From: Jan Wee <jwee@mail.arc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Update: Web Chat this week, Weather Worlds, Virtual Tour, etc.
Date: Sun, 05 Oct 1997 09:53:10 -0500
Dear Discuss-lfm Members,
REMINDER...>>>>WEB CHATS<<<<
Thursday, October 9, 9-10 a.m., PST
Chat with Mars Team Expert...
Do you and your students wonder just how Mars Global Surveyor
maneuvers into orbit? What the science/engineering behind
aerobraking is all about? Participate in the upcoming
web chat with Dan Johnson, trajectory and aerobraking design analyst
on the Mars Global Surveyor Operations Project, part of the
Navigation Team. Dan will fill us in on the spacecraft's
aerobraking techniques and procedures and if they're working.
Please prepare for the chat by reading Dan's bio BEFORE the chat:
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars/team/johnston.html
To participate in the Live From Mars chats it is necessary to
register in advance. All you need to do is RSVP no less than 24
hours in advance in order to reserve a space for yourself.
You will receive confirmation of your registration and a
password to enter the chat room
Chats with Project Staff...
Opportunity for teachers to chat with other teachers and with
project staff on Thursdays as follows:
Pacific time Eastern time
October 9 Noon 3:00pm
October 16 3:00pm 6:00pm
October 23 Noon 3:00pm
October 30 3:00pm 6:00pm
REMINDER...>>>>WEATHER WORLDS<<<
Online collaborative activities are one of the highlights
of participation in PTK projects. Like the Live From the
Hubble Space Telescope's Great Planet Debate (students debated
which of four planets to observe with their HST orbits),
and the LFM Planet Explorer Toolkit, you and your students
can parallel the work of *real scientists* right there
in your own classroom/learning environment. These activities
are open to all students and are freely available.
October and November marks the time for students to become
*Weather Watchers* on our planet just as the Rover
watches (and records/collects/sends) data on Mars for
scientific interpretation.
Target dates...
by October 10th
First, students will figure out what key weather measurements
they think are most important to gather here on Earth, and then
how to obtain them, by designing, building and/or acquiring
instruments to collect these data.
Second, after initial debate in class, students are invited to
go online with their suggestions, comments and brainstorms. The
Weather Worlds Web Form for submitting your class proposal
is NOW available online at:
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars/events/ptkwwone.html
To become part of the EARTH AND MARS WEATHER DEBATE,
send e-mail to: listmanager@quest.arc.nasa.gov
and in the message body write: subscribe debate-lfm
by October 27th
Based on review of all these plans, and with input from students
and NASA experts, we'll arrive at our final consensus set of
instruments and procedures.
In November... Data Collection and Analysis: Phase 2
In this second phase of the activity, any class may sign up
to contribute one or more sets of weather data on a daily basis for
one or other (or both, if they have time!) of the two weeks between
11/3 and 11/14, whether they participated in Phase 1 or
not.
During the 11/13 LIVE FROM MARS broadcast, "Today on Mars,"
some of the classes who've been collecting data and
have already begun work on their analysis will be featured.
Thanks to Eileen Bendixsen, Hazlet, NJ and Susan Hurstcalderone,
Washington, DC, classroom practitioners and veteran PTK
educators and middle school science teachers for hosting
the debate-lfm forum and WW activity!
>>>>Please share this motivating real world/real science
real fun activity with your colleagues and invite their
participation!<<<
REMINDER:...>>>TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR OF ARES VALLIS<<<...
See: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars/virtual/
Have you and your students seen Stimpy, Flat Top,
Barnacle Bill, Scooby Doo, Yogi? No, silly, not
the TV cartoon characters... the MARS ROCKS!
Find out from the scientists how they decided on the names of
their "pet" rocks, what evidence is there for catastrophic
floods, the geologic story of the landing site and MORE!
HINT: This site takes advantage of audio and video clips --
having Real Audio and Real Video running will be a real advantage
as you will be able to hear the real scientists like Matt
Golombek and Ron Greeley and others tell the story of the
Mars Pathfinder landing and Rover's journey! You will want
to test your system as I found that updated RealAudio and
RealPlayer versions are necessary to run the clips!
REMINDER:... >>>LFM TEACHER'S GUIDE<<<
See: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars/teachers/tg/index.html
You will find lessons/activities to integrate at the above URL
These *hands-on* activities will help you prepare students
for the October 30th (compilation tape overview allowing you
to introduce or review the Mars Missions/LFM project) and November
13th LIVE program, "Today On Mars". Check them out today!
REMINDER...>>>PBS SATELLITE COORDINATES<<<<
Be sure to let your media person know NOW that the
PBS satellite coordinates have CHANGED.
*This does NOT affect you if you have access to LFM via
LOCAL PBS stations or are using the NASA-TV feed. Be sure
you have checked with your LOCAL PBS station well in
advance to assure they are carrying the LFM broadcasts
and their schedule.*
Please note that as of October 11th 1997 PBS will be using
a new satellite, and coordinates. This WILL affect the previously
distributed information for both Fall 97 LIVE FROM MARS programs.
(Until this time, PBS had not been able to confirm coordinates,
pending successful launch and deployment of the satellite.)
The October 30th and November 13th programs will be carried at
12:30-13:00 Eastern (test) and the actual one hour program from
13:00-14:00 Eastern on:
PBS *NEW* coordinates for LFM programming:
GE-3, Ku-band
87 degrees West longitude
transponder 20, vertical polarity
12100 Mhz, audio on 6.2, 6.8 Mhz.
This will be the new PBS Adult Learning Services transponder.
It is analog (not digital) and not scrambled.
IT IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA TO TEST THE SATELLITE FEEDS
WELL IN ADVANCE. NASA-TV and PBS both have programming
available during the school day and checks are helpful
in preventing last minute panic!
[In case you need the NASA-TV COORDINATES:
GE-2, Transponder 9C at 85 degrees West longitude,
vertical polarization, with a frequency of 3880 Mhz,
and audio of 6.8 Mhz.]
Have a good week! Let's get *Weather Watching*!
Jan Wee, discuss-lfm moderator
Live From Mars
Passport to Knowledge
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars