NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The Vision for Space Exploration -- America's long-term plan for returning astronauts to the moon and preparing for voyages to Mars and other destinations in the solar system -- kicked into high gear in 2005. The year was filled with milestones, including the return of the space shuttle to flight and the announcement of plans for America's next generation of spacecraft. Plan to watch NASA-TV Feb. 13-19 as the space shuttle marks its 25th year of flight and the International Space Station celebrates five years of living and working in space.

NASA TV Education Schedule
+ View site

What's an Extra? Each month a list of resources is gathered for educators to support a theme related to NASA's unique content. Visit each month to find new educational materials, classroom activities, games, pictures, NASA TV broadcasts and Web sites. This Extra feature highlights this month's theme "Space Stations/Space Vehicles."

Image to right: STS-113 Mission Specialist John Herrington performs a spacewalk on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

NASA Educational Products

	3...2...1... Liftoff! Educator Guide These activities are about the International Space Station and the role rockets play in its construction. + View guide
	Rockets Educator Guide Learn the history, scientific principles and mathematics of rockets through these activities. + View guide
	Space Shuttle Glider This is a NASA hands-on activity for building a paper model of the space shuttle. + View activity

NASA Educational Multimedia Materials

The Central Operation of Resources for Educators, or CORE, is the worldwide distribution center for NASA-produced multimedia materials. Education Modules for themes are bundled by topic and may include CD-ROMs, videotapes, educator guides, posters, lithographs, books, lesson plans, bookmarks, fact sheets, slide sets and activity kits.

Image to right: NASA develops multimedia resources for educators.

Module Spotlight:

Human Spaceflight/Space Shuttle
+ View module

Search words for CORE Materials: space station, space shuttle

CORE
+ View site


Follow the Theme -- Activities, Adventures and Web Sites of Interest

	International Space Station Since 1961, more than 400 human beings have ventured into space. Now aboard the ISS, astronauts are working to improve life on Earth and extend life beyond our home planet. + View site			Kennedy Space Center -- The Journey Starts Here KSC is the final checkpoint for U.S.-launched station hardware. Learn about prelaunch processing and what it takes to get each U.S. mission to the station. + View site
	NASA SkyWatch This is a Web-based Java application that provides sky watchers around the world with a visual picture of when and where the International Space Station, the space shuttle and other spacecraft can be seen with the unaided eye as they pass overhead. + View site			Kids Science News Network™ Return to Flight This Web site was designed to highlight the STS-114 Return to Flight mission. + View site
	International Space Station Naked Eye Visibility Data Did you know you can see the ISS assembly with the naked eye? Check out the ISS naked-eye visibility tables for viewing opportunities in your area. + View site			Skylab: Our First Space Station This site contains information about Skylab, NASA's first space station. + View site

Space Settlement Design Contest
This annual contest is for 6th-12th grade students from anywhere in the world.
+ View site

International Space Station Resupply
The Progress resupply vehicle is an automated, unpiloted version of the Soyuz spacecraft. Progress is used to bring supplies and fuel to the International Space Station.
+ View site

Space Shuttle
Read about shuttle missions, its launches and landings, and its structure on this comprehensive site.
+ View site

The End Is Mir
When space station Mir returned to Earth in 2001 after 15 years in space, it was big news. The 135-ton Russian outpost had been the heaviest thing orbiting our planet other than the moon itself.
+ View site

Videos showcased in the February 2006 Education File Schedule to support "Space Stations/Space Vehicles" are: NASA SCIence Files™: The Case of the Great Space Exploration (3-5), The Case of the Zany Animal Antics (3-5); NASA CONNECT™ Series: Functions and Statistics: Dressed for Space (6-8), Who Added the Micro to Gravity? (6-8), Better Health from Space to Earth (5-8), The Path of Totality: Angular Distance (5-8), Doing More in Less (K-4), Data Analysis and Measurement: Having a Solar Blast! (6-8); Our Home: Earth From Space (9-12); NASA's Destination Tomorrow™Programs: 11 (9-Adult), 16 (9-Adult), 17 (9-Adult), 20 (9-Adult); Passport to Knowledge: Following the Water (6-8); Passport to the Universe: Live From a Black Hole (6-10); Space Place Live!: Kip Thorne, Program 1 (3-6), Karsten Danzman, Program 2 (3-6), Deb Vane, Program 3 (3-6); Spaceflight: The Application of Orbital Mechanics (9-12); Explorer Generation Music Video (All); Starfinder: Program 14, Rotational Energy (6-10); Liftoff to Learning: Geography from Space (K-8).
+ View site


Additional Resources

History of the Space Shuttle
+ View site

Return to Flight for Educators
+ View site

NASA's Launch Schedule
+ View site

World Book@NASA: The International Space Station
+ View site

World Book@NASA: Space Exploration
+ View site

Humans in Space
+ View site

Kids Science News Network™ Newsbreaks
+ View site

Extra Archives