New NASA eClips VALUE Bundles for Learners with Varied Needs
The NASA Science Activation program’s NASA eClips project, led by the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA), aims to increase Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM) literacy and inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists by providing effective web-based, standards-aligned, in-school and out-of-school learning and teaching resources through the lens of NASA.
In Summer 2024, NASA eClips developed six new Varied & Accessible Learning Resources for Universal Engagement (VALUE) Bundles. These VALUE Bundles are a thematic and curated set of NASA eClips and partner resources, organized in a user-friendly dashboard, providing a thematic, cohesive, and engaging set of materials to meet learners’ varied needs for their:
Engagement – The WHY of Learning;
Representation – The WHAT of Learning; and
Action & Expression – The HOW of Learning.
These new NASA eClips VALUE Bundles empower learners to explore topics of their choice through multiple modalities and focus on six science themes:
NASA eClips is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AB91A and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn
New VALUE Bundles were developed for learners of varied needs on six science themes.
Unique NASA Partnerships Spark STEM Learning on Global Scale
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Unique NASA Partnerships Spark STEM Learning on Global Scale
NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn reading “Goodnight Moon” aboard station for Crayola’s “Read Along, Draw Along”
Credits: NASA
NASA offers a world of experiences and opportunities to engage young explorers around the globe in the excitement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement collaborates with experts throughout the agency, the U.S. government, and a variety of global partners to spark inspiration in Artemis Generation students everywhere.
Partnerships with the agency reach new audiences. Here are some of the ways NASA and its partners are making exciting STEM learning resources and opportunities available globally.
NASA and Crayola partnered on a series of virtual engagements to encourage students and families to participate in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics content – for example, the annual Crayola Creativity Week.
NASA partnered with LEGO Education on educational resources to introduce STEM concepts and careers with students, teachers, and families.
NASA joined forces with Discovery Education to provide curriculum support resources, videos, and events through their online platform.
NASA recently signed an agreement with Arizona State University’s Milo Space Science Institute to create new opportunities for students to engage in STEM workforce development through 12-week academies using NASA data sets, information from NASA subject matter experts as well as information on the agency’s missions and careers.
NASA collaborated with LabXchange to develop free online resources for teachers and students on topics such as solar eclipses, Mars, astrobiology, and Artemis missions, with more than 700 resources available to date.
Representative LEGO minifigures in front of European Service Module that will power the Orion spacecraft on Artemis II. Four LEGO minifigures will fly on Artemis I as part of the official flight kit, which carries mementos for educational outreach and posterity. Credit: NASA/Radislav Sinyak
There’s More to Explore With NASA
International educators and students can find even more ways to engage with NASA’s missions and content through these resources, available online to all.
For the youngest explorers, NASA Kids Club offers STEM-based games for students ages 3-9.
The agency’s Artemis Camp Experience features hands-on activities designed to introduce K-12 students to the systems that will enable NASA astronauts to return to the Moon with Artemis.
NASA’s “First Woman” graphic novel series tells the fictional story of Callie Rodriguez, the first woman to explore the Moon. Created for students in grades 5-12, “First Woman” includes graphic novels in English and Spanish along with accompanying videos, activities, and more.
Through the agency’s internship opportunities, students gain authentic experience while being part of the agency’s work.
Student challenges available internationally include the Human Exploration Rover Challenge, in which student teams create and test human-powered rovers, and the Space Apps Challenge, a hackathon that aims to solve real-world challenges on Earth and in space.
NASA’s ASTRO CAMP Community Partners Program shares NASA STEM content and experiences through youth organizations and informal learning institutions such as museums and libraries, including nearly 30 international partner sites.
Citizen scientists anywhere can contribute their local observations through the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Observer app, part of the GLOBE program sponsored by NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation, and Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists.
Look up! Use the Spot the Station mobile app and website to know when the International Space Station will pass overhead.
NASA is much more than astronauts and rocket scientists. The Surprisingly STEM video series highlights unexpected careers with linked hands-on activities.
STEM resources for educators and students can be found anytime on NASA’s Learning Resources website.
The agency offers video on demand through NASA+ with unique STEM programming, live coverage of NASA missions, and more.
Students put their human-powered rover to the test in NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge. Credit: NASA
Get NASA STEM Updates via Email
NASA STEM’s e-newsletters deliver the latest updates to email inboxes around the world. The NASA EXPRESS weekly e-newsletter offers the latest NASA STEM content and opportunities, while the monthly Earthrise e-newsletter offers themed resources to elevate Earth and climate science in the classroom.
Learn more about how NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement is inspiring Artemis Generation explorers at: https://www.nasa.gov/stem
They say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This year’s ASGSR conference will include an art competition, inviting researchers to bring their science to life through art.
Consider submitting an entry for yourself or encourage your students to enter, too! Entries will be displayed at the 2024 ASGSR conference. Awards will be announced at the 2024 ASGSR Banquet on December 7, 2024.
