Up To Date NASA IV&V Facility Educator Resource Center March, 2009 Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 8 NASA IV&V Facility ERC Featured Implementer: Linda Newcome Inside: Upcoming Workshops 2 Mrs. New- (math, critical thinking, and difficult and students had to th Featured Equipment come‟s 6 difficult problem solving), they really work to get the task 2 grade students took three afternoons to accomplished. Loan Kit: at Aurora GET „ER DONE. Thank you Marcie and NASA NASA Aware 2 School, Mrs. Newcome watched in IV& V Facility ERC for the Preston STS 119 2 awe as students worked training you provided in County, had 3 days to con- quietly and diligently to robotics and the use of the Where in WV quer the battle of the robots. 2 program, test, reprogram, kit! Is the ERC? After approaching her and test some more to solve Author: principal, and explaining what the course she designed. Name Node 3 3 Linda students would learn by STEM Career: Programming the robots to Newcome 3 programming the robots Astronaut complete a square was more NASA Product: 3 NASA eClips NASA Update: Orbiting Carbon Observatory 3 fairing is a clamshell structure human and natural sources of FREE STEM Webcasts that encapsulates the satellite carbon dioxide emissions and GIS in WV Education 4 as it travels through the their sinks—the reservoirs atmosphere. that pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it. The spacecraft did not reach orbit and likely landed in the It was planned that the ocean near Antarctica. mission data would be used Important Dates: by the atmospheric and The Orbiting Carbon Obser- Under Review STS 119 Launch carbon cycle science commu- vatory (OCO) was the latest nities to improve global March 5 Kepler Launch mission in NASA‟s ongoing carbon cycle models, reduce study of the global carbon March 10 Sun Earth uncertainties in forecasts of cycle. It was planned to be Connections Workshop at ERC how much carbon dioxide is in the first spacecraft dedicated the atmosphere, and make March 14 Energy Series: Wind to studying atmospheric more accurate predictions of Workshop at ERC carbon dioxide, the most global climate change. March 20 Sun Earth Day significant human-produced NASA‟s Orbiting Carbon Observa- tory and its Taurus booster lift off greenhouse gas and the Scientists monitor carbon March 20-21 West Virginia from Vandenberg Air Force Base. principal human-produced dioxide concentrations using Council of Teachers of Image credit: Orbital Sciences driver of climate change. a ground-based network Mathematics Conference consisting of about 100 sites Corporation It would have measured all over the world. But the March 25 Making the Invisible atmospheric carbon dioxide Detectable Workshop at ERC NASA‟s Orbiting Carbon current network does not concentration from space, have the spatial coverage, Observatory satellite failed to mapping the globe once March 26-28 West Virginia resolution or sampling rates reach orbit after its 4:55 every 16 days and collecting Environmental Education necessary to identify the a.m. EST liftoff Feb. 24 from about 8,000,000 Association Conference California‟s Vanderberg Air natural sinks responsible for measurements. April 1 Launch of STSS Force Base. absorbing carbon dioxide or Demonstrators Program— The OCO would have the processes that control Preliminary indications are Missile Defense Agency provided the first complete how the efficiency of those that the fairing on the picture of the regional-scale sinks changes from year to Taurus XL launch vehicle geographic distribution and year. failed to separate. The seasonal variations of both Upcoming Workshops: NASA IV&V Facility ERC STS-119 Resources for March 10, 6:00-8:00 Sun Earth Connec- March 25, 6:00-8:00 Making the Educators Page tions for educators of grades 3-8. Make Invisible Detectable for educators of connections between the Sun and Earth, grades 5-12. This workshop includes including space weather and auroras. This investigations to detect invisible wave- workshop has several great freebies to go lengths of light! Become certified to sign along with it from NASA! Registration open out our educator kit to explore the electro- until March 6! magnetic spectrum in this workshop. March 14, 10:00-3:00 Energy Series: April Workshops: Wind for educators of grades 5-12. This 21 Understanding Flight, grades 3-8, workshop is based on materials and 6:00-8:00 teacher/student guides for NEED 25 Robotics, grades 3-12, 10:00-4:00 (www.need.org) and will give you activities 29 Engineering Design Challenge: Great resources to help you promote the from the Kid Wind Project to dispel myths Thermal Protection System, upcoming launch in your classroom! about wind energy and electricity. grade 5-12, 6:00-8:00 http://www.nasa.gov/audience/ Don’t’ Forget to Register at least foreducators/sts119-index.html