June 6, 2000

Eileen Hawley
Johnson Space Center
Houston, TX 77058
281/483-5111

Release: J00-35

Media Invited to Watch Texas High School Students Use Math and Science Skills to Design Mars Mission

Twenty-five Texas high school students from throughout the State are spending the week at the Johnson Space Center in Houston participating in a unique educational program designed to sharpen their math and science skills.

The students will form three teams, each looking at a different aspect of a human mission to Mars. Teams will explore how humans will get to Mars, and then live and work on the planet’s surface. Through a series of classroom sessions, field trips, hands-on projects, and assistance from JSC employee-mentors, the students will gain invaluable insight into the challenges of an engineering career.

This week’s media opportunities include: Rocket building, 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, June 7 Rocket launches, 5-7 p.m., Thursday, June 8 Student Presentations and Congratulations from Legislators, 6-6:30 p.m., Friday, June 9

The Texas Aerospace Scholars Program is the result of a unique partnership between NASA – JSC and the State of Texas to encourage students to pursue engineering options in school. Legislators nominate students from their districts to participate in the program, which begins with distance- and web-based learning experiences and culminates in a one-week long trip to JSC. Beginning June 5 through the end of July, eight different groups of students will visit JSC as part of this program.

Media interested in this week’s opportunities should contact the JSC Newsroom at 281/483-5111 for accreditation and badging.

For additional information on the Texas Aerospace Scholars Program, visit the web site at: http://aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov/

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