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Greetings! NASA's Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium K-12 email
newsletter provides information on opportunities and classroom resources
for K-12 educators and students to help you better meet the Pennsylvania
Academic Standards for Science & Technology and Environment & Ecology
as well as the National Science Education Standards.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
1. 2008 Workshop on Exploring and Using NASA MISR Data
2. Learn NASA Content through NSTA Web Seminars
K-12 CONTENT RESOURCES/OPPORTUNITIES
3. Celebrate Sun-Earth Day 2008
4. Free Science Kits
5. NASA Space Settlement Design Contest
6. NASA Education: Additional Video Learning Clips Added to web site
7. Hubble Servicing Mission Links
8. Constellation: NASA's New Spacecraft
9. LIMA: Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica
GENERAL INFORMATION
10. NASA Space Shuttle Endeavor Night Launch Tonight
11. NASA Astrobiology Institute Needs Your Help
12. Name That Space Telescope Competition
13. NASA Maps The Moon With Google
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
- 2008 WORKSHOP ON EXPLORING AND USING NASA MISR DATA
Workshop Date: April 14, 2008
Location: Boston, MA
The NASA Langley Atmospheric Science Data Center is sponsoring a workshop on
exploring and using Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer data in
conjunction with the Annual Association of American Geographers Meeting in
Boston, Mass.
The MISR instrument on NASA's Terra satellite measures aerosols, clouds and
land surface characteristics. The workshop is intended for new and
experienced MISR data users. Participants will learn about the scientific
applications, calibration, geometry and analyses of the MISR measurements.
This workshop will also focus on the available data products and tools to
view and analyze the data, as well as how to obtain the products. Computers
will be available for a hands-on experience.
For more information, visit:
http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/PRODOCS/misr/workshop/current_workshop.html.
- LEARN NASA CONTENT THROUGH NSTA WEB SEMINARS
Now Open for Registration!
New web seminars offered for FREE cover 90-minutes of in-depth information
on topics such as mapping the Moon, Mars exploration, space exploration, and
the International Polar Year. These programs, designed for K-12 educators,
are sponsored by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space
Center, and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The International Polar Year
web seminars are sponsored by NASA HQ in collaboration with the National
Science Foundation and NOAA. Register today and become the best science
teacher you can be:
http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/webseminars.aspx
K-12 CONTENT RESOURCES/OPPORTUNITIES
- CELEBRATE SUN-EARTH DAY 2008
http://sunearthday.nasa.gov
Sun-Earth Day is comprised of a series of programs and events that occur
throughout the year culminating with a celebration on or near the Spring
Equinox, which is March 20 in 2008. The theme for this year's Sun-Earth Day
is "Space Weather Around the World".
Following are just a few of the items you will find at the web site:
Solar Week - March 17-21
During the week of March 17, Solar Week will be open to registered users for
activities and online discussion. There will also be a one-hour NASA Edge
Vodcast (http://www.nasa.gov/nasaedge/) about Sun-Earth Day, Solar Week and
Space Weather Action Center.
In the News! A Problem Based Learning Activity
http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/inthenews/
Since the launch of the SOHO spacecraft, there have been numerous news
articles highlighting discoveries about the Sun. This activity will give you
and your students the opportunity to learn about those discoveries and to
explore the unique challenges that humans face as we prepare for our
journeys to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Eclipse Aug. 1, 2008 - Live Webcast Planned from China
NASA’s Sun-Earth Day team is partnering with the San Francisco Exploratorium
to produce a live total solar eclipse Webcast and broadcast from China, on
Aug. 1, 2008. Check out your local museum for possible activities. More
details to come later in 2008:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/
http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/
- FREE SCIENCE KITS
Grade Level: 4-6
Hurry while supplies last! Each kit contains supplies needed to facilitate
activities for 30 students. A CD with PowerPoint slides and Word documents
of all handouts and supplement documentation is included. Kits are designed
to be used multiple times with different groups.
Kits are available on the following topics:
Operation Communication
Pop Rockets
Trilateration
GeoCache
Interested teachers are asked to submit an essay expressing their interest
in receiving the kits. More information visit
http://spacegrant.colorado.edu/outreach
- NASA SPACE SETTLEMENT DESIGN CONTEST
Deadline: March 31, 2008,
Grade Level: 11-18 year olds
Design a space colony! Space colonies are permanent communities in orbit, as
opposed to being on the moon or other planets. Designing a space colony
involves physics, mathematics, space science, environmental science and many
other disciplines. Individuals or teams may enter. Grades 6-9 and 10-12 are
judged separately, except for the grand prize. All participants will receive
a certificate. Prizes will be awarded to winning entries.
For additional information about the contest, visit
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/Contest/ or contact
Wenonah Vercoutere at Wenonah.A.Vercoutere@nasa.gov.
