I report an innovation that provides a compelling demonstration of rocket propulsion, appropriate for students of physics and other physical sciences. An electrical spark is initiated from a distance to cause the deflagration of a combustible vapor mixed with air in a lightweight plastic bottle that is consequently propelled as a rocket by the…

This study, a sub-study of a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded research project, applies a modified strategy of the U[superscript 2]MC for an eight-week afterschool robotics curriculum to promote upper elementary students' computational thinking in the second grade. Twenty-one students in second grade participated in a Life on Mars project…

The stars closest to Earth are not particularly remarkable or exciting. They are average stars typical of the spiral arms of our Milky Way galaxy. In fact, until recently, most astronomy and Earth science textbooks ignored all but the largest of them to focus on distant, more exotic objects like red supergiants or black holes. The recent discovery…

Many students probably know something about space from playing computer games or watching movies and TV shows. Teachers can expose them to the real thing by launching their experiments into near space on a weather balloon. This article describes how to use high-altitude ballooning (HAB) as a culminating project to a chemistry unit on experimental…

In a remarkably brief period of time, humans have developed technology that allows space travel to become a reality. Rockets have been built, energy systems designed, and planetary forces understood. In the activities described in this article, students investigate space travel by designing their own rockets and manipulating variables to determine…

Imaging and other scientific instruments in space can reveal mysteries of the universe that reach far beyond any distance that would ever be practical for human space travel. As far back as the 1600s, Galileo used the crudest possible telescope technology to see the largest moons of Jupiter. The secret to making telescopes better is to make their…

This paper will explore a problem finding task the authors developed as one component of the Mission to Mars curriculum, an inquiry-based science unit developed by Petrosino & The Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (CTGV). The paper also attempts to address evolving conceptions of the problem generation task, primarily from that of…

This article discusses how math skills, teamwork and higher-level thinking come together when students create strategic board games. In this article, the authors provide a glimpse of what it was like to be part of "To the Sun!," a game designed by students in the fifth-grade class at Olive Martin School in Lake Villa, IL. Students combined a math…

Describes a drama where students play the parts of NASA employees in charge of planning a space mission to one of the planets. (PR)

Describes a one-week, cooperative-learning assignment in which students design their own space stations. (PR)

Presents several classroom ideas to help students understand their relationship to and their place in the universe as well as how difficult it would be to find life beyond Earth. Lists activities for children including the "Map Procedure," the "Model Procedure," and "Good Ol' Sol." (CW)

The MOONBASE AMERICA project involved teachers and 96 secondary school students who participated in the project by helping to build MOONBASE, taking a space science course, creating a communications network, and completing a 7-day simulation in the MOONBASE structure. Teacher and student outcomes were evaluated. (MDH)

Presents names, phone numbers, and addresses for obtaining space resources used in classroom instruction. (PR)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center, and their partners at other NASA centers and in private industry, are designing and beginning to develop the next generation of spacecraft to transport cargo, equipment, and human explorers to space. These vehicles--the Ares I and Ares V launch…

Uses space explorations to integrate learning activities in science, language arts, math, social studies, art, foreign language, and physical education. (PR)