Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Hello Houston…we do NOT have a problem!


Mrs. Meikle’s fifth grade students at Avon Heritage North Elementary School presented their plans for a trip to Mars with the Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas. The students were divided into four groups that planned travel from Earth to Mars, landing on the planet and the exploration that would be done during their stay.

The students did a fantastic job planning their trip. The students created models drew pictures of their rockets and rovers. The students had to identify many of the characteristics of the atmosphere and the surface of planet to make sure their journey was a success. Each group determined how many astronauts they would send to Mars. The groups calculated the food, water and oxygen needed for all of the members to survive. Each of the groups had different theories on how they would grow food, find water and create energy for their shelters and equipment.

This project was a fantastic opportunity for the students to work in groups, meet many of their content standards as well as practice their presenting skills. All of the students were required to present a part of their project. This program is a two part program run by the NASA Johnson Center. While the project was a lot of work to complete the students and teachers enjoyed the activities. It was a great project that we look forward to doing it again.

To learn more about the NASA distance learning programs check them out on the web at http://nasadln.nmsu.edu/dln/