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Our solar system is a marvel. It houses millions upon millions of objects and perhaps the greatest marvel of all—life on Earth. With the fast-approaching reality of sending astronauts to Mars, it’s more important than ever to understand our solar system—and what lies beyond it. The Solar System Our solar system includes the sun and everything […]

At the beginning of the Space Race in the late 1950s, the idea of international space missions was unthinkable. The grueling competition between the United States and Russia from the 1950s to the mid-1970s led to the rapid growth of space exploration and research. However, it soon was apparent that humanity needed international cooperation to […]

It’s National Hispanic Heritage Month, a great time to celebrate culture and emphasize to students that NASA is for them! NASA has some amazing astronauts, engineers, scientists and technicians that serve as inspiration to all. Just a few examples include NASA’s first Hispanic Astronaut, Dr. Franklin Chang Díaz, former NASA astronaut José Hernández, son of a migrant […]

31,536,000 seconds. 525,600 minutes. 8,670 hours. 365 Days. No matter how you break it down, one year is a long time. Then, put yourself in a 3-4 bedroom house (about 425 cubic meters of habitable space) with five other adults, no showers, no washing machines, and only two toilets for that amount of time.  Feeling […]

I was curious, so I went to my app store and typed NASA in the search box. I could not believe the number of apps that came up. Looking at them, I realized that there are a lot that belong to NASA, a lot that pretend to be from NASA and a lot that have […]

Did you know that by the year 2025, nearly one out of every four public school students will be an English Language Learner? This presents a unique challenge for all educators out there today. Are teachers prepared with the most effective instructional strategies for English Language Learners?  One of the misconceptions out there is that […]

NASA education specialists John Weis and Susan Currie discuss the importance of their partnership with Destination Imagination this week. The first astronaut who will set foot on Mars is currently a student anywhere from kindergarten through high school, according to Susan Currie, NASA education specialist at Marshall Space Flight Center. Currie said NASA plans to […]

Robotics is a way of life today. Robots are everywhere. They’re in your home (even in your bathroom), your doctor’s office, your bank, your favorite place to shop, and your school. Of course, they are a major and critical component of NASA’s exploration of our Earth and the universe in which we live. Life would […]

Heriberto (Heri) Soto joined Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in 1990 working as a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) System Engineer, and since Heri has held different technical positions at the Center like working as a Materials Engineer (Failure Analyst) for the KSC NASA Materials Science Laboratory, working for the International Space Station and Payloads Directorate […]

NASA Careers When you think of NASA careers, the first career that might come to mind is an astronaut.  However you don’t go to college and choose ‘astronaut’ as a major.  As a matter of fact, out of an approximate 60,000 civil servants and contractors that work at NASA, only 43 are active astronauts (eligible […]

As the global climate changes, there are real, measurable consequences. Satellite missions at NASA collect data on the health of our planet and how it changes over time. NASA has measurable evidence that there are places on this planet that get too much rain and places that are getting too little. The problem of extensive flooding […]

Let’s take a look at how NASA technology drives our society into undiscovered places through technology. Take 3-D printing, for example. The first 3-D printed material is the faceplate seen in the image below. The material was built layer by layer, and was created to inspire the use of printed tools on long duration space flights. […]

The moon, Mars, and beyond—for decades humans have been fascinated by the potential of space travel. After nearly 50 years of space exploration, humanity is looking for the next great leap in the future of human spaceflight. Until recently, space programs were run by the government and focused on low-Earth orbits. Humans landed on the […]

The beginning of 2015 has been a flurry of activity as the Texas State University NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative becomes fully operational with the hiring of the 10 EPDC specialists that are located at each of the 10 NASA Centers across the U.S. The specialists were at Texas State Jan. 13-16 for planning […]

Did you know that NASA wasn’t always called NASA? That’s right! NASA used to be NACA, or the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. NACA was formed in 1915, followed by the establishment of what is now NASA Langley Research Center in 1917-or what I like to call the mothership of NASA, since it was the first […]

NASA’s Robotics Mining Competitions will take place May 20-22 at NASA Kennedy Space Center. According to the Nasa website, “NASA’s Robotic Mining Competition is for university-level students to design and build a mining robot that can traverse the simulated Martian chaotic terrain. The ‘bot must then excavate the basaltic regolith simulant (called Black Point-1 or […]

Did you know that NASA has an Airborne Science Mission Tools Suite (MTS) that allows for the planning, operating and managing of the Airborne Science Mission Operations from a web-based site by scientist and engineers? MTS enables remote monitoring of real-time aircraft location, viewing of current and archived flight tracks, team communication, and collaboration including […]

I am a very visual learner and find these apps very helpful in experience the realities of space. I would love to hear what you think of them especially as tools for students. 1- Spacecraft 3D NASA’s Spacecraft 3D is an augmented reality (AR) application that lets you learn about an d interact with a […]

Welcome Future Martians! You can now send your name to Mars on a microchip aboard InSight for its March 2016 mission. The deadline to submit your name is September 8, so don’t forget to sign up! There are three essential questions that have been driving Mars exploration. Is there water on Mars? Is or was Mars ever capable […]

