Talk About Science From Asteroids to Voyager and SpaceX
Astronomy, Geology, Journalism, Physics, Science, U.S. Government
Teachers might begin by asking students what science or science-related stories are in the news. What science-related stories made the headlines in the past year? How many of these are related to the environment, climate change or animal life? How many are related to space?
Teachers might encourage a web search of top science stories of the year or use “science” as a search term of the newspaper’s archives.
Students will find that beginning in 2018 more science-related stories reported on activities of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and space exploration.
Use the e-Replica search feature or online archives of The Washington Post to read Sarah Kaplan’s “The biggest science stories of 2018: From the edge of the solar system to crises on Earth.” Discuss the stories she highlights and what they indicate about possible follow-up stories in 2019.
Teachers might also include the slideshow that includes images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, spacecraft missions, International Space Station and earth-bound photographers. The captions are very informative. It is found at the end of the article.
Meet Engineers, Project Scientists and Others
Career Education, Engineering, Journalism, Science
Astronauts are the public face of NASA and its manned missions. Some astronauts have schools and public buildings named after them. Some programs for students interested in astronomy, physics and robotics have been established by astronauts. Name astronauts and what you know about them.
In the 2007 documentary In the Shadow of the Moon the crew members of NASA’s Apollo missions tell of their experiences in their own words. “To Space and Back” activity begins with questions about the surviving astronauts who are featured in the documentary. Because of the length of the documentary teachers may wish to divide it into three sections or assign it as homework.
Additional reading and discussion could include Apollo Missions and other projects that presented many problems to solve. Some of these have created new jobs, new consumer products, advanced technology and methodologies. These include:
• Spacesuits and their preservation;
• Medicine and health; and
• Nutrition
Read About Women in Space
Astronomy, Career Education, Engineering, Physics, Science
The KidsPost article “Journey to Mars: Meet Molly White” provides a short profile of an engineer working on spacecraft Orion. Teachers should note to students the date the article was first published and the follow-up date in the introduction. What does this indicate about the timeline of many NASA projects? About the time to test, analyze and test again — and for what goals? KidsPost also profiled Jessica Meir.
Obituaries are also the source of insights into careers, decisions and contributions to society. Read about Nancy Grace Roman, 93, in “Astronomer was celebrated as the ‘mother of the Hubble Space Telescope.’” What do we learn about attitudes toward women in science careers? About paths Roman took before her career at NASA.
The book and movie Hidden Figures introduced us to the female “human computers” who worked under the prejudices of the time and showed with their intellect they were needed in the missions of John Glenn, Neil Armstrong and Alan Shepard. For more background on women working as “human computers” before space exploration read Popular Mechanics’ “The True Story of ‘Hidden Figures’ and the Women Who Crunched the Numbers.”
Select an Astronaut to Honor
Astronomy, Career Education, Physics, Science
Teachers could introduce NASA, the Apollo missions and astronauts with “Apollo 8: NASA’s first moonshot was a bold and terrifying improvisation.” This could be followed with viewing In the Shadow of the Moon.
For recent NASA projections into the future, read and discuss KidsPost’s “A new era in spaceflight: Back to the moon on the way to Mars.” Pair this with the informational graphic “The Journey to Space” to discuss the technological developments that each mission required.
In 2017, Lego released a set of figurines honoring four pioneering women of NASA: Sally Ride, the first American woman to travel in space; Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space; Margaret Hamilton, a computer programmer who created the software necessary for the Apollo missions; and Dr. Nancy Grace Roman. Discuss the careers of these women. What attitudes did they have to confront to demonstrate their knowledge and abilities?
• Who would your students honor in a second set of pioneering women?
• Who would make their top five pioneering men in space?
Picture Another World
Art, Astronomy, Science, Visual Arts
Astronaut Bill Anders took the Earth-rise photograph on the Apollo 8 mission. Read and discuss “Earthrise: The stunning photo that changed how we see our planet.”
Alan Bean, astronaut and artist, was the “fourth man to set foot on the moon.” He was also an artist. Share with students the work of Bean, read his comments and discuss how and what he communicates in his artwork.
Discussion might include:
• What special “seal” does Bean (1932-2018) add to many of his works?
• In what ways does his personal experience, as well as artistic skills, bring a different dimension to his art?
• Select one of Bean’s works to review. How and what does he communicate to viewers?
KidsPost asked students to illustrate “what ‘America’s Return to Space’ looks like.” Give students “What Color? What Shape? What Marvels!” Projects for students to express their creative side are suggested.
