do
so
more than 20 years ago americans had a
dream
that dream was realized with one small
step
the world's fascination with space took
on a whole new dimension as neil
armstrong stepped from the eagle onto
the lunar soil a quarter of a million
miles away
people everywhere watched breathlessly
as history was made
in 1981 history was once again rewritten
as the space shuttle columbia roared
from the launch pad on its maiden voyage
allowing people and payloads to be put
into space and returned safely to earth
today space is no longer the final
frontier but a stepping stone to a new
era a new era in space transportation
space development exploration and
education
excellence in education is more
important than ever as nasa continues
space shuttle operations and development
of a permanently manned space station
the space station freedom will extend
human presence beyond earth orbit and
into the solar system
nasa's goal of leadership in space must
extend well into the 21st century
such research and development depends on
a well-educated workforce
action must be taken now to ensure that
our youth are equipped with the tools
they will need
between now and the year 2000 for the
first time in history the majority of
all new jobs will require more than a
high school education in fact the
national science foundation has
predicted a shortage of some 675
000 scientists and engineers by the year
2000
at the john c stennis space center in
hancock county mississippi
we are committed to nasa's educational
goals
goals which promote excellence in
education
bring more prestige to the teaching
profession and increase awareness of the
impact science and technology will have
on life in the future
drawing on the inspiration and
intellectual excitement inherent in the
aerospace program stennis space center
is able to enrich the study of social
sciences physical sciences and
mathematics at all levels of education
through the visitor center the teacher
resource center and special workshops
for educators and students
of special interest to all educators and
students is dennis space center's
visitor center open seven days a week
except christmas day
the visitor center offers a wide range
of exhibits and models geared to
stimulate interest in space science a
walk through the hall of achievements
chronicles the history of stennis space
center and gives the missions and
projects of the 18 resident agencies
you can stand next to a full-scale model
of a space shuttle main engine and an
actual apollo command module
displays include a moon rock collected
by the crew of apollo 15 a space suit
worn by mississippi astronaut fred hayes
during the apollo 13 mission and a scale
model of the space station freedom
in addition video presentations
spacesuit demonstrations and aerospace
lectures are held in the visitor center
auditorium to enlighten teachers and
students about life in space
in 1985 stennis space center created the
teacher resource center to provide
educators of all grade levels with an
easily accessible source of
instructional materials suitable for use
in the classroom
the teacher resource center contains a
wealth of information
including publications reference books
slides audio and videotapes computer
programs lesson plans and activities
most free of charge
these materials reflect nasa research
and technology development and relate to
such curriculum areas as life science
physical science astronomy energy earth
resources environment mathematics and
career guidance
in the resource center educators can
also find reference materials on nasa
and stennis space center as well as
information on other state and federal
agencies located at stennis
the teacher resource center also
sponsors specialized educational
workshops and programs
recently workshops were held for first
second and third grade teachers in
southern mississippi and saint tammany
parish louisiana
the workshops include how to and
hands-on activities to help teachers
incorporate what they learn into
classroom activities and programs to
supplement existing curriculum
in july 1990 stennis space center and
the teacher resource center will once
again host the newest conference the
nasa education workshop for elementary
school teachers
during the conference teachers meet with
scientists engineers and educational
specialists teachers are also instructed
on how to apply their experiences to
their elementary curriculum
a one-of-a-kind training session was
held recently at stennis space center
taken onyx the teaching of astronautics
to teachers by teachers was the idea of
ce craft in the mccomb school district
this school district in the southwest
mississippi public school consortium in
conjunction with the state department of
education the university of southern
mississippi nasa and stennis space
center hosted a week-long program
designed to give teachers from around
the state of mississippi a special
awareness of astronaut training
what really made this program unique was
the actual participation of the teachers
in hands-on activities such as rocket
building
kite flight
survival school
zero gravity underwater simulation
training and flying
one of the many activities awaiting
teachers was instruction in the
assembling and launching of rockets
assembly to liftoff teachers gain
knowledge and insight into the
intricacies of space flight vehicles
after classroom discussions and compass
functions and map reading the
mississippi teachers headed outdoors to
put their survival training to the test
armed with only a map and a conference
the teachers set out on a six mile trek
to a fairly isolated area
finally the destination was in sight
then the mississippi teachers took to
the sky in order to feel the same forces
of gravity as the astronauts
although for a shorter period of time
four forces gravity lift thrust and drag
act on this two-seater aerobatic plane
while the feeling of weightlessness and
zero gravity lasted only seconds it was
compared to the floating sensation of a
carnival ride at the fair
with something as simple as kite flying
mississippi teachers learned the same
principles of aerodynamics as the
astronauts
testing the kite's construction and
shape as well as wind direction and
speed most found this type of flying not
as easy as it seemed
with this hands-on activity teachers
became aware of how the atmosphere
interacts with moving objects
weightlessness in space takes a
concentrated effort to move walk grasp
for objects and complete experiments
the mississippi teachers were about to
learn exactly how difficult
weightlessness is
following instruction from a navy
research physicist a biologist and a
physical scientist they dove into the
pool
while the first two buddy teams struggle
to use their entire bodies underwater
others watched from the underwater camp
the teachers tried to meet the
challenges and deal with the frustration
of piecing together a puzzle
pulling themselves across a ladder and
sitting in a chair from the apollo
spacecraft
and as soon as i got started doing the
activities
it was so enthralling i forgot
completely about breathing or doing
anything wrong
and i bet by now
they're loving everything
and he holds your hands you know and
he'll make sure you're okay and
there's
very little room to be afraid
on the last day of the takeanotic
workshop the teachers along with their
families toured stennis space center to
see all that is involved in testing the
space shuttle main engines
as well as the work done by the resident
agency
the raw power that rockets the shuttle
into space shook everyone as they
witnessed a shuttle engine firing
i was totally surprised by the sound
i knew it would be loud but i had no
idea that i could feel it all over i
couldn't hold my teeth together the
vibration was so great open your mouth
and you can feel your different tissues
vibrating through your body
as far as comparing the noise level to
anything there's nothing you compare the
noise level to you got a feeling of
panic but it really wasn't endangered
but uh it was just a feeling of panic
and wanting to get out of dodge
because of nasa's and stennis space
center's involvement in educational
programs
these moms and dads who happen to teach
other parents children are anxious to
get back to the classroom and share
their experiences with their students
and fellow teachers
everything that they've told us is on a
level that we can understand and in turn
give it to our children to understand i
would like to share all this information
with my peers one of the main objectives
of this program was to do staff
development and i feel like in the state
of mississippi if we don't start sharing
things within the circles of educators
then we're really missing out on the
vote this week we've gotten
seeds of
knowledge to take back home
and to plant and to nurture and to watch
them grow
i think the kids in mississippi are
really lucky because there's a whole
bunch of wonderful teachers down here
who have given up summertime who've
given up jobs to be here to learn about
the space program and i guarantee you
the mississippi is going to be far
better off for it we are capable of
accomplishing wonderful things but only
if we can attract and develop future
generations of the most talented
engineers and space scientists
together we must strengthen america's
educational framework in the areas of
science engineering and mathematics by
investing in america's youth
by encouraging them and by affording
them the opportunities necessary to
expand their horizons
nasa
stennis space center and mississippi
educators working together
sharing the dreams
you