NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | Imagery

Experiment Overview


Brief Summary

Education Payload Operation - Demonstrations (EPO-Demos) records video education demonstrations performed on the International Space Station (ISS) by crewmembers using hardware already onboard the ISS. EPO-Demos enhance existing NASA education resources and programs for educators and students in grades K-12. EPO-Demos support the NASA mission to inspire the next generation of explorers.

Principal Investigator(s)

Trinesha Dixon, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, United States

Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

Information Pending

Developer(s)

Johnson Space Center, Teaching From Space Office, Houston, TX, United States

Sponsoring Space Agency

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Sponsoring Organization

NASA Education (EDU)

Research Benefits

Information Pending

ISS Expedition Duration:

April 2003 - September 2014

Expeditions Assigned

7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19/20,21/22,23/24,25/26,27/28,29/30,31/32,33/34,35/36,37/38,39/40

Previous ISS Missions

EPO began ISS operations during Expedition 4.

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Experiment Description

Research Overview

• The objective of Education Payload Operations (EPO) investigation is to use toys, tools and other common items in the microgravity environment of the ISS to create educational video and multimedia products that inspire the next generation of mathematicians, physicists, engineers, and other scientists.



• EPO-Demos are a continuation of education demonstrations that have been conducted by ISS crewmembers since Expedition 7. The products are used for demonstrations and to support curriculum materials that are distributed across the United States and internationally to educators to encourage students to pursue studies and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and inspire the next generation of space explorers.



• The individual EPO projects are designed to explore physical phenomena such as force, motion, and energy. Each ISS Expedition involves different on-orbit activities and themes as well as different partners such as museums, universities, and public school districts.

Description

Education Payload Operation - Demonstrations (EPO-Demos) are recorded video education demonstrations performed on the International Space Station (ISS) by crewmembers using hardware already onboard the ISS. EPO-Demos are videotaped, edited, and used to enhance existing NASA education resources and programs for educators and students in grades K-12. EPO-Demos are designed to support the NASA mission to inspire the next generation of explorers.

EPO-Demos are a continuation of education demonstrations that have been conducted by ISS crewmembers since Expedition 4. The products are used for demonstrations and to support curriculum materials that are distributed across the United States and internationally to educators to encourage students to pursue studies and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and inspire the next generation of space explorers. Each ISS Expedition involves different on-orbit activities and themes, as well as different partners, such as museums, universities, and public school districts.

Some of the activities cover physical properties, such as Newton's Laws of Motion or Bernoulli's Principle for air pressure, and others are specific to life in space, such as explaining how the ISS solar panels work or demonstrating extravehicular activities.

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Applications

Space Applications

EPO introduces the next generation of explorers to the environment of space

Earth Applications

EPO is part of NASA's continuing effort to use space as a unique educational tool for K-12 students. Everyday items, such as toys and tools, are given a new twist by combining them with the allure of space flight and the unusual weightless environment to produce educational materials that inspire interest in science and technology and encourage curiosity and creativity.

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Operations

Operational Requirements

EPO-Demos does not require power, telemetry, or specialized hardware. However, each demonstration requires several hours from at least two crew members, one of whom will operate the video equipment and the other will demonstrate the activity.

Operational Protocols

After setting up the demonstration, at least one crew member will perform the demonstration while another films it. Each demonstration will have its own props (e.g., toys or tools). The demonstration is then dismantled and returned to stowage. After the videos are returned to Earth, they will be used to develop teaching guides, project plans, and educational packages focusing on the physical sciences and technology.

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Results/More Information

EPO-Demos has been a successful education program on ISS. By using simple objects and the microgravity environment , NASA is able to produce physical properties, such as force, motion, and energy, that may be obscured by gravity on Earth. Several specific videos demonstrating basic science principles have been created and are available via the NASA Education Project and Central Operations of Resources for Educators

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Related Websites

Central Operations of Resources for Educators (CORE)

Johnson Space Center Education and Student Programs

NASA Education Program

NASA eClips

Teaching From Space

NASA Day in the Life Aboard the ISS

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Imagery

Cindy McArthur watches her husband Bill, far right, on the large television screen in Marshall?s Payload Operations Center. The astronaut and his cosmonaut crewmate, Valery Tokarev, center, were conducting an interview from the International Space Station during a public affairs event for the Johnson Space Center. Image Credit: Marshall Space Flight Center/E. Given.
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Teaching From Space Office team members in the Johnson Space Center TeleScience Center supporting an EPO-Demo conducted by astronaut Suni Williams. Image courtesy of Teaching From Space Office, NASA Johnson Space Center.
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