Commercial Space And STEM Education

I am a STEM teacher in a public high school. Call me a nerd, but space is the place. I am always trying to excite the student's imagination by discussing and relating projects to commercial space.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson believes that we NEED to explore space to save the economy and, basically the country. I believe this is true. NASA is a great organization, but I believe that the new, emerging private space inustry has the potential to advance society by leaps and bounds. Everything from advanced robotics to genetic engineering would benefit from the private space industry. Computer technology and nanotechnology would be in high demand.

So I feel it is my job to inspire students. I have participate in 2 Teachers In Space workshops, I am the Advisor for our school rocket club, and I write lessons and units on space exploration.

I have one unit that I recently wrote specifically designed for commercial space. I have yet to implement it in the classroom. I feel it stille needs some critiquing. If anyone is willing to look over my work, please feel free to contact me.

I am always looking for ideas and ways to create and implement activities and lessons...HMU

Wed, Nov 7, 2012  Permanent link

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This IS Rocket Science!

SMHS Rocket Club has made it to the finals in the Team America Rocket Challenge. As the Advisor to this group, I am very proud. This is our first year as a club and we made it to the finals!

TEAM AMERICA ROCKETRY CHALLENGE
$60,000 in Annual Prizes for Students & Schools
• This event is an annual nation-wide rocketry-based aerospace design and flying challenge competition for student teams of 7th-12th graders.
• It is conducted during each school year starting in September, leading to a competitive face-to-face fly-off for the final prizes among the top 100 teams nationally. This is held in late May at The Plains, VA, near Washington, DC.
• It is sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) on behalf of America’s aerospace industry, and by the National Association of Rocketry (NAR).
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Challenge is to teach students aerospace science by having them design and build a safe and stable model rocket that lifts a fragile payload (two raw eggs) to exactly 750 feet and has a flight duration of exactly 45 seconds, at the end of which it returns this payload to earth safely and undamaged.
• Models must be made of non-metal materials such as balsa, paper and plastic, must weigh no more than 3.3 pounds at liftoff, and must use commercially-made, NAR safety-certified model rocket motors widely available in local hobby stores.
• Altitudes are determined by a small, accurate commercially-made electronic barometric altimeter carried within the rocket, and read after the flight.

There were 643 teams this year.

Wed, May 7, 2008  Permanent link

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