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Space Foundation Discovery Institute Classes Start

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Space Foundation Discovery Institute Classes Start The Space Foundation recently held its first Space Across the Curriculum courses at the new Space Foundation Discovery Institute on the Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy campus in Colorado Springs.

The first class was held the week of Nov. 2-6, just one-and-a-half weeks after the Space Foundation education department moved into the new location. The Space Across the Curriculum course, Lunar/Mars Exploration and Base Construction, was conducted for teachers from Colorado Springs School District 11 (D-11). Teachers from the Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy and its sister school, Galileo School of Math and Science, learned how to integrate science concepts into a space-based project for their students, as well as how to integrate concepts from math, language arts, and social studies.

During the class, teachers learned that NASA is preparing to send humans back to the moon and ultimately to Mars. They learned about advanced life support concepts to keep astronauts alive at a new lunar or Martian base. As a culminating activity, which they will use with their students, the teachers created a model lunar or Martian base. They also developed workable solutions for astronauts to obtain food, oxygen, water, and power. They explained how their astronauts would stay fit, the type of scientific activities would be accomplished during their stay, and what the astronauts would do in their downtime. Other activities included creating a group mission patch, a core-sampling activity of a volcano, a water filtration design challenge, and a lunar lander design challenge.

The class was then repeated for additional teachers from the two schools during the week of Nov. 16-20. During the base presentations for this week, the teachers were visited by Mike Poore, D-11 deputy superintendent – educational support services, and Elliot Pulham, CEO of the Space Foundation.

The classes for D-11 teachers resulted from a partnership between the Space Foundation and the district, which also created the Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy. For more information about other Space Foundation education programs, or on the partnership between the Space Foundation and Colorado Springs School District 11, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org/Education/.
 

This article is part of Space Watch: December 2009 (Volume: 8, Issue: 12).


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