Suggested subjects or themes: Your investigations or an interpretation of “Thriving in Space,” the National Academies’ Decadal Survey title.
Award categories:
Cover of the ASGSR’s 2025 Open-Access journal Gravitational and Space Research, selected by the GSR Editorial Board
Artistic Merit award, as voted by ASGSR conference attendees
Technical Merit, as voted by ASGSR conference attendees
Criteria:
To participate, at least one of the artists is required to be a registered attendee at the meeting and the art must be physically displayed during the meeting.
We recommend you mount your art with a rigid backing or frame, so it stands up on the provided easel, with a maximum size no greater than 25 x 16 inches. If traveling by air, please make sure to consider luggage size.
The display should include a title of the piece, artists/affiliations and a brief explanation (a few sentences). Voting will be by Title, so please try to use a concise and catchy title that is easy to write on the ballot.
Similar to what one would see in an art gallery, the quality of printing, use of border, frames, 3D effects, etc., can significantly enhance the visual and professional appeal of your artwork.
Eligible entries for the GSR Journal Cover and Technical Merit must be original scientific imagery.
Eligible entries for Artistic Merit can include images (photographs or computer-generated), paintings, drawings, or sketches of gravitational and space research phenomena.
Rearrangement, assembly, or other creative mixing of images into an art-form is appropriate and encouraged only for the Artistic Merit category, whereas the GSR Journal Cover entries must be original imagery.
Additional information:
You are expected to set up your display at the meeting site at the start of the conference and remove it by the end of the meeting. ASGSR will provide easels for your art displays.
ASGSR cannot guarantee the security of your artwork while on display at the hotel.
Submission indicates your permission for your artwork to be displayed on the ASGSR website.
“Thriving in Space” entries may be featured in NASA communications products. Submission indicates permission for use of your art without compensation.
Each registered attendee will receive an art ballot as part of the registration package.
The peer voting will occur throughout the conference until noon Saturday, December 7, 2024. We plan to announce the winners at the banquet.
How to submit your entry: Electronically submit a high-resolution image with a title, list of contributing artists and their affiliations, and brief explanation of your submission to Kelly Bailey at Art.ASGSR@gmail.com by November 8, 2024.
We encourage you to submit an entry and look forward to a very successful event!
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA astronaut Kate Rubins takes Apollo 17 Lunar Module Pilot Harrison “Jack” Schmitt on a ride on NASA’s rover prototype at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA/James Blair
When astronauts return to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, they will benefit from having a human-rated unpressurized LTV (Lunar Terrain Vehicle) that will allow them to explore more of the lunar surface, enabling diverse scientific discoveries.
As crewed Artemis missions near, engineers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston are designing an unpressurized rover prototype, known as the Ground Test Unit. The test unit will employ a flexible architecture to simulate and evaluate different rover concepts for use beginning with Artemis V.
In April 2024, as part of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract, NASA selected three vendors — Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab — to supply rover capabilities for use by astronauts on the lunar surface. While the test unit will never go to the Moon, it will support the development of additional rover prototypes that will enable NASA and the three companies to continue making progress until one of the providers comes online. Additionally, data provided from GTU testing helps inform both NASA and the commercial companies as they continue evolving their rover designs as it serves as an engineering testbed for the LTV providers to test their technologies on crew compartment design, rover maintenance, and payload science integration, to name a few.
“The Ground Test Unit will help NASA teams on the ground, test and understand all aspects of rover operations on the lunar surface ahead of Artemis missions,” said Jeff Somers, engineering lead for the Ground Test Unit. “The GTU allows NASA to be a smart buyer, so we are able to test and evaluate rover operations while we work with the LTVS contractors and their hardware.”
Suited NASA engineers sit on the rover prototype during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA/Bill Stafford
A suited NASA engineer sits on the agency’s rover prototype during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA/Bill Stafford
Suited NASA engineers sit on the rover prototype during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA/Bill Stafford
The LTVS contractors have requirements that align with the existing GTU capabilities. As with the test unit, the vendor-developed, LTV should support up to two crewmembers, have the ability to be operated remotely, and can implement multiple control concepts such as drive modes, self-leveling, and supervised autonomy. Having a NASA prototype of the vehicle we will drive on the Moon, here on Earth, allows many teams to test capabilities while also getting hands-on engineering experience developing rover hardware.
NASA has built some next generation rover concept vehicles following the successes of the agency’s Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle in the 1970s, including this iteration of the GTU. Crewed test vehicles here on Earth like the GTU help NASA learn new ways that astronauts can live and work safely and productively on the Moon, and one day on the surface of Mars. As vendor designs evolve, the contracted LTV as well as the GTU allow for testing before missions head to the Moon. The vehicles on the ground also allow NASA to reduce some risks when it comes to adapting new technologies or specific rover design features.
Human surface mobility helps increase the exploration footprint on the lunar surface allowing each mission to conduct more research and increase the value to the scientific community. Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts – including the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut – to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, technology evolution, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for future crewed missions to Mars.