Many young students look up at the sky and dream about exploring distant planets. But sometimes it can be challenging to channel these interests into relevant classroom concepts. It’s important to find ways to show students how they can stretch the limits of possibility with math and science, which teachers can encourage by exploring students’ […]

It is no secret that STEM jobs are high in demand and will continue to grow over the next several decades. However, what is needed is a wide variety of approaches that will enable educators to engage and entice students to pursue STEM fields to meet this growing demand. According to the Bureau of Labor […]

Recruiting and retaining high-quality STEM teachers is a challenge for teacher education programs nationwide. This video provides an overview of the issues and offers suggestions for meeting the challenge. Key points discussed in this video: The demand for STEM jobs is increasing. U.S. has one of the lowest ratios of STEM to non-STEM bachelor’s degrees in […]

If there is one way to inspire students to pursue STEM fields, it is by appealing to their inner child, that part of them that wishes to explore and discover new and wonderful things. Couple that with an opportunity to work at NASA (which is considered one of the best places to work) and students will […]

Looking up at the sky you might see an unusual object flying by that grabs your attention. It’s definitely a plane. No, wait, it looks like the top half of that plane was ballooned out somehow, creating a craft that looks like it couldn’t even fly! But it is flying! How is that possible? That is […]

News from NASA usually evokes imagery of constellations, space stations, and massive black holes swallowing galaxies. This time, though, NASA’s news has more to do with our oceans here at home. As global warming continues, it is becoming more and more pressing for us to understand exactly how our coral reefs are being affected. With this […]

Demonstrations of the HoloLens, Microsoft’s entry into the virtual reality field, have convinced a number of teachers that it will change STEM education. Professors of medicine, archeology and art history at Case Western Reserve University are testing the new technology and their reactions are unequivocally positive. What is HoloLens? The HoloLens is a device able […]

South by Southwest’s education expo will be held on March 7-10 in Austin, Texas. The education expo brought close to 6,000 students, parents, and educators together last year. SXSWedu is a part of the South by Southwest network. This includes the annual music and arts festival of the same name. The education expo has a varied […]

Invest in Yourself How can you as an educator invest in yourself professionally with NASA? There are many opportunities to invest in your own professional development with NASA education and one of the best sources for learning about those opportunities is found here. You will find that there are summer workshops and webinars onsite at […]

STEMCON 2015, Credit: STEMCON The 3rd Annual STEM Conference takes place on April 8, 2016 at the FirstMerit Convention Center of Cleveland, Ohio. This conference is held to promote better ways of teaching and involving students in STEM. Statistics show that throughout the country students are lacking the necessary skills for today’s workforce, especially when it […]

NASA has been researching inflatable habitats since the 90s in order to help astronauts get to Mars without having to live in an extremely small space. Kriss Kennedy, a NASA space architect, was at the forefront of the project. The inflatables were to be made of Kevlar material that becomes rigid when put under pressure. […]

A water bear, or moss piglet or tardigrade, is a tiny animal that lives among mosses, and has a unique ability to survive some of the harshest conditions on earth. They are able to survive extreme temperatures as low as -328 °F and up to 304 °F, freezing and thawing, changes in salinity, lack of […]

In these days of high stakes testing and standards adoptions it can be difficult to see space (pun intended) for NASA in your busy curriculum. I promise you that there are ways to bring in NASA resources and not lose your mind. The following are some suggestions for you to consider as you prepare for […]

According to many experts, students’ learning is optimized when the students take an active rather than passive role in the learning process. This video blog shows that a formatted chain of activities can make the students’ learning process in-line with Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory of four-stage learning cycle. In addition, several examples of the activities […]

CSUN work on NASA MEI explores how NGSS standards promotes K-12 teacher scientific literacy and advancement of understanding of the principles of global warming and climate change. Over the past year, PIs Susan Belgrad and Norm Herr have worked with educational partners at NASA JPL (David Seidel and Dr. Ota Lutz) to prepare engaging events […]

Why NASA is Embracing the KERBAL Space Program Interested in how to engage elementary students in STEM education through technology? There are many apps that can help. I would like to know which ones you have tried in a school or home setting and what were your results? What are your pro’s and con’s about […]

At NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) change was inevitable once the Space Shuttle Program came to a close in the summer of 2011. Today KSC has gone and continues to transform and morph into the World’s Space Port for space access and exploration. At the helm of all this transformation is NASA’s Ground System Development […]

The USA Science and Engineering Festival is a culmination of events supporting the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field for the next generation. This year’s festival has been going on since January of 2015. The 2015/2016 festival culminates with 2-day Grand Finale Expo April 16-17, 2016 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in […]

Concept Attainment Model It is tempting to simply share a new concept with your students through lecture. Instead however, you could make the lesson more engaging by using the concept attainment model. This would allow them the opportunity to practice inductive thinking to arrive at the concept through analyzing yes attributes and no attributes related […]

I admit it. I have trouble sitting still. I also spent a part of my life studying neurophysiology. Recently I read an article in the Washington Post written by Alexis Wiggins entitled “Teacher spends two days as a student and is shocked at what she learned.” I mentored teachers and principals in my years in […]

