EDUCATION: ENGAGEMENT
Make Your Own Paper Models of Spacecraft: You can download and print pdf files with instructions and templates to produce 3-D models of Chandra, Compton, Fermi, the HST, and even the JWST and more! Learning retention increases with making such things! See: https://www.nasa.gov/stem-content/universe-spacecraft-paper-models. These make great (grand)parent-child projects!
TEACHERS: The My NASA Data website has a LOT of mini-lessons to support your classroom instruction in the natural sciences! See: https://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov!
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’s Eyes: NASA created software over a decade ago that would help users visualize aspects of various Solar System objects. When I worked with NASA’s Outreach programming a dozen years ago, the representatives of the software showcasing their new products to the public was always the busiest person in the room. For good reason; the Eyes On software was amazing!
It still is. NASA has put all of the previous “Eyes On XYZ” apps under one easy-to-navigate site: https://eyes.nasa.gov. The richness and utility of this software is almost impossible to exaggerate. It’s easy to navigate, and is a font of information on the Sun, the Earth, the rest of the Solar System, Exoplanets, and more! The site includes “Solar System Tours,” such as Voyager, Cassini, New Horizons, Dawn, and more. The site also has access to apps about the Deep Space Network, Curiosity, Earth Now, and more. Check it out, especially with a young person interested in Solar System exploration and Astronomy!
Math, Mentorship, Motherhood: Behind the Scenes with NASA Engineers: Do you have a (grand)child that is interested in Space? Help “bend the twig” with them by checking out this link with them: https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/math-mentorship-motherhood-nasa-engineers!
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. The most recently-posted Teachable Moment is still: “How InSight Revealed the Heart of Mars,” with sections on How It Worked, What We Discovered, Why It’s Important, Teach It, and Explore More.
NASA’s 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.
An earlier Item of the Week dealt with the nature and importance of asteroids, including Psyche, in more detail. It was done in time for Asteroid Day, 2021, and you can see it here: http://www.airandspacethisweek.com/assets/pdfs/20210621%20Asteroid%20Day%202021.pdf
Careers at NASA: If a young person you know shows an interest in astronomy and Space exploration, one tool you can use to help nurture their education would be to review the NASA Featured Careers page at: https://www.nasa.gov/careers/featured-careers. It could give them, and you, a taste of what they need to do at the appropriate time to be able to work for NASA or its partners. I loved it!
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!
Engagement Spotlight: NASA’s Aeronautics Research group has page of K-12 educational resources pertaining to aeronautics: https://www.nasa.gov/aero-at-home . Check it out! There are all kinds STEM activities and learning opportunities.
A great website for you to visit that will help you engage your charges with the excitement of Space exploration is NASA’s SpacePlace. Check it out at: https://spaceplace.nasa.gov.
EDUCATION LINKS AND OTHER INFORMATION
ENGAGEMENT
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 Development and Engagement Branch: https://hrdb.hq.nasa.gov
BASIC INFORMATION
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
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.
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.
NEWS & TIPS
Student Built CubeSat Scores! Ireland’s first-ever satellite was built by students at the University of Dublin, and launched last December. EIRSAT-1 was designed, built, and tested under the guidance of ESA Education Division’s “Fly Your Satellite” program. EIRSAT-1 carries several instruments, including a gamma ray detector. On August 21, 2024, it detected two gamma ray bursts 80 seconds apart. Other spacecraft and ground-based assets confirmed the observation, and more detailed study determined the likely cause was a merger of two neutron stars over 3 billion light-years away. Now THAT’s a cool student project!
Celebrate the Heliophysics Big Year with Free Heliophysics and Math Webinars from NASA! Find out more at: https://science.nasa.gov/learning-resources/science-activation/celebrate-the-heliophysics-big-year-with-free-heliophysics-and-math-webinars-from-nasa-heat.
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 as a Path to a Productive Career: Many career paths are open to the student who becomes proficient in STEM topics. Many paths 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 seventeen examples of how a STEM background allowed people to pursue their career dreams in a variety of fields.