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Education Payload Operation - Demonstrations (EPO-Demos)
05.23.12

Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | Images

Experiment/Payload 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

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

    • Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

  • Matthew Keil, , Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, United States

    • Payload Developer

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

    Sponsoring Space Agency

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

    Sponsoring Organization:

    Human Exploration and Operations Missions Directorate (HEOMD)

    ISS Expedition Duration:

    April 2003 - October 2013



    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

    Previous ISS Missions

    EPO began ISS operations during Expedition 4.

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    Experiment/Payload Description

    Research Summary

    • 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 Web Sites
  • Johnson Space Center Education and Student Programs
  • NASA Education Program
  • Central Operations of Resources for Educators (CORE)
  • NASA eClips
  • NASA Day in the Life Aboard the ISS
  • Teaching From Space

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    Publications

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    Ground Based Results Publications

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    ISS Patent Publications

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    Related Publications

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    Images

    imageCindy 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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    imageTeaching 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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    Information provided by the investigation team to the ISS Program Scientist's Office.
    If updates are needed to the summary please contact JSC-ISS-Program-Science-Group. For other general questions regarding space station research and technology, please feel free to call our help line at 281-244-6187 or e-mail at JSC-ISS-Payloads-Helpline.
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