3-2-1 Tech Off: Transferring Technology Advances for 40 Years! What do you think of when you think of NASA?  Maybe it’s men walking on the moon, the space shuttle helping to build the International Space Station, rovers on Mars, or winglets on airplanes.  While those are all true, there are numerous items that incorporate NASA […]

What if you could program a computer without using any coding? What if you could program it the way you might teach your dog to roll over? With a technology called machine learning this has become possible. What is Machine Learning? Machine learning was defined in 1959 by Arthur Samuel, creator of one of the […]

A little over 6 weeks ago the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced the creation of the National Microbiome Initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to advance microbiome research to “aid in the development of useful applications in areas such as health care, food production, and environmental restoration” (1). What […]

In the post The Truth About the Apollo Lunar Samples we were introduced to the “lefty” and “righty” qualities of amino acids, on earth and in space. We learned why the Apollo Lunar Samples taken decades ago were found to have small quantities of amino acids that paralleled those found on Earth. But we did not […]

Letting Students Stumble I came to teaching with a passion for learning.  From the minute of my first day with my own class I knew my responsibility for my students was to help them love science and discovery. So inquiry was not something that was optional for me or my students, it was the journey […]

Most have seen the pictures and videos, but few have felt the apparent weightlessness one feels while experiencing microgravity in space.  What is microgravity? Why are we as humans so fascinated by it?  One could answer those questions with two F’s…Free-fall and Fun! Many of us have experienced brief periods of microgravity while sky-diving, bungee-jumping, […]

Doing surgeries involving artificial blood vessels is nothing new. But surgeries with regenerative blood vessels? That’s unheard of. The need Congenital heart defects (CHD’s) effect about 1% of all newborns in the United States (source). Often these children need to have surgery to replace or re-structure their blood vessels, and replacement pieces of vessels can […]

Over the years NASA’s Spaceport access to our Solar System and the Universe has been through the numerous manned and unmanned mission launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL. NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) focuses on unmanned missions to Earth, Solar System, and Beyond. LSP had it first mission back on October […]

Can we grow food on Mars? This is an essential question as the journey to get humans to Mars continues. There have been several exciting developments over the past few months and years, none more so than the testing of vegetable growth in simulated Martian soil. The Experiment NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is partnering with […]

NASA Langley Research Center will turn 100 years in 2017 being the very first of all the NASA centers. With a legacy of atmospheric research since 1917 with Orville Wright as a member of the initial committee, NASA Langley holds experts in all things atmosphere. From traveling through Earth’s atmosphere with airplane and green aviation, […]

With evidence from meteorites and new scientific models, astronomers have proposed that a low-mass supernova may have triggered the formation of the solar system. Yong-Zhong Qian and his colleagues have provided evidence of not only the way in which the solar system was formed, but the possible trigger event that started it all. The Beginning […]

The age of robotics has long been dominated by hard metals and clunky objects. In recent years, however, scientists and engineers have begun to develop softer and even “squishy” robots, as they experiment with different materials and systems for their design and function. One such development is the robotic stingray, created by researchers at Harvard […]

When I left my High School Physics classroom for a position as a NASA education specialist, I was both impressed and annoyed by the resources available from NASA for teaching physics concepts. I was impressed that there was such a wide range of resources for all aspects of physics at so many different levels. I […]

Astronomers at NASA’s Hubble Telescope have once again seen evidence of possible water vapor plume eruptions on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Known as a mostly icy moon, Europa is a target for future water testing for evidence of life beyond Earth with these kinds of observations. Europa As we know, Jupiter is the fifth planet from […]

Growing Up With Hurricanes “Hurricanes” is an exciting STEM topic that brings real NASA data for real learning into your classroom. Hurricanes have fascinated me since I was a child. Growing up and living near the Gulf of Mexico, hurricanes were always a part of my life each summer. As a child, hurricanes were “fun”. […]

OSIRIS-REx MISSION: One-Week Post Launch Looking for a current NASA news story, and engaging activities to share with your students? THE NEWS Make sure to discuss the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft with your students! OSIRIS-REx succesffully launched just this past week at 7:05pm EDT on September 8th, 2016 from […]

Yellowstone National Park is an undoubted national treasure, best known for its stunning display of vivid color. With an inside of bright blue that matches the sky and an outside comparable to a raging fire, Yellowstone is a site of unmatched visual quality. But just what causes this incredible display? The Bacteria Behind the Beauty […]

The Greenland Ice Sheet covers roughly 80% of the country, and is over 2,400 kilometers long from top to bottom. Being the second largest ice sheet in the world after the South Pole’s Antarctic Ice Sheet, it is a key area to study for insights into climate change. Mapping Greenland Matters Using multiple technologies in […]

Scientists at Imperial College London recently discovered that there could be a new form of light. The scientists suggest that light photons can be bound to a single electron, thus combining both properties. How are Photons of Light Created? To get right into the technical details, light photons are produced when electrons orbiting the nucleus […]