- NASA EDUCATION: ADDITIONAL VIDEO LEARNING CLIPS ADDED TO WEB SITE
Grades 5-12
The educational video clips listed below have been added to the Videos
section of the NASA Educational Materials site. These video clips are part
of the Universe DVD. To view videos, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/The_Planets.html
Titles in this series:
- Scientists Use Observatories to Learn About the Sun
- The Planets
- A Look Beyond the Planets: Nebulae, Stars, Quasars and Galaxies
- Lifecycle of a Star
- The Evolving Universe
- Is There Life Out There?: NASA's Search Continues
- HUBBLE SERVICING MISSION LINKS
Mission Launch Date: August 7, 2008
View the NASA HST Mission Video:
http://learners.gsfc.nasa.gov/mediaviewer/HSTTrailer1/
View the Hubble Website: http://hubblesite.org/
View the NASA Hubble Website:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html
- CONSTELLATION: NASA'S NEW SPACECRAFT
Ares and Orion online videos
How will America's future explorers return to the moon and journey beyond?
Get the answers with a slideshow, animation and 3-D models. Video may be
viewed online at NASA Video Gallery:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/multimedia/index.html
- LIMA: LANDSAT IMAGE MOSAIC OF ANTARCTICA
The Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA) is the first-ever true-color
high-resolution satellite view of the Antarctic continent enabling everyone
to see Antarctica as it appears in real life. This web site is designed as
part of the International Polar Year to familiarize people with Antarctica,
to explore the richness of its features, to learn about why Antarctica
matters to us all, and to explain and demonstrate how scientists use
satellite imagery to study the continent.
The NASA LIMA website is found by visiting: http://lima.nasa.gov
GENERAL INFORMATION
- NASA SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOR NIGHT LAUNCH TONIGHT
Astronauts bound for orbit this week will dabble in science fiction,
assembling a "monstrous" two-armed space station robot that will rise like
Frankenstein from its transport bed.
View the spectacular night launch, currently scheduled for 2:28 AM Eastern
Time OR go to http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html for
mission coverage.
- NASA ASTROBIOLOGY INSTITUTE NEEDS YOUR HELP
The NASA Astrobiology Institute is developing a professional development
program for teachers in "astroMICRObiology," that is, microbiology science
content in an astrobiology context. We recognize that your input is
critical to developing the most effective program possible, and we
respectfully ask you to consider taking this short survey enquiring about
your experience and needs in teaching concepts in microbiology, and
preferences in lesson and workshop formats. There are 39 questions total,
spread over 5 pages; most questions are multiple choice, and we estimate it
will take 10 minutes of your time. It is completely anonymous.
You can find the survey here:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=MMfC1BnULIirmRhLHxFGiQ_3d_3d
For more information about the NASA Astrobiology Institute, please go to:
http://nai.nasa.gov/.
- Name That Space Telescope Competition!
Deadline: March 31, 2008
Before the latest chapter in the search begins for supermassive black holes,
new laws of physics and the mysterious dark matter, you’ll have the historic
chance to help name the satellite that makes it all possible. This unique
opportunity is open to the public across the globe. Now, YOU may be the one
to offer the name which will be given to the Gamma-ray Large Area Space
Telescope (GLAST) after its launch in 2008. GLAST is NASA’s next generation
gamma-ray mission, designed to explore the most extreme phenomena in our
Universe and probe energy regimes far beyond anything possible on Earth.
For more information and to submit a name, visit:
http://glast.sonoma.edu/glastname/
- NASA MAPS THE MOON WITH GOOGLE
New higher-resolution lunar imagery and maps that include NASA multimedia
content now are available on the Google Moon Web site.
Updates include new content from the Apollo missions, including dozens of
embedded panoramic images, links to audio clips and videos, and descriptions
of the astronauts' activities during the missions. The new content is
overlaid on updated, higher-resolution lunar maps. Also added are detailed
charts of different regions of the moon suitable for use by anyone
simulating a lunar mission.
Google Moon's visible imagery and topography are aligned with the recently
updated lunar coordinate system and can be used for scientifically accurate
mission planning and data analysis. The new site is designed to be
user-friendly and encourage the exchange of data and ideas among scientists
and amateur astronomers.
Astronaut photography was developed in collaboration with the Crew Earth
Observations team, part of the Image Science and Analysis Laboratory at
NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. Satellite imagery of Earth was
developed in partnership with the Earth Observatory team at NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
For more information on Google Moon, visit: http://moon.google.com
For more information on Google Earth, visit: http://earth.google.com
For more information on Google Mars, visit: http://mars.google.com
Leah Bug, NBCT
Education Programs Manager
Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium
The Pennsylvania State University
2217 Earth-Engineering Sciences Building
University Park, PA 16802
Ph: (814) 863-3608 Fax: (814)863-8286
Email: leahbug@psu.edu
http://teachscience.psu.edu
http://explorationday.psu.edu
http://www.psu.edu/spacegrant
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March 10, 2008