NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Students can work on NASA Space Science challenges as part of their school work.

When is a problem not a problem? When it's a challenge! Teachers can challenge their students with the Space Science Problem of the Week, courtesy of NASA. Whether it's used as enrichment, extra credit, after-school activities or part of daily class work, the Problem of the Week provides teachers with everything they need: the problem, the background material, answers and a list of the educational standards the problem meets.

Image to left: White lines show several of the magnetic field lines from Earth. The IMAGE satellite helps scientists learn more about Earth's magnetic field. Credit: NASA

The Space Science Problem of the Week also gives teachers something else they need. They now have an answer when students ask, "Why do I need to know this stuff?" or "When will I ever use advanced math in real life?" They can show students actual examples of why and how they could put geometry, algebra and other disciplines to work. What's more, students can have fun while learning the properties of a triangle or using algebraic formulas to calculate distances.

The Space Science Problem of the Week is part of the education and public outreach efforts of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's IMAGE project. IMAGE-- Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration-- is a satellite that captures images of Earth's magnetosphere, an area of space around Earth controlled by our magnetic field. The IMAGE project's goal is to use these images to understand and predict magnetic storms.

Image to right: The IMAGE satellite before launch in the assembly room. Credit: NASA

So it isn't too surprising that a group of people working so closely with space weather, space science and solar issues would be interested in sharing their information with the public. They realized, however, that in order for their material to be usable, it had to be presented in a much more user-friendly manner than the research they were involved in. And that's where The Space Science Problem of the Week comes in. Many of these problems are similar to ones that space scientists actually encounter. That helps teachers meet another of their challenges: linking concepts with practical applications.

Image to right: An enhanced image of Earth's plasmasphere. Credit: NASA GSFC

Each of the problems is designed to examine a particular topic relating to the Sun-Earth area of science, and uses a variety of formats to engage students. Many of the activities center on math and science skills, but there are also reading activities, art projects and puzzles. Mathematics problems generally aim at the pre-algebra and Algebra I levels. Teachers can find activities geared for grades 1 through 12, though the majority of the problems address grades 8-10. Some of the problems ask students to:

• Use the Pythagorean Theorem to measure the size of Earth's plasmasphere region, taken from satellite photos


• Solve a Space Science crossword puzzle by adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers


• Write descriptive essays


• Calculate the surface area of an octagonal cylinder


• Explore square root relationships


• Use critical reading skills


• Create a drawing based only on a written description.

The Space Science Problem of the Week has been so popular that it's now distributed to teachers through e-mail listservs. Soon the home school network will also be served through homeschooling.com's listserv. If you'd like to be added to the group, e-mail your name and e-mail address to Dr. Sten Odenwald, the list's organizer, at odenwald@mail630.gsfc.nasa.gov.

The Space Science Problem of the Week isn't the only educational offering from GSFC's IMAGE group. The weekly problem is part of a larger project called POETRY: Public Outreach, Education, Teaching and Reaching Youth. While you're at the Problem of the Week site, check out the other links. You'll find a page of educator resources, a multi-media gallery that has more than just pictures and videos. It also has a gallery of unusual sounds from space! You'll also be able to click on Ask the Space Scientist to ask something you've always wondered about, or to check the archives and read the hundreds of space-related questions and answers. Space Science Problem of the Week Previous Problems of the Week Space Weather Math Problems The POETRY Web Site Poetry's Multimedia Gallery Poetry Educator Resources Ask a Space Scientist NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's IMAGE Project Some of IMAGE's Discoveries

Maggie Griffin/NASA Education Technology Services
Dr. Sten Odenwald/GSFC