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is internationally renown for its missions to the moon, to mars, and beyond. Kids from foreign countries visiting Texas often make it a priority to visit the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and leave with precious souvenirs. However at the core of almost everything NASA does is aeronautics, which […]

In October of last year NASA released the findings of a study that examined the Apollo lunar samples taken during the Apollo missions of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Despite the belief that there was no life on the moon, the Apollo mission soil samples taken over four decades ago contained traces of amino […]

Not much lives in the sand, you say? Actually, sand contains millions and millions of algae organisms called diatoms. They are a highly productive and vital food source for other organisms near water. But how do these organisms survive being constantly turned over, buried with no oxygen, and resurfaced again? The Study Researchers at Monash […]

In this video, I describe “physics identity” and what I do to support positive physics identity development for my students. A quick way to describe physics identity is that it’s how much someone feels like a “physics person.” The same idea applies for math identity and science identity. Researchers have found that physics identity is […]

In this video you will see an example of a NASA activity that can be used to illustrate different mathematical representations with the purpose of attaching meaning to the words and quantities – this way, developing mathematical and literacy skills simultaneously.  Research related to mathematics education for students in the stages of developing English language […]

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is currently in the middle of a relatively new orbit of the planet Saturn, which it has been studying since 2004. Cassini is passing high over the northern hemisphere of the planet, and then taking sweeping runs alongside its rings - the closest any craft has ever been to the rings. November […]

On March 3, 1915, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was founded with the intent of coordinating aeronautical research.  It quickly became a leading research organization through the first supersonic flights.  In 1958 the aeronautical research torch was passed with the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directors […]

Survival! What would it take to survive on the Moon? As shown in the video below, NASA astronauts are dependent on their available resources, as well as their ability to survive and adapt to new environments. NASA’s BEST –Living on the Moon In 1610, the Jamestown settlers who traveled to the United States, were also […]

Since late 2016, NASA has been able to do it through a new addition to their NOAA GOES-16 satellite – a lightning tracker that can give insights to weather forecasters and emergency response teams before the storms hit. The tool itself is called the Geostationary Lightning Mapper, or GLM for short. Positioned along the equator […]

MgUE kicked off the first week of the Institute on April 2, 2017 at NASA JSC and six teams of teachers from schools in North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Illinois, Iowa, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California were in attendance to test student-designed devices to simulate satellite insertion into planetary orbits.  The experiences included […]

As the school year winds down and students look forward to a little time off, I often get parents and teachers asking me what there is to keep young minds actively thinking like scientists. While there is a plethora of academic, science-themed camps available, they mean a bit of schedule juggling and, usually, a bit […]

This semester I was fortunate enough to work with a local school, the San Fernando Institute of Applied Media (SFIAM).  The teaching staff reached out to the EPDC team with a vision of a project beyond ‘one-off’ professional development. Research has shown that effective PD for teachers needs to be both hands-on and recurring.  However, […]

Little we think about what moves around the Earth. Your first thought would probably be the moon, but how often do you think about who is orbiting our planet. The answer, there are currently three astronauts aboard the International Space Station: Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, Peggy Whitson, and Jack Fischer. NASA astronaut Jack Fischer photographed the […]

Expedition 51 astronauts Commander Peggy Whitson of NASA, Flight Engineers Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian space agency Roscosmos and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) have been aboard the International Space Station since November 2016. On April 20, 2017, they were joined by NASA astronaut Jack Fischer and cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos. Astronauts […]

By now, there is no doubt that liquid water flows on Mars. On September 28, 2015, NASA released evidence confirming that water flows on Mars, today. Following the discovery of dark streaks on the walls of Garni crater on Mars, its mission identified they were formed by, most likely, salty water. These streaks seemed to […]

It’s been a long trip and now, Cassini’s final countdown has begun. Cassini-Huygens was launched back on October 15, 1992. It’s equipped with two main parts, the Cassini - which is the Saturn orbiter, and Huygens the lander for the moon Titan. The names are in honor of two astronomers, Giovanni Cassini and Christiaan Huygens, who […]

As a federal agency, NASA prides itself on providing internship opportunities that are unique, innovative, and full of excitement.  We are always in search of discovery and exploration of the next big technology break through.  NASA houses several programs designed to secure the next generation of explorers: whether on the Journey to Mars, the Asteroid […]

How often is Earth hit by meteors from space? For technicality’s sake, a meteor is just a piece of an asteroid or comet that has entered Earth’s atmosphere. Before arriving at the atmosphere, these pieces are called meteoroids. Thousands of small rock fragments enter the atmosphere every year, and most of the debris is burned […]

Is there anybody out there? - a question humans have been asking since the beginning of our existence. It would most likely be the greatest discovery of human-kind if/when we discover the definitive answer to that question. NASA has been a leader in exploring that question and searching for the answer. On February 22, 2017, […]

It’s not often that we get to hear directly from top experts in the engineering field. And it is even less often that we have the opportunity to spend a day with the top female scientists and engineers working for NASA. Luckily for us, National Engineers Week is coming up. And even better, February 23rd […]

