Sister City Mayor Visits Mars Yard

A number of high-level officials have visited the the Mars Yard at the Space Foundation Discovery Institute over the past weeks. Most recently, Colorado Springs' sister city, Nuevo Casas Grandes, Mexico, sent a delegation of city officials to visit Colorado Springs and part of the tour included the Space Foundation Discovery Institute and Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy, which share a campus on the east side of town.

The Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy is a public middle school with curriculum developed collaboratively by the Space Foundation and Colorado Springs School District 11. The school emphasizes space and aerospace themes and principles to teach a broad range of subjects, with focus on improving students' proficiency in science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics (STEAM). The Swigert Academy has student greeters in each classroom who explain to guests what is being taught that day.

The Space Foundation Discovery Institute provides space- and aerospace-themed professional development, training and support for teachers and students from around the world and houses classrooms, a Mars Yard, the AGI Space Missions Simulator and NASA Educator Resource Center.

See more about Space Foundation education programs here.

Pictured: Students from Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy demonstrate the Space Foundation Discovery Institute Mars Yard for the mayor and other officials from Colorado Springs' sister city, Nuevo Casas Grandes, Mexico.

This article is part of Space Watch: December 2011 (Volume: 10, Issue: 12).