Educators made a “green” spacecraft at a workshop held by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center’s education office May 18 at the AERO Institute in Palmdale, California.
The Green Propellant Infusion Mission workshop taught educators to build model spacecraft that use environmentally friendly fuel. The workshop was based on NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission, or GPIM, which will test a low-toxicity alternative to hydrazine, a highly toxic fuel commonly used in aircraft and spacecraft.
The workshop, presented by Armstrong education specialist Barbie Buckner, taught 17 Southern California educators the engineering design process and showcased NASA’s BEST, or Beginning Engineering Science and Technology, educational activity guides.
The guides supplement classroom curricula and afterschool clubs by providing activities that teach students about complex science and engineering concepts. Educators used BEST guides and the workshop’s engineering lessons to design, build, evaluate and launch their model spacecraft.
BEST guides feature activity instructions, material lists, worksheets and educator guidelines. The activities use only household items and common school supplies, making them affordable and accessible. Students can complete entire activity sets or engage in each activity independently of the others.
In addition to designing green-fueled model spacecraft, workshop participants learned about NASA’s New Aviation Horizons initiative and the latest environmentally friendly aviation technologies including those Armstrong would be flight-testing such as quieter planes and more efficient airframes.
Michele Browning, an informal educator from Don Benito Fundamental School in Pasadena, CA, said the workshop made engineering tangible to her.
“The workshop was an excellent hands-on experience with a visual representation of engineering,” she said.
To read more about NASA’s BEST guides, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/best/