I recently had the opportunity to go with other employees of NASA Ames Research Center to view the recently released movie Hidden Figures, which highlighted the critical role three African-American women played in the early stages of the space race with the Soviet Union. A key theme of the movie, beyond the technical prowess of […]

JPL and NASA This year at the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) we celebrated our 80th year of scientific research.  Long before JPL was a NASA site we were working on flight technologies, but didn’t get brought into the fold until the space race began.  In 1958, JPL launched the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, and […]

One of our greatest challenges as educators is helping our students prepare for lifelong learning and success.   NASA has developed a set of lesson plans to introduce and practice working as team to solve problems.  https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem-on-station/expeditionary-skills-for-life.html The lessons are divided into four modules (Self Care/Team Care; Cultural Competency; Leadership/Followship; and Teamwork Communication) designed to guide […]

On October 15, 1997, the Cassini orbiter and its attached Huygens probe launched on a seven-year journey to Saturn. The Cassini mission was a collective effort of NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI). Along the way, the spacecraft collaborated studies of Jupiter for six months in […]

The Amazon’s ecosystem is a fragile balance between the interaction of the plants, animals, microbes and the climate. These depend on each other to keep a flourishing environment. Insects, animals, and microbes depend on the plants for shelter and food, just as the plants depend on them for the breakdown of nutrients which go back into […]

Juno Spacecraft was launched on August 5, 2011, aboard an Atlas V-551 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It reached Jupiter in July 2016. Since, it has taken stunning pictures of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and begin to study the planet’s auroras. Juno’s mission goals are to: understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter, look for a […]

Five years ago the Curiosity Mars Rover landed on the surface of the red planet. Curiosity’s mission is to determine Mars’ habitability by examining the planet’s climate and geology. It was set to explore the 96 mile-wide Gale Crater and study its structure, chemical composition, how it came to be, and how its history impacted […]

When you think of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, you probably think of rocket launches with thousands of spectators lining up at the Visitor Complex or along U.S. 1 to get a glimpse, hear and feel the rumble of the Falcon 9, Atlas V, Delta or one of the many other rockets that launch from NASA’s […]

Have you ever wondered how many other Earths can there be in the vast universe? Given the idea that in our Milky Way alone there are 100 billion stars, one would think that there must be many planets out there like our Earth. Well, the short answer to that question is, scientists are still looking. […]

For the first time, atmospheric rivers have been studied in a global scale by NASA and several partners. Their findings give us a profound understanding of their global impact on floods, droughts and the areas affected by these phenomena. What Are Atmospheric Rivers? “Atmospheric rivers are relatively long, narrow, short-lived jets of air that transport water […]

First discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh, our knowledge of Pluto has come a long way. From its orbit, composition, its five satellites and, most recently, all the data gathered from the New Horizons spacecraft visit, what we continue to discover about the dwarf planet continues to amaze scientists. Timeline Long after its discovery more […]

Neptune is the eighth planet in our solar system. It was discovered in 1846 by Johann Galle and it’s also known as the Windiest Planet. We have not visited this dark, cold, ice giant that often, but what we know will blow your space suits off! This picture of Neptune was produced from the last […]

Through engineering, human ideas can become a reality. The continued education and experimentation will lead humanity forward with ever-evolving technology capable of making life easier, safer, faster, reusable, cleaner -you name it! Multi-material fluidic actuators glove. Image by Harvard Biodesign Lab. One example of this is the increase in research of soft robotics. Depending on […]

Since the early 1960s, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been developing and disseminating free educational resources for Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade educators. These resources are usually attached to a mission or science objective relevant to NASA at the time of their creation. In recent years, NASA has made a move from a […]

Nature, throughout millions of years of evolution, has figured out a way to adapt to every environment. This has made it as complex and marvelous as we know it today. From all the different shapes of plant leafs to a dog’s ability to read human expressions or, from a bird’s beak to the smallest insects. This is the […]

It’s the ultimate merging when lightyear-size galaxies attract each other and collide. The process takes billions of years, and although we won’t be able to record a whole collision in our lifetime, the Hubble Space Telescope has given us glimpses of various galaxies around the universe at different stages of their collision. The Antennae galaxies. […]

STEM in the classroom can be enhanced by adding the “A” from “Arts” to make STEAM. STEAM creates full, cross-curricular learning. Galileo said, “Mathematics is the language of the universe.” To expand on this, we can also add: Science is the translation Engineering puts it all together Technology makes it real Arts bring it to […]

With a growing demand for plastics, high waste disposal numbers and a growing population, renewable sources are a must to keep a healthy environment. Recycling steps may have already been put in action in many places around the world but plastic items are still a big part of land pollution. It is predicted that by […]

Prude University researchers have developed a safe, affordable, and more environmentally friendly method that can be used in the future to recharge electric cars. Prude University professor, John Cushman, has developed and, is planning on commercializing, a method that can expedite the recharging process of electric or hybrid cars. He co-founded the technology known as […]

An eclipse, whether solar or lunar, happens when the Sun, Moon, and Earth align with each other. A solar eclipse, like the one on August 21, 2017, is when the Sun’s light will be blocked by the Moon. A lunar eclipse is when the Moon passes behind the Earth into its shadow. As the Sun’s […]

