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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 359 032 SE 053 296 TITLE U.S. Space Program Benefits to Education. Hearing before the Subcommittee on Space of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Second Congress, Second Session. INSTITUTION Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. REPORT NO ISBN-0-16-039020-6 PUB DATE 10 Jun 92 NOTE 139p. AVAILABLE FROMU.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC 20402. PUB TYPE Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials (090) EDRS PRICE MFO1 /PC06 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Demonstration Programs; *Educational Benefits; Educational Quality; Elementary Secondary Education; Federal Government; Program Evaluation; Research Assistants; *Science Education; Science Instruction; *Science Programs; *Space Sciences IDENTIFIERS *National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Summer High School Apprentice Research Program; *United States Space Program ABSTRACT This hearing was held to review the educational benefits of the U.S. Space Program. Testimony was given by three panels of experts related to this topic. The three panels consisted of: (1) Daniel S. Goldin, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Dan Brandenstein, Captain, U.S. Navy, NASA Astronaut; and Damon Butler, Student, Summer High School Apprentice Research Program, Oxon Hill High School, Maryland; (2) Wendell G. Mohling, President, National Science Teachers Association; Relzie M. Payton, President, Tennessee Education Association; and Nancy R. McIntyre, Director, Educational Center fpr Earth Observation Systems, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania; and (3) Eva Rousseau, Principal, Dunbar Senior High School, Washington, D.C., and two of her students, John Haskins, Jr., and Nadir Al-Salam. These witnesses discussed the benefits of NASA sponsored activities such as the Summer High School Apprentice Research Program, the Teaching from Space program, NASA Field Centers, The NASA Educational Affairs Division, the Tennessee Space Week, a space laboratory called the USS Dunbar Program, and volunteer efforts by the NASA workforce. Copies of prepared statements by the witnesses are included. (MDH) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** U.S. SPACE PROGRAM BENEFITS TO EDUCATION HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED SECOND CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JUNE 10, 1992 [No. 140] Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology U.S. DEPARTMENT Office of Educational OF EDUCATION Research anu improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) CI,,This document hasbeen reproduced eceived from the person as originating it or organization O Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction qualif y Points of view or opinionsslated in this docu ment do not necessarilyrepresent official OERI position or policy U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 57-341 . WASHINGTON ; 1992 For sale ht the U.S. Goternment Priming Office Superintendent to Documents. Comp:won:II Sales OIlice. Washington.DU 20402 ISBN 0-16-039020-6 kr) ':1 2 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, ANDTECHNOLOGY GEORGE E. BROWN, JR., California, Chairman JAMES H. SCHEUER, New York ROBERT S. WALKER, Pennsylvania' MARILYN LLOYD, Tennessee F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., DAN GLICKMAN, Kansas Wisconsin HAROLD L. VOLKMER, Missouri SHERWOOD L. BOEHLERT, New York HOWARD WOLPE, Michigan TOM LEWIS, Florida RALPH M. HALL, Texas DON RITTER, Pennsylvania DAVE McCURDY, Oklahoma SID MORRISON, Washington NORMAN Y. MINETA, California RON PACKARD, California TIM VALENTINE, North Carolina PAUL B. HENRY, Michigan ROBERT G. TORR10ELLI, New Jersey HARRIS W. FAWELL, Illinois RICK BOUCHER, Virginia LAMAR SMITH, Texas TERRY L. BRUCE, Illinois CONSTANCE A. MORELLA, Maryland RICHARD H. STALLINGS, Idaho DANA ROHRABACHER, California JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR., Ohio STEVEN H. SCHIFF, New Mexico HENRY J. NOWAK, New York TOM CAMPBELL. California CARL C. PERKINS, Kentucky JOHN J. RHODES, III. Arizona TOM McMILLEN, Maryland JOE BARTON, Texas DAVID R. NAGLE, Iowa DICK ZIMMER, New Jersey JIMMY HAYES, Louisiana WAYNE T. GILCHREST, Maryland JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois SAM JOHNSON, Texas JOHN TANNER, Tennessee GEORGE ALLEN. Virginia GLEN BROWDER, Alabama PETE GEREN, Texas RAY THORNTON, Arkansas JIM BACCHUS, Florida TIM ROEMER, Indiana ROBERT E. "BUD" CRAMER, Alabama DICK SWETT, New Hampshire MICHAEL J. KOPETSKI, Oregon JOAN KELLY HORN, Missouri ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York JOHN W. OLVER, Massachusetts RADFORD BVERLY, JR.. Chief of