Astrocamp!!!
Trip to IdyllwildSettling in...Atmosphere and Gases...Hands-on science at its most exciting! Students learn about planetary atmospheres and changes in states of matter as they experiment with pressure, temperature, density, and other gas properties. They form hypotheses and follow the scientific method through to discover the answers. What happens when you expose objects to a vacuum? Exactly how cold is liquid nitrogen and what can it do? Is hydrogen flammable? This class is full of interactive experiments and dramatic results. Students get to blow stuff up in the name of science!
SkycoasterWorking together, students pull one classmate up in the air to desired height (maximum 40ft.). Then the student pulls on a rip-cord and sails through the air!
Final Morning... Group ShotsMicrogravity Astronaut TrainingIn order to prepare for the sensation of weightlessness in space, astronauts first practice their missions in a giant tank of water known as the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. In this activity students experience this feeling of near-weightlessness as they undergo their own mission in our indoor pool.
To prepare, students learn about what gravity is, how it works, and what “weightlessness” really is. They are briefed on their “mission” and discuss various ways of communicating with one another in the vacuum of space. Once in the pool, students are divided into small groups and construct a “communication satellite” while floating in the water. Once all teams finish their portion of the satellite, all the parts are put together to form one large satellite that the team then "launches" into space. |
Arrival... Waiting for our Keys!Initiatives and TeambuildingInstructors lead students in a series of games and challenges of increasing difficulty, all designed to foster cooperation, collaboration, communication, trust, leadership, respect and acceptance.
Building RocketsThe old adage “what goes up must come down” is never truer than when you are launching rockets. In this class, students begin by learning about forces and Isaac Newton’s three laws of motion. Students help demonstrate each law using unique tools and making everyday connections.
Next, students use their new knowledge of how motion works to create their own rockets out of a two liter bottle. In the next class period, students launch their rockets using water and pressurized air on our specially-designed rocket launching field. Each student controls his or her own pressurization and launching process from our customized launch consol. Students time the flight of each rocket, and with the help of our instructors, they use this information to determine the height of each rocket’s flight. Newton's LawsLaunching the Rockets!Mission to MarsGroups cooperate to design a mission to the Red Planet. Groups decide on mission goals, equipment to use, and target sites. At the end, groups give presentations while a panel of “NASA Scientists” (teachers and chaperones) decide on awards.
Students get to experience some of the steps that go into planning a space mission. What is the goal of your mission? What things do you want to investigate? Where on Mars do you want to place your spacecraft? What kind of apparatus would you need to do your investigation? Having discussed and made their choices, the groups make presentations of their mission proposals, explaining their mission goals, their choices in supporting that goal, and justifications for their choices. Their presentations can be accompanied by colorful posters advocating their missions. Expedition Valles Marineris
Valles Marineris on Mars is the largest canyon in the solar system – five times wider and deeper than the Grand Canyon. In this class, students are transported to our research station on Mars and have the opportunity to scale the walls of Valles Marineris. When preparing to climb, students will learn facts about Mars by using MIRA, our Mars Interactive Research Assistant, which incorporates touch screen computers and our custom designed software. This class is more than just a rock wall, it is an expedition to an amazing experience!
Miscellaneous Photos... |