Sep 21 2011
From The Space Library
MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-197 UPDATE WITH ADDITIONAL SPEAKER: MEDIA OPPORTUNITY WITH NASA'S SOFIA DURING WASHINGTON STOPOVER
WASHINGTON -- NASA is inviting journalists to tour and learn more about the world's largest airborne astronomical observatory on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 12 to 2 p.m. EDT at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a highly modified Boeing 747SP aircraft fitted with a 100 inch (2.5 meter) diameter telescope, is making a rare appearance on the East Coast after a deployment to Germany. From 12 to 12:30 p.m., prior to touring the aircraft, media will hear from: -- Lori Garver, NASA deputy administrator -- Leland Melvin, former astronaut and NASA associate administrator for Education -- Paul Hertz, NASA SOFIA program scientist -- Mary Blessing, an educator from Herndon High School in Herndon, Va., who flew aboard SOFIA as a participant in the Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program Hundreds of children from military families also will be on-site to tour the aircraft, visit NASA exhibits, and speak with scientists. SOFIA's Washington-area stopover is part of the White House's "Joining Forces" initiative to give service members and their families opportunities they have earned. NASA works to inspire interest in science, technology, engineering and math education and careers among youth. SOFIA analyzes infrared light to study the formation of stars and planets; chemistry of interstellar gases; composition of comets, asteroids and planets; and supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies. Infrared observations are optimal for studying low-temperature objects in space such as the raw materials for star and planet formation and for seeing through interstellar dust clouds that block light at visible wavelengths. SOFIA is a joint program between NASA and DLR in Bonn, Germany. The SOFIA program is managed at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif. The aircraft is based at the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif. NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., manages the SOFIA science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association in Columbia, Md., and Deutsches SOFIA Institut in Stuttgart, Germany.
RELEASE: 11-316 NASA SELECTS TEACHERS FOR STUDENT'S REDUCED GRAVITY EXPERIMENTS
WASHINGTON -- Teachers from 14 NASA Explorer Schools (NES) have been selected for the 2011 School Recognition Award for their contributions to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. A team of NASA personnel reviewed applications and recognized the schools for demonstrating exemplary classroom practices and finding innovative uses of NES resources to engage a broad school population. These schools were selected from more than 1300 schools that have registered participants in the NASA Explorer Schools project. Three teachers from each school will travel to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston next year to conduct experiments in microgravity aboard the agency's reduced gravity aircraft. The experiments will examine how fluids with different viscosities behave in microgravity; the acceleration and inertia of objects; and how the absence of gravity affects mass and weight. "This represents another innovative NASA project for teachers and students to engage in actual scientific investigations in a microgravity environment, similar to experiments conducted on the International Space Station," said Shelley Canright, program manager for primary and secondary education at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "It successfully demonstrates and enhances participants' academic knowledge in STEM." The schools selected are: Amos Hiatt Middle School, Des Moines, Iowa Charles T. Kranz Intermediate School, El Monte, Calif. East Hartford-Glastonbury Magnet School, East Hartford, Conn. Ellen Ochoa Learning Center, Cudahy, Calif. Ferndale Middle School, High Point, N.C. Forest Lake Elementary Technology Magnet School, Columbia, S.C. Franke Park Elementary, Fort Wayne, Ind. Jamestown High School, Jamestown, Pa. Johnston Middle School, Houston Key Peninsula Middle School, Lakebay, Wash. Lakewood High School, Lakewood, Calif. Mack Benn Jr. Elementary School, Suffolk, Va. St. Mary's Visitation School, Elm Grove, Wisc. Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Glendale, Calif. The NASA Explorer Schools Project is the classroom-based gateway for students in grades 4 through 12; focused on stimulating STEM education using agency content and themes.
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