We all remember a moment in which a teacher or mentor made a difference in our lives. It could be a nod of encouragement, a helping hand, a lesson that inspired wonder or discovery, and ultimately may have given purpose and value to our lives. These moments of awareness are what educators and mentors at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. hoped to inspire in our new generation on July 26, 2010, when it celebrated scientific discovery and technological innovation as part of its Summer of Innovation initiative.
“Exploration Day” featured out-of-this-world missions and technology programs that brought students to NASA, so that they might experience a sense of awe and excitement while learning about NASA and its missions at the same time. “Our research community has done a tremendous job developing new and creative ways to engage young people in their fields,” said S. Pete Worden, director at NASA Ames. “They have been doing their part to speak at schools, to create hands-on learning opportunities as mentors, and to help spark that same curiosity in students which perhaps led them to pursue a career in science and engineering.”
NASA Ames organized a day filled with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education hands-on activities and events, including a visit from the Traveling Space Museum (TSM), the “grand opening” of the renovated Ames Exploration Encounter (AEE), an opportunity to operate the rovers on a simulated lunar regolith and a student poster session of more than 100 students. TSM brought to Ames numerous hands-on activities, one of which was “moon boots.” Who wouldn’t want to simulate Neil Armstrong’s zero-gravity walk on the moon? By strapping on a pair of “moon boots,” young students walked with enough bounce to simulate a feeling of zero-gravity, or a less firm terrain.
“Exploration Day” featured out-of-this-world missions and technology programs that brought students to NASA, so that they might experience a sense of awe and excitement while learning about NASA and its missions at the same time. “Our research community has done a tremendous job developing new and creative ways to engage young people in their fields,” said S. Pete Worden, director at NASA Ames. “They have been doing their part to speak at schools, to create hands-on learning opportunities as mentors, and to help spark that same curiosity in students which perhaps led them to pursue a career in science and engineering.”
NASA Ames organized a day filled with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education hands-on activities and events, including a visit from the Traveling Space Museum (TSM), the “grand opening” of the renovated Ames Exploration Encounter (AEE), an opportunity to operate the rovers on a simulated lunar regolith and a student poster session of more than 100 students. TSM brought to Ames numerous hands-on activities, one of which was “moon boots.” Who wouldn’t want to simulate Neil Armstrong’s zero-gravity walk on the moon? By strapping on a pair of “moon boots,” young students walked with enough bounce to simulate a feeling of zero-gravity, or a less firm terrain.
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