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Education Payload Operation - Demonstrations (EPO-Demos)
07.10.09

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

Experiment/Payload Overview

Brief Summary

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.

Principal Investigator

  • Matthew Keil, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

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

    Information Pending

    Payload Developer

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

    Sponsoring Agency

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

    Expeditions Assigned

    |7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|

    Previous ISS Missions

    EPO-Demos is a continuing investigation and has been performed on ISS Expeditions 4-5 and 7-18.

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    Experiment/Payload Description

    Research Summary

    • Education Payload Operations - Demonstrations (EPO-Demos) utilizes 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.

    Description

    The objective of Education Payload Operations - Demonstrations (EPO-Demos) 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 engineers, mathematicians, physicists, scientists and space explorers. The EPO-Demos support curriculum materials that are distributed across the United States and internationally. 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

    These investigations and related activities will have strong ties to NASA?s Vision for Space Exploration and will be designed to encourage students to pursue studies and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

    Earth Applications

    EPO-Demos is part of NASA's continuing effort to use space as a unique educational tool for K-12 students. Everyday items 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

    Information Pending

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    Related Web Sites
  • NASA Education Program
  • Central Operations of Resources for Educators (CORE)
  • NASA eClips

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    Publications

    Results 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 and Updated by the ISS Program Scientist's Office
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