resources.” ENGAGE is a resource presently under development by the American Geophysical Union. It’s a great resource for students, too! Check it out here, and here for an example of materials relating to “Layers of Climate Change.”
NASA Research Experience for Undergraduates Internships: See: https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/internship-programs. The American Astronomical Society also has info about REU programs; see: https://aas.org/careers/internships-summer-jobs.
TEACHABLE MOMENTS are a great way to engage learning interest, no matter if you are a teacher or a care giver. JPL has a wonderful set of assets than can help you pique the interest of others and engage them to learn more about a variety of Space-related topics, all inspired by the latest happenings at NASA. This is great resource for teachers and learners! Please be sure to check it out, and spread the word about it to like-minded friends, relatives, and students: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news/column/teachable-moments.
A recent “Teachable Moment” concerns the unusual asteroid named Psyche, notable because it is composed primarily of metal, not rock. It’s thought to be a remnant of the core of an asteroidal body large enough to have undergone differentiation (where the metals in it sank to form a core, while the lighter rocky material formed a mantle). Psyche is quite large, about a sixth the size of our Moon! Since our deepest drilling to date doesn’t even reach the upper mantle, planetary scientists really want to study Psyche as an example of what Earth’s own core might be like. Plus, Psyche likely contains a LOT of valuable metals (although the mining and transport costs would literally be astronomical!). NASA is planning a mission, also named Psyche, to visit the asteroid. The Psyche spacecraft is undergoing final stages of manufacture, looking for a launch as early as October. Transit time to cover the two-plus billion miles to Psyche will be on the order of six years.
The thought of a metal asteroid is quite engaging, and therefore makes it a perfect teachable moment to stimulate student learning. For more information about that angle on Psyche, see: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news/2023/8/16/psyche-asteroid-mission-aims-to-explore-mysteries-of-earths-core.
NASA’s UNIVERSE OF LEARNING: NASA’s Astrophysics missions are the theme for the Universe of Learning program, which “connects the public to the data, discoveries, and experts that span NASA’s Astrophysics missions. Our team is made up of scientists, engineers, and educators who have direct connections to these missions.” The program has projects and events “designed to inspire engagement and learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Once learners get started, they often return to unlock more secrets of the universe – and perhaps even chart their own path to become a scientist or an engineer.” Find out more about this program here: https://www.universe-of-learning.org/about-us. Check it out with your students, (grand)children, and friends!
STEM EDUCATION: A PATH TO A REWARDING CAREER: Many career paths are open to the student who becomes proficient in STEM topics. Some lead to Academia, but that is not the only area in which to have a rewarding career. STEM also leads to business, military, advocacy, and other areas not intimately-related to STEM. The American Geophysical Union publication, EOS, has an article about 17 examples of how a STEM background allowed people to pursue their career dreams in a variety of fields. This is really good info to share with a young person old enough to ponder their future! For a summary, see here; for the article itself, see here.
SLOOH, THANK YOU! A look through a telescope was an important early moment in my scientific education, as it is for many kids, especially today with the high cost of telescopes and so much light pollution in so many places. One solution is offered by the Slooh Observatory, which runs a series of automated observatories around the world. It is a commercial endeavor, but for a modest cost students can engage in live telescope control and receive age-appropriate learning activities. Slooh isn’t just for students, either. Check it out at https://www.slooh.com.
AND VON KÁRMÁN, TOO! JPL Hosted the Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series, an outstanding educational resource. You can find many past von Kármán lectures, covering a wide range of topics, here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/jpl-and-the-community/lecture-series.
The Staying Power of Apollo: A major communications company is presently running an ad campaign about their latest-generation service, using Apollo imagery and key phrases. Note that the events the ad is built upon are over 60 years old. The children of the target audience are the same as their grandparents were during the Moon landings. Such is the (staying) power of Apollo as the icon of high tech. Those of us in the Space education/popularization biz are fortunate to have such powerful images/memes at our disposal. Let’s use them wisely, and often!
ADDITIONAL EDUCATION LINKS
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 STEM Engagement News: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/news.html
NASA STEM Engagement Overview: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/about.html
JPL Education News: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news
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. See also: https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/search and https://www.nasa.gov/stem/foreducators/k-12/index.html.
NASA Aeronautics STEM Activities: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/armd/aeronautics-stem.
NASA Aeronautics Next Generation STEM for Educators: https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/for-educators.
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.
ISS STEM Downlinks: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem_on_station/index.html .
Join NASA’s Aeronautics for Educators Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nasaaeronauticsforeducators.
Leveled Readers: https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/resources/leveled-readers.
STEM Modules for Aeronautics for Pre-K: 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.