Learn about the rovers, suits, and tools that will help Artemis astronauts to explore more of the Moon:
A new comet is passing through the inner solar system! Time will tell if it’s the brightest of the year, once it appears in twilight after about October 14.
Skywatching Highlights
All month – Planet visibility report: Look for Venus low in the west just after sunset; Saturn can be seen toward the southeast as soon as it gets dark; Mars rises around midnight; and Jupiter rises in the first half of the night (rising earlier as the month goes on).
October 2 – New moon
October 11 – Europa is easily observable to one side of Jupiter by itself this morning using binoculars.
October 14-31 – Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) becomes visible low in the west following sunset. If the comet’s tail is well-illuminated by sunlight, it could be visible to the unaided eye. The first week and a half (Oct. 14-24) is the best time to observe, using binoculars or a small telescope.
October 13-14 – After dark both nights, look for the nearly full Moon with Saturn toward the southeast.
October 17 – Full moon
October 20 – The Moon rises near Jupiter, with the giant planet looking extremely bright. You should be able to find them low in the east after around 10 pm.
October 23-24 – Early risers will be able to spot Mars together with the Moon, high overhead in the south both mornings.
October 25 – Europa is easily observable to one side of Jupiter by itself this morning using binoculars.
Transcript
What’s Up for October?
This month’s viewing tips for Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter. When’s the best time to observe the destination of NASA’s next deep space mission? And how you can see a (potentially bright) comet this month?
And watch our video ’till the end for photos of highlights from last month’s skies.
Sky chart showing Mars near the Moon on October 23. The pair appear quite high overhead, along with Jupiter.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Up first, we look at the visibility of the planets in October. Look for Venus low in the west just after sunset. It’s setting by the time the sky is fully dark. Saturn is visible toward the southeast as soon as it gets dark out, and sets by dawn. Mars rises around midnight all month. By dawn it has climbed quite high into the south-southeastern sky, appearing together with Jupiter. Now, Jupiter is rising in the first half of the night. In early October you’ll find it high in the south as dawn approaches, and later in the month it’s progressed farther over to the west before sunrise.
And, speaking of Jupiter, NASA plans to launch its latest solar system exploration mission to one of the giant planet’s moons this month. Europa Clipper is slated to blast off as early as October 10th. It’s thought that Europa holds an enormous ocean of salty liquid water beneath its icy surface. That makes this the first mission dedicated to studying an ocean world beyond Earth. Europa Clipper is designed to help us understand whether this icy moon could support some form of life, and along the way it’ll teach us more about the conditions that make a world habitable.
Now, if you’ve ever pointed binoculars or a telescope at Jupiter, you know the thrill of seeing the little star-like points of light next to it that are its four large moons, which were first observed by Galileo in 1610.
There are two mornings in October, the 11th and the 25th, when you can most easily observe Europa. These are times when the moon is at its greatest separation from the planet as seen from here on Earth, and it’s all by itself to one side of Jupiter. So be sure to have your own peek at Jupiter’s moon Europa this month, as a new NASA mission begins its journey to explore an ocean in the sky.
Now a look at Moon and planet pair-ups for October. On the 13th and 14th after dark, look for the nearly full Moon with Saturn toward the southeast. Then on the evening of October 20th, the Moon rises near Jupiter, with the giant planet looking extremely bright. You should be able to find them low in the east after around 10 pm that night. Then, in the morning of Oct. 23rd and 24th, early risers will be able to spot Mars together with the Moon, high overhead in the south.
Sky chart showing the location of Comet C/2023 A3 between Oct. 14 and Oct 24 following sunset. The comet climbs higher each evening, but also grows fainter.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
October offers a chance to observe what could be the brightest comet of the year. Earlier this year we got a look at Comet 12P, which was visible with binoculars but not super bright. Now another of these ancient and icy dust balls is streaking through our neighborhood on an 80,000-year orbit from the distant reaches of the Oort Cloud. The comet, known as C/2023 A3, aka Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, is currently speeding through the inner solar system. It passed its closest to the Sun in late September, and will be at its closest to Earth on October 13th. And after that time, through the end of the month, will be the best time to look for it. This is when the comet will become visible low in the western sky beginning during twilight.
It will quickly rise higher each subsequent evening, making it easier to observe, but it’ll also be getting a little fainter each night. As with all comets, predictions for how bright it could get are uncertain. If the comet’s tail is brilliantly illuminated by the Sun, predictions show that it could become bright enough to see with the unaided eye. But comets have a way of surprising us, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
Your best shot at seeing it will be from around October 14th through the 24th, with binoculars or a small telescope, and a reasonably clear view toward the west. So good luck, and clear skies, comet hunters!
Watch our video for views of what some of the highlights we told you about in last month’s video actually looked like.
The phases of the Moon for October 2024.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
And here are the phases of the Moon for October. Stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov. I’m Preston Dyches from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s What’s Up for this month.