For the first time in almost 40 years, all of North America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun on August 21, 2017. Anyone within the path of totality will be able to see one of nature’s most awe inspiring sights - a total solar eclipse. In preparation for this monumental event, NASA […]

Since their start aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Expedition 54 has given us many amazing pictures, performed successful spacewalks and completed much research and studies in bacteria, manufactured fiber optics in microgravity, measured the total amount of sunlight Earth receives, gathered data on space debris in low-Earth orbit, and studied self-replicating materials. Let’s take […]

Imagine being a teacher in the classroom one day, and then find yourself being a teacher astronaut in space the next. Pretty exciting! Well, that’s what happened to teachers, Joe Acaba and Ricky Arnold. This school year, NASA is celebrating a Year of Education on the Station (YES) as astronauts and former teachers, Joe Acaba […]

Fresh water is our most precious resource.  While Earth is the water Planet, most of the water (97%) is salt water. Only 3% of the planets water is fresh water and only 1% is potable. Precipitation is the main source of the freshwater required by living things on the planet. (What’s up with Precipitation? https://pmm.nasa.gov/education/articles/understanding-earth-whats-precipitation […]

Nitrogen is a naturally occurring element that is essential in most of the compounds that allow life to exist. Plants use it to grow and humans use it in many things like fertilizers, steel manufacturing, cooling and to refine oil. A new study found what might be a new source of nitrogen. Almost 78 percent […]

As a third grader in rural Georgia, I remember listening as President John F. Kennedy delivered his famous speech on September 12, 1962, stating, “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to […]

M1, also known as the Crab Nebula, has been observed for centuries. Early drawings show how the nebula appeared in the sky in the early 1800s and modern telescopes like the Hubble and Chandra X-ray Observatory, have taken us deep into the clouds of M1 to see its pulsar star. The Crab Nebula is located […]

FYears of careful experimentation and research has helped scientists and astronauts reach great milestones in the field of space gardening. Early experiments have led to the germination of this field aboard the International Space Station (ISS), and will eventually bloom to be able to safely growing plants that astronauts can eat in space, Mars and […]

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. Its closeness greatly influences Mercury’s atmosphere, temperature, and surface. Fastest Orbit Mercury is about 1/3 the size of the Earth. It’s is only slightly larger than our moon and Mercury itself possesses no moons. Mercury is 3,032.3 miles (4,880 kilometers) wide. To put it in perspective, if […]

On June 4, 2018, NASA AMES Research Center (ARC) security guards took extra time checking in visitors. This time instead of a quick flash of the badge of one or two people in a vehicle, security guards had to step onto a large bus and give clearance to over 50 Educators participating in the MUREP […]

Just a few weeks ago, NASA’s InSight Mars lander launched from California, in hopes of getting the first in-depth look at the “heart” of Mars: its crust, mantle and core. In other words, it will be the Red Planet’s first thorough checkup since it formed 4.5 billion years ago. NASA usually launches interplanetary spacecraft from […]

This spring has been an exciting time for NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) personnel. Fresh off its Centennial Year celebration, “A Storied Legacy, A Soaring Future,” the Center witnessed a significant step into NASA’s future with mass properties testing of the nation’s next deep-space manned crew capsule, Orion. What are mass properties, you ask? Mass […]

If you are anything like I was when I was still in the classroom, right about now, you are looking for some professional development (PD) hours to finish out your required number or start to get ahead on the next count. Finding PD offerings isn’t usually that difficult. Finding them to fit around your schedule […]

Oceanic currents are the movement of water from one location to another. Currents are generally measured in meters per second or knots, where 1 knot equals 1.85 kilometers per hour (or 1.15 miles per hour). Oceanic currents are important to life on Earth because they redistribute water, heat, nutrients, and oxygen around the globe. “When […]

Get ready! NASA is Launching six missions, six launching sites, in six different months and five different rockets all happening in 2018. The missions could not be any more different form one another. It’s been 15 years since LSP has had such a robust launch schedule for a single year. From Earth base missions to […]

Far away, 261 million kilometers away from Earth, sits our other next-door neighbor besides Mars, Venus. From its many volcanoes, hot temperatures, and its peculiar backward spin, Venus is one planet we don’t hear much about recently but that doesn’t mean we don’t know about it. Strap on and put on some sunscreen because we […]

Although beautiful when photographed from space, hurricanes are violent storms that form around the Equator. Their structure is always the same but what makes a hurricane destructive are its fast winds as it moves through water and reaches the coast. The scientific term for these storms is Tropical Cyclone, though depending on its location they […]

The Perseus galaxy cluster is one of the most massive objects in the universe. It contains more than 1,000 galaxies, it’s located about 240 million light-years away and at its center, there’s a supermassive back whole. It caught scientists’ attention in 1970 when a high X-ray emission was detected during an Aerobee rocket flight. When […]

