Saturn’s Moon, Enceladus, Contains Never-Before-Seen Organic Compounds
At their closest point, the Earth and Saturn are 746 million miles away from each other. Despite the distance, researchers are interested in the possibility of life in the Saturn system. Thanks to the European Space Administration and the Italian Space Agency, the Cassini probe was able to collect swaths of data on Saturn over […]
One year in, NASA’s exoplanet-discovering mission has promising results
We learn about the planets and solar system as early as elementary school, but our understanding of the Universe is constantly growing. As much as we don’t know about our own solar system, the Universe holds even more mysteries—light years away from our home here on Earth. For decades, NASA researchers have looked for exoplanets, […]
Monitoring Earth Vital Signs
NASA has come to represent generations of excitement about space exploration and rightly so. What is less known about NASA is its unique position to lead the study of our own planet. By making Earth-observation data and resources accessible to the scientific and education communities, NASA contributes to our understanding of important global challenges such […]
A First Step for the Ages: NASA Helps Inspire the Next Generation of Explorers
Nearly 50 years ago, humanity achieved what seemed impossible. Human presence graced the surface of Earth’s moon. At the height of tremendous social, political, and cultural change, the Apollo 11 lunar landing became the first manned mission to land on the moon and a marked a monumental milestone in human history by displaying the possibilities […]
How does NASA repair equipment on Mars?
Mars is 33.9 million miles away from Earth. It takes months to journey between the two planets, which means all mission components have to last. While NASA is using robotic landers and instruments to study Mars before human exploration, robots come with their fair share of problems. On Earth, you can take your broken computer […]
Teachers Positively Affecting Student Learning
Continuous Engagement in NASA STEM EPDC PD can change the culture of the STEM classroom Contributed by Dr. Lester Morales, EPDC Specialist, Kennedy Space Center In the Summer of 2016, 41 Pre-Service Educators attended National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center Minority University Research and Education Projects (MUREP) Educator Institute (MEI). The opportunity […]
How Earth Volcanoes Offer a Window into the Evolution of Life and the Solar System
Volcanoes aren’t just on volcanic islands. From the ocean floor to the icy poles of the Earth, volcanoes are an important force of nature. While active volcanoes are incredibly destructive, they’re essential to life on Earth. Volcanoes actually made life on Earth possible in the first place. But Earth isn’t the only celestial body in […]
Cassini’s Grand Finale reveals Saturn’s mysteries
The Cassini spacecraft explored our solar system for 20 years. During this time, the spacecraft took nearly half a million photos. Its mission? To further humanity’s understanding of the Saturn system. Cassini was a mission of firsts. It was the first landing humanity ever accomplished on a moon other than our own. It was the […]
Best Practices in Professional Development
Research has identified a number of best practices (Darling-Hammond et al., 2009; Guskey & Yoon, 2009; Rhoton & Wohnowski, 2005; NCCTQ, 2011) in providing professional development to teachers and educators. BEST Educators professional development should be based on the following six practices: BE OF SUFFICIENT DURATION The duration of professional development should be significant and […]
Happy Birthday, NASA!!
In July of 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law, which transformed the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) into today’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The nation had been galvanized into action by the surprise launch of Sputnik I on October 4, 1957. With Cold War […]