Staff MICHAEI. RODEMEYER, Chief Counsel CAROLYN C. GREENFELD,Chief Clerk DAVID D. CLEMENT, Republican Chief of Staff SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE RALPH HALL, Texas,Chairman HAROLD L. VOLKMER, Missouri F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., RICHARD H. STALLINGS, Idaho Wisconsin JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR.. Ohio TOM LEWIS, Florida CARL C. PERKINS, Kentucky RON PACKARD, California TOM McMILLEN, Maryland JOHN J. RHODES, Ill, Arizona DAVID R. NAGLE, Iowa PAUL B. HENRY, Illinois JIMMY HAYES, Louisiana LAMAR SMITH, Texas JOHN TANNER, Tennessee DANA ROHRABACHER, California GLEN BROWDER, Alabama DICK ZIMMER, New Jersey PETE GEREN, Texas SAM JOHNSON. Texas JIM BACCHUS, Florida ROBERT E. "BUD" CRAMER, Alabama NORMAN Y. MINETA, California ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 'Ranking Republican Member. 3 CONTENTS WITNESSES June 10, 1992: Panel I: Page Daniel S. Goldin, Administrator, NASA 24 Dan Brandenstein, Captain, U.S. Navy, NASA Astronaut 38 Damon Butler, Student, Summer High School Apprentice Research Pro- gram, Oxon Hill High School, Maryland 48 Panel II: Wendell G. Mohling, President, National Science Teachers Association, Shawnee Mission, Kansas 67 R,elzie M. Payton, President, Tennessee Education Association, Nashville, Tennessee 81 Nancy R. McIntyre, Director, Educational Center for Earth Observation Systems, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania 93 Panel III: Eva Rousseau, Principal, Dunbar Senior High School, Washington, DC 115 John Haskins Jr., Student, Dunbar Senior High School, Washington, DC 122 Nadir Al-Salam, Student, Dunbar Senior High School, Washington, DC 125 4 U.S. SPACE PROGRAM BENEFITS TO EDUCATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 1992 U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY, SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 1:30 p.m. in room 2325, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Ralph Hall [chairman of the subcommittee] presiding. Mr. HALL. The committee will come to order. The Space Subcommittee is of course pleased to hold this hearing to review the educational benefits of the U.S. space program. In today's very difficult budgetary climate, and particularly with a lot of bills that are up far votes this week and next week, with peoples' minds on the budgetary process, I think it's very important to review each Government program to ensure coordination to meet the Nation's goals, and that's really our purpose. We have a number of challenges, such as providing better health care, improving the economy and providing our young people with quality education, and of course promoting excellence in education is an old, worn-out phrase, but it still is a very need?d goal, and it is a key challenge for the U.S., and it is very critical to the com- petitiveness of this country. Since the launch of Sputnik in 1957, which really propelled our Nation into improved math and science education, or at least the pursuit of it, the U.S. space program has been cited often as con- tributing to the numbers of science and engineering degrees that were awarded and sought after in this country. Besides sparking interest in our young people, the space program also provides us with new keys to understanding life sciences, our planet, and the universe. A great challenge that faces our Nation today is searching for cures for life-threatening diseases. That would be a product that space could yield to the American people, at a time when the American people are looking for a product, and looking for some- thing other than ticker tape parades, which are in order, and giant expenditures of money, which are necessary. This program and the testimony today can spawn, Ithink, maybe the key that we have been looking for to bring this product out of space, that the American people could feel, could see, and could know that it was being useful and worthwhile. A great challenge faces our Nation today in searching for these, and outer space of course will provide us a unique laboratory to expand our knowledge, and through experimentation on the shut- (1) 7 2 tle and ultimately on Space Station Freedom, the breakthroughsin science and medicine might improve the quality of lifehere on earth immeasurably. We say it might, because we can't give assurances that it's abso- lutely going to, but we have every reason in the world to believe that it will. It's a matter of fact that we have not found a curefor these diseases here on earth, and we need another areaand an- other laboratory for those skilled and trained and caringminds to do their programs. So the intent of this meeting is to examine the role of theU.S. space program and stimulating achievementin math and science education. Our testimony today