one week in advance! Featured NASA IV&V Equipment Loan Kit: NASA Aware: Lunar Environmental Probeware, GPS, and GIS Toolkit Exploration Imagine being able to Sound too easy, or too good to be true? Attention West Virginia Educators of collect air and Grades 3-8! Join us for NASA Aware: Join us for a HANDS-ON session where water temperature, Lunar Toolkit Exploration June 22-26, you will get to use and become certified dissolved oxygen, 2009 in Fairmont, WV! to borrow the latest NASA IV&V Facility conductivity, pH, baro- ERC Equipment Loan Kit of Pasco The NASA IV&V Facility ERC in metric pressure, Probeware, Water, Air, and GPS probes, conjunction with Fairmont State University relative humidity, AND and My World GIS. You will receive free is offering a week long professional latitude, longitude, and handouts, posters, My World CD and development experience for educators. elevation simultaneously... more! Interested? Contact Todd at Participants will receive 3 hours graduate Now picture your students transferring the [email protected] or credit from FSU, $500 stipend, data they collected to a Geographic 304-367-8438 to schedule a workshop accommodations for commuting and Information System (GIS) application so you too can become certified to use residential participants. Please contact designed specifically for use in K-12 this kit in your educational setting. Marcie at [email protected] or settings with a few simple clicks. 304-367-8436 for more information. Where in WV is the NASA IV&V February Equipment Loan February Workshops February Video Conferencing 2008-2009 Equipment Loan 2008-2009 Workshop 2008-2009 Video Conferencing Don’t forget Sun Earth Day http://sunearthday.nasa.govMarch 20 Page 2 Up To Date Name Node 3! NASA is asking the public to help name the or Venture — or writing in a name. International Space Station‟s (ISS) next Submissions will be accepted through module—a control tower for robotics in March 20. The name should reflect the space and an observation deck. spirit of exploration and cooperation embodied by the ISS and follow in the Node 3 module will provide room for many tradition set by Node 1, named “Unity,” of the station‟s life support systems. and Node 2 named “Harmony.” Attached to the node is the cupola, a one- of-a-kind work station with six windows The winning name will be announced at around the sides and on the top. The the Node 3 unveiling April 28 at NASA‟s cupola will contain a robotics workstation Kennedy space Center in Florida. The node from which astronauts will be able to is scheduled to arrive at Kennedy April 20 control the station‟s 57-foot robotic arm. and is targeted for launch in late 2009. Artist's conception of Cupola mounted on the ISS. Image credit: NASA Individuals can vote for the module‟s name For more information and pictures or online, choosing one of four NASA to submit a name for the node, visit: suggestions — Earthrise, Legacy, Serenity http://www.nasa.gov/namenode3 Featured STEM Career: NASA Astronaut Joseph Acaba was born Coordinator, High school teacher, and mid- Branch working technical issues with the in 1967 in Inglewood, dle school teacher. European Space Agency hardware. CA and was raised in Currently he is assigned as mission After being selected as a Mission Specialist Anaheim, CA. He has specialist on the STS-119 Mission. This by NASA in 2004, Acaba completed received his B.S. and mission will launch soon and will deliver Astronaut Candidate Training which M.S. in Geology. the final pair of power-generating solar includes scientific and technical briefings, array wings and truss element to the Previously he has intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station. worked as a hydro- International Space Station systems, geologist, in the US physiological training, T-38 flight training, Read complete article at Joseph Acaba, Peace Corps as an and water and wilderness survival training. www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/ NASA photo Environmental He was then assigned to the Hardware acaba-jm.html Education Awareness Promoter, as the Integration Team in the Space Station Island Manager of the Caribbean Marine Research Center, Shoreline Revegetation Acaba is part of the STS 119 Mission, launching soon! Featured NASA Product: NASA eClipsTM Free Web Seminars Visit http://dln.nasa.gov/dln/content/ webcast on March 25 for Kepler Mission, 4:00-5:00 p.m. Visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/ products/webseminars.aspx to register for the following NSTA Web Seminars March 25 Energy: Stop Faking It! Presented by Bill Robertson, 6:30-8:00 p.m. March 26 Biomedicine, Genetic Testing, and Bioethics presented by NIH Presenting Team, 6:30-8:00 p.m. March 31 Climate Change presented by Sally Ride Science, NASA eClipsTM are short relevant educational video segments.