Photo of the Mississippi
River taken by middle school students
with the EarthKam
during a Space Shuttle flight. The camera is
now based permanently on the International Space Station.
Students
can control the camera over the Internet.
This section provides links
to resources on the net related to space education.
The resources range from online courses to NASA outreach
programs.
HobbySpace
is itself a space education site and hopes to provide
students with lots of resources for homework and projects.
HobbySpace
also emphasizes space related hobbies and activities
that individuals can also do independently of school,
government or industry.
However, to carry out those
activities, you often need to educate yourself in particular
areas. So this page will try to help you find sites
that can help with your studies such as tutorials, online
books, and even full-fledge on line courses.
The enormity of the range of
space education resources on the net is truely daunting.
One could easily create a site as large as all of HobbySpace
just to categorize properly the incredible diversity
and number of space education sites.
So this section can only provide
a small sampling of what's available. Many of the linked
sites will have space education link lists as well.
If you don't find here exactly the resource you are
searching for, follow links that are related to your
topic of interest and perhaps link lists at those sites
will in turn lead you to your goal.
Robotic
Telescopes have recently become available
for students to propose and carry out actual observations
via the Internet on large, professional telescopes.
Contests
- many of the contests listed here are aimed at student
participants.
Games
- many space games are both fun and educational.
History
- lots of resources for students studying the history
of rocketry, space exploration, and the politics surrounding
them.
History
Topics - a selection of interesting
events and periods of significance in space history.
Living
Space - links to sites that display
imagery and other data as it arrives from spacecraft
currently in orbit. Most of the science spacecraft
projects offer elaborate outreach projects
to involve students.
Multimedia
- lots of media resources for exploring space: images
galleries, Virtual Reality tours of space stations
and the shuttle, CDROM and DVD space disks, and more.
MusicSpace
- nothing can catch the attention of young people
like music and there are many space inspired songs
and compositions in virtually every music style. Furthermore,
the Space
Music for Young People section discusses
music directly intended to teach kids about space.
Near
Space - high altitude balloons offer
a very low cost alternative to rocket launches for
reaching space-like conditions above most of the atmosphere.
This section provides information on how educators
and students, along with amateur radio enthusiasts,
are utilizing our space shoreline.
RadioSpace
- involvement with space radio projects such as scanning
for satellite signals provides a tremendous learning
experience.
Rocketry
- model rocketry for kids is safe and very exciting
way for young people to learn about science and engineering.
High power and advanced rocketry provide lifelong
learning challenges.
Satellite
Building - AMSATs and student satellite
projects provide direct hands-on experience in space
engineering.
Satellite
Watching - observing and photographing
spacecraft passing overhead will fascinate students
of all ages.
SETI
- projects like SETI@Home let students and the general
public become directly involved with the search of
extraterrestrials.
Simulators
- one of the most fun ways to learn about piloting
spacecraft is to "fly" a simulator on a
computer or a full-size replica in hardware.
Software: Online
& Offline
- lots of programs related to space and astronomy.
SpaceCamping
- tens of thousands of students have spent several
days at the original Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama
experiencing a bit of what real astronauts go through
to train for space.
Space
Science - amateur groups like the Mars
Society are carrying our sophisticated ground simulations
to develop techniques for space exploration. NASA
requires that all space science spacecraft groups
provide outreach programs to involve students
with the projects.
SpacePorts
- go to the Kennedy Space Center and other spaceports
around the world to see launches and spacecraft under
preparation for launch.
Arts Catalyst:
the science-art agency - British-based organization
that carries out collaborative art and science projects
such as dancers performing in zero-g on parabolic
flights.
Project
ASTRO NOVA - a collaboration of "Astronomers
and Teachers as Partners for Learning"
Astronaut
Scholarship Foundation - "More than 50
astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab,
and Shuttle programs are helping the United States
retain its world leadership in science and technology
by providing scholarships for college students who
exhibit motivation, imagination, and exceptional performance
in the science or engineering field of their major.
To date, the foundation has awarded more than $2 million
in scholarships to 195 deserving students."
Future
Astronauts of America Foundation - "multi-faceted
program designed to encourage young students and adults
to become involved with the exciting world of space
science and it's applications"
EarthKam
- camera on the Space Station is controlled over the
Internet by middle school students to take pictures
of the earth. The project is based at the Univ. of
California at San Diego and funded by NASA.
Galaxy
Explorers - a new program similar to tradional
scouting in which students in grades 3-11 can participate
in rocketry, space science and other space related
programs.
Global
Space League - "arranges for kids to
take part in real science experiments deployed in
exciting places not usually accessible to them --
the stratosphere, the ocean, onboard test flights
of exotic vehicles, and similar cool places!"
OK Spaceplanes
project - student built paper airplanes released
from high altitude balloon platform. ID allows
recovery at great distances.
