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#1 Re: Unmanned probes » Mars 2020 Exploration Mission Guide – Free Educational Resource » 2020-07-24 08:04:16

kbd512 wrote:

Has this be shared with our science teachers?

Easier said than done in reality. The information has been shared with a couple of teacher organizations on a national level. What happens after that often is not much.

The best way may be for individuals to directly share it with their local science educators. I've come to believe that such things spread via word of mouth better from the local level than via the national level. And since national organizations don't share their membership list, it is difficult for us to reach a majority of those educators via our own outreach. Hence the reason for posting in places such as this excellent forum.

#2 Unmanned probes » Mars 2020 Exploration Mission Guide – Free Educational Resource » 2020-07-23 22:47:20

ChaseC
Replies: 2

Earlier this week, RocketSTEM, an educational nonprofit, released a new publication titled the Mars 2020 Exploration Mission Guide. It is a 76-page full-color publication that serves as a fun take on the traditional press kits that NASA puts out for missions. Except for our mission guide is geared toward all ages of the general public. We've filled it with articles and photos about Mars the Mars 2020 mission, as well as included fun educational content such as a crossword puzzle, word search, two quizzes, a math lesson, and even a build your own paper Mars helicopter project from JPL.

But don't just take our word about it, please check it out for yourself here.

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The mission guide contains zero advertising. It can be read one story at a time on our website or viewed in a full-screen PDF format on our website, as well as at Issuu, Scribd, Calameo, and Joomag. The PDF can even be downloaded from our website for offline viewing and printing.

We'd appreciate any assistance that the members of New Mars can provide in sharing this publication with as many people as possible. Thank you.

Also, we're always open to constructive feedback and suggestions on other areas we should explore.

#3 Science, Technology, and Astronomy » New weekly educational series focuses on comets and asteroids » 2020-01-13 11:50:35

ChaseC
Replies: 0

Ice and Stone 2020 is a new weekly series of educational material focusing on some of the small bodies of the solar system – comets and asteroids. The Earthrise Institute, a non-profit educational organization founded by Comet Hale-Bopp co-discoverer Alan Hale, is partnering with RocketSTEM and the La Cumbres Observatory to release the material for FREE online so that all teachers, students and parents worldwide have access to it.

“2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the discovery of Comet Hale-Bopp, and also marks the 50th anniversary of my first comet observation, which I made when I was still in elementary school,” noted Hale. “Given that, together with the resurgence in interest in these small bodies over the past couple of decades and the various spacecraft missions that have examined them, it seems especially appropriate to have a program of this nature at this time.”

Comets and asteroids are of high interest for a variety of reasons. They are leftovers from the formation of the planets, and thus they can provide valuable clues into our own origins. We have learned that this process of forming the planets is not over and that comets and asteroids have played sometimes unwelcome roles in Earth’s natural history,“ and could do so again if we are unprepared for that. At the same time, they contain valuable resources that we can utilize both here on Earth and in space, and thus are in a position to play critical roles in the future development of our human society.

These small bodies are more than just objects of scientific study. Comets, in particular, have long held a particular fascination in the human psyche, and both comets and asteroids continue to show up in our stories, our art, and our music. At the same time, the potential extraction of resources from these bodies not only involves the development of the necessary engineering and technology but also the examination of various economic and legal issues.

Ice and Stone 2020 examines all these and other facets of these small worlds of the solar system via presentations on various topics, historical recaps, and projections of projected future events, all of which will be unveiled online on a weekly basis. At times it will feature guest presentations by selected experts in the various fields. When appropriate, it will incorporate observations of comets and asteroids that might be visible in the sky, including those that might be passing by Earth. The Earthrise Institute is collaborating with the Las Cumbres Observatory, a worldwide network of automated telescopes based at some of the top astronomical observatory sites on our planet, in order to make some of these telescopes available for participating educators and students.

Throughout each week of the year, Ice and Stone 2020 will release new presentations about different aspects of our solar system's small bodies. Specifically, each week will feature:

This Week in History — A brief summary of important events in the study of small bodies during that particular week in history. This will include such events as spacecraft encounters, asteroid flybys, important discoveries, and notable publications and announcements, each of which will include a short summary. Some of the events are those that will be taking place in the future.
Comet of the Week — A short discussion of an important comet that was visible during that corresponding week in the past. These could be comets that were especially bright, or that are scientifically important in some way. A small number of these are comets are expected to be visible during 2020 or in future years.

Special Topic — Each week will feature a moderately in-depth discussion of some topic related to the study of small bodies. Some representative topics include: main-belt asteroids, near-Earth asteroids, Great Comets, spacecraft visits (both past and future), meteorites, and comets and asteroids in popular literature and music.

Throughout 2020 there will be various comets that are visible in our skies and various asteroids passing by Earth – some of which are already known, some of which will be discovered in the act – and there will also be various asteroids of the main asteroid belt that are visible as well as occultations of stars by various asteroids visible from certain locations on Earth's surface. Ice and Stone 2020 will make note of these occasions and appearances as they take place. The Comet Resource Center at the Earthrise website contains information about the brighter comets that are visible in the sky at any given time and, for those who are interested, Hale will also occasionally share information about the goings-on in his life as he observes these comets.

Each weekend the new content will be posted on RocketSTEM and at the Earthrise Institute’s websites. The first three week’s of content is already available online. Those wishing to be informed when new material has been posted may sign up for a weekly email reminder on the Ice and Stone 2020 page at RocketSTEM's website.

The Earthrise Institute, Las Cumbres Observatory and RocketSTEM are separate 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organizations.

Related weblinks:
The Earthrise Institute
RocketSTEM
Las Cumbres Observatory
Ice and Stone 2020 Homepage 1
Ice and Stone 2020 Homepage 2
Ice and Stone 2020 weekly email signup list
Comet Resource Center

#4 Re: Other space advocacy organizations » RocketSTEM – Inspiring the next generation of explorers » 2019-10-02 16:12:14

Thanks. Yes, I've been well aware about The Mars Society for a long time. We actually had a feature on the education outreach of the organization back in 2013.

https://www.rocketstem.org/2013/11/03/m … rs-decade/

Mostly I lurk on forums, but from time to time will get involved in discussions. Unfortunately, my 'space' time is pretty much consumed by RocketSTEM and its related efforts, hence my quietness in places like this.

#5 Other space advocacy organizations » RocketSTEM – Inspiring the next generation of explorers » 2019-09-20 21:50:24

ChaseC
Replies: 2

RocketSTEM Media Foundation is an educational nonprofit that has existed since late 2012. The organization utilizes the wonders of astronomy and space exploration to encourage students to pursue STEM studies and career paths. You are never to young, nor to old, to be learning and exploring something new.

The organization periodically publishes RocketSTEM magazine, which has zero advertising, and makes it freely available to read online or downloaded by a PDF by anyone worldwide. The organization also regularly post space and astronomy news and educational material on its website – https://www.rocketstem.org.

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