From: Ginny Dexter <dext4700@spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Re: Special Events Connect to Live From Mars!
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 1997 14:37:10 -0600 (CST)
March 7, 1997 =09Dear LFM participants, The 5/6 grade science class from Hydesville, California just got back=20 from NASA Ames Research Center. Our school board for the second year in=20 a row helped us =D2afford=D3 this educational trip in conjunction with our= =20 involvement with Live from Mars. Students packed a double lunch for the=20 trip down and each brought a =D2pot-luck=D3 item for our continental=20 breakfast the following morning. The students got up at 3:00 in the=20 morning and were at the school by 4:45 AM for our 277 mile truck down the= =20 coast to Ames. (Very much like a simulator experience!). We were greeted= =20 at 5:00 A.M. with a great view of Hale-Bob in the north east sky. Now=20 that was a great omen! We then spent 6 hours traveling down the coast. = =20 We were greeted by Tom Clausen, Education Officer at Ames. I had met Tom=20 a couple years back when I had the privilege of attending a 2 week NEWEST= =20 training at Ames Research. He gave my kids the royal treatment and I=20 can=D5t begin to thank him enough for the enrichment he gave each and=20 every one of my kids! The students first went to the Kuiper Airborne=20 Observatory, and were greeted by Bob Hillenbrand. We had met Bob last=20 year =D3virtually=D3 as we were a part of the Night of the Comet Virtual= =20 Star Party. He gave the kids a walk through the Kuiper and explained how= =20 it was used and the plans for the new SOPHIA. A VERY BIG thank-you to=20 Bob for taking time out of his busy day to spend time with our kids! The=20 students then walked thought the hanger that houses the airplanes and=20 helicopters that Ames Scientist are running tests on to make=20 technological advancement in this field. The students then viewed=20 scientists running a simulator. The kids learned that all astronauts=20 first =D2train=D3 in simulators as part of their space flight training. Our= =20 students then got to talk to scientists that have built the full-size=20 planning International Space Station. It is constantly being redesigned= =20 and worked on as scientists plan the actual one being built this next =20 year. The kids actually got to go through it and try out different=20 aspects of it. Wow, we were all mesmerized. It really was inspiring! =20 They then walked through the worlds=D5s largest wind tunnel and saw what=20 was being tested now. We then left Ames and went to Crittenden Middle=20 School where we were greeted by Scott Coletti, teacher, and Jim Lianides,= =20 principal. We had also =D2met=D3 Scott virtually through our involvement= =20 with Live from the Stratosphere last year and again this year with the=20 PET project. Scott invited us down (sight unseen) to spend the night in=20 their Library (boy am I glad I have good kids). I can=D5t thank either of= =20 them enough for =D2housing=D3 us for the night. Scott open up his computer= =20 lab for the evening and let the kids go on the internet . What a nice=20 guy! The kids loved him! =09The highlight of the trip for me was our return to Ames on Friday=20 when Tom took our students to meet the scientists in connection with our=20 involvement in Live from Mars. We met with Greg Wilson, Planetary=20 Geologist, (He can be found under Scientist Journals in the LFM Web Site)= =20 He shared with the kids the only wind tunnel in the world that has been=20 built to simulate the atmosphere and surface interactions of Mars and=20 Venus and his experiments with them. He is also presently studying=20 Saturn=D5s moon, Titan as aeolian processes potentially can occur in any= =20 planetary body that has a solid surface and a dynamic atmosphere. They=20 also met with an engineer that was working on the Marsokhod and got to=20 =D2visit=D3 the lab where they work on the rover, constantly improving the= =20 tools. The rover is going next to Chile, which has a desert somewhat=20 like Mars. The scientist here will not be informed of where Marsokhod=20 is. They will =D2read=D3 the data from the rover and try and piece togethe= r=20 from the information they receive from the rover=D5s tools where the rover= =20 is. NEAT! (DOES THIS SOUND ANYTHING LIKE OUR PET PROJECT?) The kids=20 could barely keep their hands to themselves! They wanted to touch and=20 explore every aspect of the rover! Since every student had already made=20 a rover at home, and are really =D2Sojourner Savvy=D3, I think this rover w= on=20 their hearts! The best part for me was that there were models, Erector=20 sets, and stuff lying around. This looked like an inventor=D5s garage and= =20 Marsokhod looks like something put together with this and that. We left= =20 Ames research Center and headed for the Exploratorium in San Francisco.