Content and Context The curriculum maps, standards, and always beloved standardized tests provide a roadmap to guide educators toward which content to share with students over a given school year. What the teacher is left with is to provide context and relevance to that content. That’s where story’s power becomes evident. According to Harrison Monarth […]

It is well known that Professional Development (PD) for educators is effective if it is long-term and not just a one-off event. Office of Education at NASA Goddard partners with institutions to meet their long-term needs for educator PD. This February, I had the opportunity to further this partnership with pre-service teachers at Marymount University […]

Gamma-Ray Bursts are the single, most violent events in the universe! Ironically these are one of the hardest events in the universe for us to witness. The discovery of these was purely coincidental and after their research, we now know so much about them and how rare they are to spot. How were Gamma-Rays Discovered? […]

New 3D-printing technique helped engineers create magnetic structures capable of moving with a wave of a magnet. The magnetic structures can wrinkle, squeeze themselves and even crawl, roll, jump and snap close to catch a rolling ball. Among the many new soft devices being created and designed to shape-shift or move, these 3D-printed magnetic structures […]

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 […]

For years scientists have trained many species of animals to solve puzzles, to count and even, communicate. Scientists have observed them in their natural habitat and in the lab, testing how they interact, learn and comprehend new information. One example is Koko the gorilla who learned sign language and was able to communicate back with her […]

Social learning is a powerful way to motivate students, develop learning skill and, the interest in the subject. It improves comprehension and reinforces understanding through dialogue. Teaching and technology have, in recent years, merged more seamlessly to make learning easier for kids. In a recently published study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, researchers built a […]

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It’s an icy gaseous planet, discovered in 1781, mistaken by a comet and finally two years later accepted as a planet. After decades of observations and only one close visit by a spacecraft, Uranus still shared one new fact about its atmosphere. Uranus in visual light. This […]

NASA is months away from setting a new course in Human Space Flight History. The Commercial Crew Program, a partnership between Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and Space X’s Crew Dragon are leading the way for the return to flight of US astronauts from US soil. NASA Kennedy Space Center is leading the way in these efforts. […]

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 […]

After a decades-long search, new research has found more clues about the celestial body closest to Earth: our Moon. New research has found conclusive evidence of water in the form of ice on the Moon’s polar regions. While there’s water everywhere on Earth, not the same can be said for other bodies in our solar […]

The Moon is the closest celestial body to Earth, and yet we have so little information about it. NASA plans to change this with an ambitious new plan. In addition to studying the Moon itself, the space agency plans to set up the Moon to be an eventual outpost for deep space exploration. Although deep […]

After four years of debate, NASA announces Mars 2020 rover landing site. Although today we know Mars as a desolate red planet, it wasn’t always this way. Mars had a molten core that generated a magnetic field for a billion years. The planet once was warm and covered in liquid seas. There’s a chance that […]

The NASA FAMA Central Texas for Minority Youth is a partnership of Texas State University and three regional school districts including San Marcos CISD, Lockhart ISD, and Hays CISD that provides integrated year-round STEM programming to underrepresented student populations. The goal and objective is to build interest, skills and knowledge necessary for K-12 students to […]

There are so many mysteries in space. However, the Earth itself is host to so many unanswered questions as well. One mystery lies just shy of the Earth, in the tumultuous area where our atmosphere ends and space begins. The ionosphere is part of the Earth’s upper atmosphere. It’s critical to study for space exploration […]

There is a big push right now for students to do authentic science research that has real world applications. I, personally, cannot think of a more authentic way to involve students in citizen science than having them operate an Earth-based radio telescope looking out into space or request images of Earth be produced by a […]

Finished in 2011, the International Space Station is a critical source of data for space agencies across the globe. Regular expeditions have gone to the ISS to conduct critical research to gain insights into life in space. A recent mission, Expedition 56, was the fifty-sixth manned crew to the ISS. This expedition was part of […]

The ICESat-2 (Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite) mission is designed to measure the depth of Earths sea ice, glaciers and ice sheets. The satellite will carry a single photon counting altimeter called the ATLAS (Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System). Why does Sea Ice Melt Matter? Engaging Students in STEM Real World problem Solving.   […]

Apollo 50th Anniversary Logo “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” These are the iconic words spoken from the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969 by Neil Armstrong, almost 50 years ago. From October 2018 through December 2022, NASA will mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Program […]

The NASA’s BEST Engineering Design Model serves as a foundation for all BEST activities. BEST Activity Guides were designed to teach students the engineering design process (EDP) as an iterative process that engineers use to guide them in problem solving. NASA Engineers ask questions, imagine solutions, plan designs, create and test models, and then make […]

I have been in contact with a number of school districts and STEM Specialists lately that are struggling with the same issues. Teachers are unsure how to add STEM into their already crowded curriculum and teachers are uncomfortable with their current understanding of STEM in relationship to doing science in their classrooms.  There remains a […]

As countless educators from around the country plan and organize vacation plans, a group of committed educators from San Marcos C.I.S.D. prepare to engage in a unique summer camp that aims to develop, inspire, and nurture the next generation of aerospace-engineers and mathematicians. Earlier this month, NASA STEM EPDC facilitated an intensive day and a […]

