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NASA In-Flight Education Program
by Noelle Young
Wheeling Jesuit University Professional Writing Student

Many classrooms across the United States are using NASA missions and discoveries as a foundation for learning. For example, the NASA In-Flight Education Program provides an innovative way to link to the International Space Station crew. Teachers and students can access live interviews with crew members living and working aboard the International Space Station, or they can access the on-board research. These "live links" provide teachers with a unique vehicle to offer students' authentic learning experiences.

Image of an astronaut aboard the ISS taking part in a videoconference with students.
An astronaut aboard the ISS takes place in a videoconference with students.

Two live chat programs are offered each month in which classrooms can "talk" to the station crew members. Each program is approximately 20 minutes. The discussion is usually a question and answer session. Topics included bone density and muscle loss that astronauts suffer from while in space, ways that astronauts stay fit while living in space, and other intricacies of space exploration.

Giving students a firsthand experience with the space program invigorates student interest in science and technology.

Recommended Activities
For schools unable to participate in the In-Flight Education Program, here are two activities for students to participate in:

• The first activity is All Systems Go This video resource guide for grades 5-12 provides background material and activities that allow students to learn about the effects of microgravity on humans.

http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/NASA.Educational.Products/All.Systems.Go/

• The second activity The second activity is The Brain in Space: A Teacher's Guide With Activities for Neuroscience. The lessons and activities in this guide are designed for middle and high school teachers and students. The activities focus on specific effects of weightlessness on the development of cells, vestibular functions, spatial orientation, motor performance, nervous system regulation, sleep and circadian rhythms.

http://spacelink.nasa.gov/products/The.Brain.in.Space/
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All photographs used courtesy of NASA.
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