=20 For those of you who have never been, it is a must do if you ever come to= =20 this fabulous city. It is an all hands-on science experience for every=20 age. Great ideas for teachers and a wonderful experience for kids. We=20 arrived home around 10:30 P.M. Can you believe we did all that in two=20 days? I can=D5t! I=D5m still exhausted! Thanks to everyone involved for= =20 making this happen! My goal is to give kids real science experiences, to= =20 meet real scientists and to know that science is always investigating,=20 questioning and exploring new concepts and ideas. With your ideas,=20 support , input, and help this science experience was a wonderful=20 success! Ginny DexterMarch 7, 1997 =09Dear LFM participants, The 5/6 grade science class from Hydesville, California just got back=20 from NASA Ames Research Center. Our school board for the second year in=20 a row helped us =D2afford=D3 this educational trip in conjunction with our= =20 involvement with Live from Mars. Students packed a double lunch for the=20 trip down and each brought a =D2pot-luck=D3 item for our continental=20 breakfast the following morning. The students got up at 3:00 in the=20 morning and were at the school by 4:45 AM for our 277 mile truck down the= =20 coast to Ames. (Very much like a simulator experience!). We were greeted= =20 at 5:00 A.M. with a great view of Hale-Bob in the north east sky. Now=20 that was a great omen! We then spent 6 hours traveling down the coast. = =20 We were greeted by Tom Clausen, Education Officer at Ames. I had met Tom=20 a couple years back when I had the privilege of attending a 2 week NEWEST= =20 training at Ames Research. He gave my kids the royal treatment and I=20 can=D5t begin to thank him enough for the enrichment he gave each and=20 every one of my kids! The students first went to the Kuiper Airborne=20 Observatory, and were greeted by Bob Hillenbrand. We had met Bob last=20 year =D3virtually=D3 as we were a part of the Night of the Comet Virtual= =20 Star Party. He gave the kids a walk through the Kuiper and explained how= =20 it was used and the plans for the new SOPHIA. A VERY BIG thank-you to=20 Bob for taking time out of his busy day to spend time with our kids! The=20 students then walked thought the hanger that houses the airplanes and=20 helicopters that Ames Scientist are running tests on to make=20 technological advancement in this field. The students then viewed=20 scientists running a simulator. The kids learned that all astronauts=20 first =D2train=D3 in simulators as part of their space flight training. Our= =20 students then got to talk to scientists that have built the full-size=20 planning International Space Station. It is constantly being redesigned= =20 and worked on as scientists plan the actual one being built this next =20 year. The kids actually got to go through it and try out different=20 aspects of it. Wow, we were all mesmerized. It really was inspiring! =20 They then walked through the worlds=D5s largest wind tunnel and saw what=20 was being tested now. We then left Ames and went to Crittenden Middle=20 School where we were greeted by Scott Coletti, teacher, and Jim Lianides,= =20 principal. We had also =D2met=D3 Scott virtually through our involvement= =20 with Live from the Stratosphere last year and again this year with the=20 PET project. Scott invited us down (sight unseen) to spend the night in=20 their Library (boy am I glad I have good kids). I can=D5t thank either of= =20 them enough for =D2housing=D3 us for the night. Scott open up his computer= =20 lab for the evening and let the kids go on the internet . What a nice=20 guy! The kids loved him! =09The highlight of the trip for me was our return to Ames on Friday=20 when Tom took our students to meet the scientists in connection with our=20 involvement in Live from Mars. We met with Greg Wilson, Planetary=20 Geologist, (He can be found under Scientist Journals in the LFM Web Site)= =20 He shared with the kids the only wind tunnel in the world that has been=20 built to simulate the atmosphere and surface interactions of Mars and=20 Venus and his experiments with them. He is also presently studying=20 Saturn=D5s moon, Titan as aeolian processes potentially can occur in any= =20 planetary body that has a solid surface and a dynamic atmosphere. They=20 also met with an engineer that was working on the Marsokhod and got to=20 =D2visit=D3 the lab where they work on the rover, constantly improving the= =20 tools. The rover is going next to Chile, which has a desert somewhat=20 like Mars. The scientist here will not be informed of where Marsokhod=20 is. They will =D2read=D3 the data from the rover and try and piece togethe= r=20 from the information they receive from the rover=D5s tools where the rover= =20 is. NEAT! (DOES THIS SOUND ANYTHING LIKE OUR PET PROJECT?) The kids=20 could barely keep their hands to themselves! They wanted to touch and=20 explore every aspect of the rover! Since every student had already made=20 a rover at home, and are really =D2Sojourner Savvy=D3, I think this rover w= on=20 their hearts! The best part for me was that there were models, Erector=20 sets, and stuff lying around. This looked like an inventor=D5s garage and= =20 Marsokhod looks like something put together with this and that. We left= =20 Ames research Center and headed for the Exploratorium in San Francisco.=20 For those of you who have never been, it is a must do if you ever come to= =20 this fabulous city. It is an all hands-on science experience for every=20 age. Great ideas for teachers and a wonderful experience for kids. We=20 arrived home around 10:30 P.M. Can you believe we did all that in two=20 days? I can=D5t! I=D5m still exhausted! Thanks to everyone involved for= =20 making this happen! My goal is to give kids real science experiences, to= =20 meet real scientists and to know that science is always investigating,=20 questioning and exploring new concepts and ideas. With your ideas,=20 support , input, and help this science experience was a wonderful=20 success! Ginny Dexter ---------- Ginny Dexter Email:dext4700@spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov