Mars "Curiosty" landing on August 5

The Mars rover “Curiosity” will land on the red planet on Sunday August 5, 2012.  Here are some great ideas from NASA to get the kids (and adults) in your summer science program excited about this once in a life time event!

• Host a Mars Gazing Party

On August 5th 2012, viewers can observe Mars in the night sky with a telescope or with the naked eye. At sunset, Mars will sit low in the western sky just above the horizon. Viewers will be able to see the orange planet Mars in between Saturn and the bright star Spica. At this point in its orbit, Mars will be roughly 300 million miles away from Earth and the Curiosity Rover will be only hours away from arriving to this distant orange dot in the night sky.

• Get an overview of Mars

Basic Information on Mars

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Mars

Mars Image Collection

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/

3D Images

http://mars3d.jpl.nasa.gov/

• Information about the “Curiosity” landing spot

Destination Gale Crater: August 5, 2012 at 10:31 pm PT

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/images/?ImageID=3852

Gale's Mount Sharp Compared to Three Big Mountains on Earth

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/pia15292-Fig2.html

National Parks as Mars Analog Sites

http://www.nps.gov/deva/parknews/mars-and-mojave.htm

• Videos

Curiosity Rover Animation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4boyXQuUIw

Building Curiosity: Landing System Drop Test

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YasCQRAWRwU&feature=relmfu

Seven Minutes of Terror

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/videos/index.cfm?v=49

• Additional Information

Official Websites:

http://www.nasa.gov/mars

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html

• Tune in to live coverage of the "Curiosity" rover landing

NASA Media Services Information for Curiosity Rover Landing on 8/5/2012

Landing Coverage begins at 12:00 a.m. EST (9:00 p.m. PST) on the NASA TV Cable Channel:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv

Also, lesson plans and training are available at the following website: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/participate/marsforeducators/soi/

http://www.nasa.gov/mars has a Google map for displaying your Mars MSL events!

Happy space exploring, and stay curious!

Astronomy in Afterschool

Lots of kids--and adults--are intrigued by what exists beyond our home planet. Astronomy--the study of space and the universe as a whole--is a wide field with many inherent opportunities for doing science outside of the classroom. As yesterday's Solstice and last week's lunar eclipse show, stunning astronomical events are happening all the time. Whether you're watching an astronomy show in a planetarium or working with a group to interpret planet sightings through a telescope, when you're making astronomical observations--you're doing science!

Many local and state astronomy groups are members of the Coalition for Science After School. They offer star parties, group observations, lectures from astronomy professionals, and more. No clear skies in your area? Many science centers and planetariums have regular shows, seasonal camps and afterschool classes, and special astronomy activities. Search for astronomy opportunities by zip code at the Connectory.

Looking for more resources for including astronomy in afterschool programs? Check out these resources:

• Coalition member the Astronomical Society of the Pacific offers an array of astronomy-related activities that can be done in informal settings. They also have an upcoming conference that includes a track for formal and informal educators.
• NASA's Solar System Exploration Education page has a variety of educator resources for exploring the solar system in out-of-school time, including a professional development program and individual activities that can be done in afterschool settings.
• Afterschool Universe from NASA is an out-of-school time program developed for middle school students. In addition to curriculum and activity ideas, there are trainings for educators available.

The White House Star Party Features Informal Learning Activities

If you missed the White House Star Party last night, you can still recreate the activities at home (or in your school or after-school programs). The activities came from the Lunar Planetary Institute's Explore! program, designed specifically for use in libraries and informal learning environments. Explore! has been used in 21st Century Community Learning Center and other after-school programs. Try one or more of these White House Star Party activities with your kids:

• Impact Crater Activity: The students dropped 4 different sized objects and measured the diameter of the objects and the depth and diameter of the craters.

• Size and distance in the Solar System: Size Activity and Scale Activity

• The other activities are harder to recreate. Your local science museum may have some of these. Inflatable planetarium dome presentations, "Rocks from Space" with a touchable moon rock, lunar sample disks, a Mars meteorite display and meteorites from the Smithsonian collection, and scientists to talk with the kids.

Thanks to the NASA JPL Museum Alliance for passing along the information!

Afterschool Astronomy, Easy and Interesting

In case you missed it, there is something very interesting happening in the sky. A comet named Holmes is in the middle of an outburst, making it easily visible - even in urban areas. It went from magnitude 17 (fainter than Pluto and not visible with binoculars) to magnitude 2.5 (among the brighter stars). This type of astronomical event can be very engaging for kids, if someone reminds them to look up!

There are a number of tools online that can help with amateur astronomy. Each month, NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab posts video podcasts highlighting the most interesting things to see in the sky. Google Earth now includes Google Sky, so you can look up as well as down. If you want a free program that takes you even further, Celestia is great!

If you are actually planning to include astronomy in an after-school program, there are several resources that may help. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) is a leader in the field of astronomy education and serves as a professional association for many space science educators. ASP sponsors Project ASTRO, which links astronomers with educators, and Astronomy from the Ground Up, workshops for informal educators. NASA has numerous resources, including those collected at the Afterschool Astronomy site and a new "Beyond Einstein Explorers Program" being tested in Washington DC after-school programs that will soon be widely available. Finally, anyone working with high school students and with access to computers might want to learn about the MIT After School Astronomy Program, in which youth participate in actual astronomy research.

Worldwide Science Day

Apparently, April 18th is the World Wide Day in Science. If you are involved in science, you are encouraged to submit essays, due May 18, about what you did on April 18. If you work with students, they may be interested to read the essays from this and previous years.

Speaking of science days, Astronomy Day is April 21. Take your kids outside to look at the sky (if this Nor'easter ever clears up!) For more guidance, visit the NASA site I referenced last week.

Now that you have viewed the Cosmos, take some time for the world around you. Earth Day is April 22. If you have not been watching the new Discovery Channel series on Planet Earth, you should check it out. Remarkable videos of nature - many never seen before moments.

Monthly Star-Gazing Video

The NASA Jet Propulsion Lab has released a new video feature on its website describing the most interesting views of the night sky for the month. Each month will feature a new video, and the views are accessible even for people who lack telescopes or live in urban areas. This month's video talks about Saturn, which is prominent in the sky this April.

The video is called "What's Up" and can be found on the JPL homepage, the Solar System Exploration page, or follow this link for April's video. There are also great resources for educators - including after-school - on the Solar System education page, including a page on amateur astronomy.