The InSight lander successfully landed on Mars November 26, 2018. Since that time, InSight has already made history in a slew of scientific firsts. Although it’s still early days for InSight’s two-year mission, the robotic lander is already collecting groundbreaking data. What is InSight? InSight is an acronym for “Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, […]

“ How might educators sustain and extend their NASA EPDC professional development experience?”  This is a question that Deepika Sangam, Goddard EPDC specialist, has begun to explore through the use of the Professional Learning Educator Assessment Survey (PLEAS – 2).  Although this work is in the initial stages, preliminary findings suggest that one possibility of […]

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 […]

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 […]

The beautiful thing about the Universe is that it holds so many mysteries. Mankind is always exploring and learning more information about the Universe, which often leaves us with more questions than answers. In late 2018, the Hubble Space Telescope made a monumental discovery: the location of a new galaxy beyond the reaches of the […]

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 […]

Curiosity is a Mars rover that launched from Earth on November 26, 2011. It landed on the red planet on August 6, 2012, after a 350 million mile journey. Its mission? To investigate the Martian climate and geology for future human exploration. Specifically, scientists tasked Curiosity with looking for habitable conditions and evidence of water […]

In March of 2019, social media lit up with the promise of the first all-female spacewalk. Unfortunately, the spacewalk fell through due to spacesuit issues, but it captivated the public. In the months since, people have been wanting to know more about spacewalks on the International Space Station (ISS). There have been over 200 spacewalks […]

Mars is the next frontier of space exploration. But before we can send a human crew to Mars, we need to learn more about our neighboring Red Planet. NASA scientists intend to do just that with the Mars 2020 rover. The currently-unnamed rover will pave the way for future study and exploration on Mars to […]

Congress’s ambitious Space Policy Directive-1 gave NASA a challenge: work with American companies to put our astronauts back on the Moon by 2024. This is no small feat. Through the new Artemis program, NASA is approved to grant $2.6 billion in contracts to American companies over the next 10 years. NASA is partnering with private […]

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 […]

Did you know that life exists in space? According to a recent study by NASA, there are plenty of micro-organisms aboard the International Space Station, or ISS. NASA asked astronauts to collect samples on the ISS to catalog the bacteria and fungi growing in the microgravity environment. Although the ISS has been in operation for […]

The next era of space exploration has begun with NASA’s new Artemis program. Congress tasked NASA with putting humans on the Moon by 2024, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by the U.S. for decades. The program, called Artemis, will put humans back on the Moon. However, the Artemis mission is nothing like the world […]

 It’s been over 45 years since Americans set foot on the Moon. While we learned a lot in the early days of space exploration, NASA has plans to expand humanity’s reach in the solar system in the coming years. Thanks to international and commercial partnerships, NASA plans to put Americans on the Moon’s surface […]

Man first landed on the Moon in July of 1969. It’s been 50 years since we first stepped foot on the lunar surface, but NASA and other space organizations around the world soon plan to usher in a new era of exploration—to the Moon and beyond. The Moon is the perfect proving ground and eventual […]

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 […]

The Sun is one of the most definitive bodies in our galaxy. A constant in the Earth’s history, the Sun makes life possible on our blue planet. But even though much of our life revolves around the Sun, we know little about it. Distance, gravity, and incredible heat make it a challenge to study the […]

Have you ever wished upon a star? Although they appear as glints in the nighttime sky to us, stars are complex celestial bodies. While stars are beautiful collections of matter, they actually have a life cycle. All stars begin as a stellar nebula and transform into different phases over time, depending on their location and […]

Many objects and bodies travel through our solar system. Planets, comets, the Kuiper Belt—our solar system is full of bodies for study. However, of these bodies, scientists on the OSIRIS-REx mission are particularly interested in asteroids. These floating mounds of rock and minerals have the potential to impact deep space exploration for decades to come. […]

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 […]

As NASA prepares to put humans on the Moon once again by 2024, the organization knows it needs a little help. That’s why NASA is partnering with private, commercial entities to speed up the timeline, decrease costs, and improve innovation. The Artemis program will put humans on the Moon by 2024, but a lot of […]

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, […]

The Sun is the center of our solar system. We orbit around the Sun and rely on this massive star to provide life-giving energy to Earth. But as much as the Sun is a part of our lives, we know very little about it. That’s why NASA created the Parker Solar Probe, a specialized craft […]

In addition to putting humans back on the Moon in a few years, NASA is laying the groundwork for a manned mission to Mars. NASA has been partnering with private, third-party companies to make this happen in less time for a lower cost. Private companies are working fast to innovate NASA technology, going so far […]

Black holes are one of the most powerful and mysterious forces in the universe. They have a significant impact on how galaxies and stars form and evolve over time. But as important as black holes are, we know very little about them. Recent discoveries have proven black hole theories, shedding light on how black holes […]

Lewis and Clark explored the great American wilderness from 1804 to 1806. The duo was responsible for mapping much of the unknown western half of the American territory, paving the way for exploration and settlement.  In 2019, we’re looking up, not west, to find the next great frontier. As NASA ramps up preparations for the […]

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 […]