National
Aerospace Development Center - "independent
nonprofit, nonpartisan center supporting the development
of space through information research, analysis, outreach
and education."
Odyssey
of the Mind- student problem solving competitions
- sometimes involve space related challenges.
Orioncraft
Aerospace Guild is a "non-profit professional
and educational venture" in which "students
and volunteers can experience hands on design projects,
and learn about engineering and manufacturing."
The program aims "to provide the tools and workers
for America's new space initiatives." The participants
use suborbital spaceflight vehicles and other exciting
new concepts as design projects.
They have provided free drafting services to several
X PRIZE and advanced rocketry teams.
Paragon
Foundation - "promoting an awareness
of space exploration through learning contests, special
events, and participation in launch events."
Dragoon Rocket development complete
Passport
to Knowledge - "interactive learning
adventures connecting essential Life, Earth, Space
and Physical science". Funded by NASA, NSF and
NOAA
PAT Projects
(Preservation of Aerospace Techology) - "aerospace
educational products through a unique teaming arrangement
of grade K-12 teachers with a pool of the nation;s
most qualified test pilots and engineers. This work
is partially funded by the NASA Dryden Flight Research
Center."
Permission
to Dream - this program, run by the Space
Frontier Foundation, introduces disadvantaged
students around the world to the marvels of astronomy.
It will "donate telescopes to schools in Los
Angeles, Southern Africa, and Sri Lanka" and
provide a program in which the students use the scopes
to make regular observations and record and analyze
the data.
PongSat(tm)
- split a ping pong ball in two, put in your experiment,
reseal and fly to high altitude or even to orbit.
This fun project is run by the amateur rocketry group
JP Aerospaceand
now has several hundred students involved.
Space
Day - this organization
has developed a program with worldwide participation
of students and teachers that focuses on space for
one day each May.
Signatures
in Space - a Space Day program that has
arranged for the signatures of over 96,000 elementary
school students to be sent to space aboard space
shuttles since 1997.
Cyberspace
Day - webcast presentation of astronauts,
scientists and others on Space Day. The 2001 program
originated at the National Air & Space Museum
in Washington DC.
Space
Explorers, Inc.
"... committed to bringing the excitement and
challenges of space exploration into classrooms worldwide.
Space Explorers promotes discovery, inquiry, and analysis
by offering standards-based curricula, mission simulations,
and experiments that incorporate actual NASA data.
Through these Internet-based programs, the company
strives to inspire a new generation of explorers to
pursue careers in science, math, and technology."
Space4Schools
- The Starchaser
rocket company runs this ambitious education program
in Britain.
Space
Generation "the global network of active
youth interested in space!"
SpaceWander.com
- "take a virtual space-trip to the depths of
the Universe! All of SpaceWander's space pictures
are real NASA images! Our award-winning multimedia
space tour takes about 12 minutes. You can sit back
and enjoy it or you can press buttons on the spaceship
to see additional in-context information."
Space
Week - UN recognized yearly event that recognizes
the benefits of space for humanity. Includes lots
of education related programs.
Space
Explorers - privately held company based in
Green Bay, WI, with the mission of providing innovative
K-12 Standards-based education programs, delivered
via the Internet, that motivate children to learn
using methods of discovery, inquiry, and analysis.
Tomatosphere
- Canadian project in which students "grow tomato
plants from three different types of seeds - a control
group, seeds that have been exposed to a Mars-like
environment, and those exposed to a simulated Mars
greenhouse environment."
Young
Astronaut Program - : A hands-on, multimedia,
educational program offering print curriculum, fun
activities, live television, an interactive CD, and
an online community for kids, parents, and educators.
Messages
from Outer Space Online - supplement to the interactive,
televised electronic field trip for grades 7-12 to
the recently constructed Moon, Meteorites, and Solar
System Gallery at the Smithsonian National Museum
of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
NASA provides an enormous number of space education
related sites. Apparently, almost every NASA department
must provide some public education resources.
Note also that NASA requires that all space science
spacecraft projects provide outreach programs
to involve students with the projects. This includes
all the university collaborators on the projects as
well. See the Living
Space section for lists of current NASA spacecraft
projects.
Imagine
Mars - JPL - "[K-12] students explore
their own community and decide which arts, scientific
and cultural elements will be important on Mars.
Then they develop their ideal community, from
an inter-disciplinary perspective of arts, sciences
and technology."
APPL:iKnowledge
- Return to Mars - interactive adult education
course that reconstructes "the Pathfinder
Mission to Mars as a dramatic learning experience.
Combining documentary footage, state-of-the-art
animation, sound, video, and interface facility,
it is a compelling context in which to effectively
develop your skill set as a project manager.
In 14 half-hour-long episodes, with 350 screens,
50 Quicktime movies, and a wealth of quizzes,
tools--and even Leonard Nimoy--Return to Mars
is an experience. "
More education links:
SpaceKids
- Space Science programs for young people
at NASA
