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Space Exloration

Professional Development, Conferences and Resources

2023-06-29T22:37:35-06:00

(The author standing in the flame-trench of Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center. Directly behind me is the flame-deflector which diverts the exhaust from the SLS rocket's  four RS-25 engines and two solid-rocket boosters, equally to each side of the deflector. In the foreground on the left side of the image, stacked on the ground, are the steel panels that have been removed from the flame-deflector. These were damaged by the greater than anticipated energy from the November 2022 launch of Artemis 1. These will all be replaced with new and stronger panels before the launch of Artemis II, currently scheduled for the end [...]

Professional Development, Conferences and Resources2023-06-29T22:37:35-06:00

JWST Anniversary Activities

2023-06-19T19:27:57-06:00

(The primary mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope after being assembled at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Photo credit: NASA/Chris Gunn) An amazing space telescope, that is rewriting astronomy books, has a big anniversary coming up! July 12, 2023 will be the 1-year anniversary of the first images release from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). There are many ways for libraries to participate, and there will be another special image release on July 12 to commemorate the anniversary. To find out information about hosting your own event in partnership with the Space Telescope Science Institute (STSI) [...]

JWST Anniversary Activities2023-06-19T19:27:57-06:00

Bringing Space To Your Space

2023-05-31T15:12:23-06:00

(Patrons attending a NASA James Webb Space Telescope Community event in Hudson, WI. Photo by Christopher Mick)   It all started in 2014, with an idea to put together a STEM presentation for a local school that my son was attending at the time. The thinking was I would combine several interesting  STEM experiences I had had as a kid growing up in Northern California. I had been lucky enough to attend the United States Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama (www.rocketcenter.com/SpaceCamp) during back to back Summers in the mid-eighties. My father was a retired pilot and gave me occasional flying lessons when [...]

Bringing Space To Your Space2023-05-31T15:12:23-06:00

The Launch of Artemis 1 for a New Generation

2023-05-04T10:20:40-06:00

(image credit: Christopher Mick) By Christopher Mick There are are over 75 reporters crammed into the "bullpen" at the NASA Media Center on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center. This is the area where the press can plug in laptops, work on their stories and ask NASA Public Affairs Officers any technical questions they may have, and there are reporters here from all over the world. I overhear excited exchanges in German, Italian and Spanish as I walk to get a better view of one of the closed circuit monitors showing the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on pad 39-B [...]

The Launch of Artemis 1 for a New Generation2023-05-04T10:20:40-06:00

Look Up! Featured Activity – NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope

2022-05-20T10:39:50-06:00

Credit: NASA This content was written by Dillon Connelly from the Space Science Institute  Celebrate the first images of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope with this featured activity: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope  In this activity, you and your patrons will assemble a paper model of the James Webb Space Telescope. The model allows you to assemble the JWST from its three main elements. Facilitate as an in-person program at your library or a Take & Make activity.  Time to complete: 15-30 minutes  Ages: Upper Elementary, Middle, High School, Family  Modification and Preparation List   Total Cost: cost of printing and assembly [...]

Look Up! Featured Activity – NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope2022-05-20T10:39:50-06:00

Look Up! Featured Activity – Filtered Light 

2022-05-27T16:04:25-06:00

Credit: NISENET This content was written by Christine Shupla from the Lunar and Planetary Institute   Celebrate the first images of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope with this featured activity: Exploring the Universe: Filtered Light.   Filters allow us to block some types of light and isolate others; separating out these different colors or energy levels of light can give us new information. In "Filtered Light," participants discover how colored filters can help reveal more about an image. They can also make and study colorful images of their own.   Facilitate as an in-person program at your library, a Take & Make activity, [...]

Look Up! Featured Activity – Filtered Light 2022-05-27T16:04:25-06:00

Look Up! Featured Activity – Improv with the Stars

2022-05-27T16:07:40-06:00

Credit: Pioneer Library System Flickr This content was written by Christine Shupla from the Lunar and Planetary Institute  Celebrate the first images of NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope with this featured activity: Improv with the Stars  After learning about four stellar classifications and the characteristics of stars, groups of patrons act out an improvisation of the “personality” of the four stars while the audience gets to guess which star type is which.   Facilitate as an in-person program at your library inside or outside. Consider pairing this with the Life Cycle of a Massive Star activity.  Time to complete: one [...]

Look Up! Featured Activity – Improv with the Stars2022-05-27T16:07:40-06:00

Look Up! Featured Activity – Life Cycle of a Massive Star 

2021-11-08T12:20:42-07:00

Celebrate the upcoming launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope using a new Toolkit of five interactive activities. This month’s featured activity is Life Cycle of a Massive Star. Explore the life cycle of stars with your patrons! Provide this craft as a library program, Take & Make activity, or send patrons home with a life cycle bookmark. Don't have access to plastic pony beads? Make your own paper beads with an alternate version of the activity here. Time to complete: 20-40 minutes Ages: 5 years and up Shopping and Preparation List Total Cost:  $1-5 and printing   Fundamental Space Science [...]

Look Up! Featured Activity – Life Cycle of a Massive Star 2021-11-08T12:20:42-07:00

Look Up! Featured Activity – Mission to Space Board Game 

2021-11-10T11:28:57-07:00

Celebrate the upcoming launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope using a new Toolkit of five interactive activities. This month’s featured activity is Mission to Space Board Game.  Patrons play a board game in which they represent a team of scientists and engineers sending a spacecraft on a mission to space. Assemble the pieces of this tabletop board game to use in library or outreach programs. It includes instructions in English and in Spanish.  Time to complete: 40 minutes to 1 hour  Ages: 4 years and up  Shopping and Preparation List Total Cost: Cost of printing cards and board Fundamental Space Science Concepts – How Mission [...]

Look Up! Featured Activity – Mission to Space Board Game 2021-11-10T11:28:57-07:00

Look Up! Featured Activity – The Expanding Universe: Playing with Time

2021-10-04T16:23:20-06:00

This Hubble Space Telescope image shows galaxies from 550 million years ago to 13 billion years ago.  Celebrate the upcoming launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope using a new Toolkit of five interactive activities. This month’s featured activity is The Expanded Universe: Playing with Time.  Patrons use balloons to model the expansion of the Universe! Use stickers and markers to explore how the expansion affects wavelengths of light and distance between galaxies. Facilitate as an in-person program at your library, as an outreach activity, or as a demonstration for a virtual program.  Time to complete: 10-45 minutes  Ages: 12 years and up   Shopping and Preparation List Total Cost:  $5 (as a [...]

Look Up! Featured Activity – The Expanding Universe: Playing with Time2021-10-04T16:23:20-06:00
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