NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA – with about 300 students and educators across the country – rolled out to launch another 50 schools to explore new ways of learning math, science and technology.



Image above: NASA's Chief of Education Adena Williams Loston addresses students, teachers and administrators at the 2005 NASA Explorer Schools launch ceremony. Credit: NASA

The NASA Explorer Schools are the heart of a unique educational program that reaches elementary-to-high-school pupils in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

The 2005 class of NASA Explorer Schools, which spans 25 states, were named today at Space Center Houston, the official visitor’s center next to the Johnson Space Center, during a ceremony that launched the program’s third year.

Before countdown, some students of the 2003 and 2004 Explorer classes got a quick lesson in spacesuits, spacewalks, and the laws of inertia and gravity.

Student volunteers took the stage as Phil West, deputy director of education at JSC, used a balloon to demonstrate spacesuit pressurization and answered questions like "What happens when an astronaut sweats?" and "How does an astronaut breathe in a spacesuit?"

To begin the liftoff ceremony, NASA’s chief education officer, Adena Williams Loston, greeted students and the educators of the newest class of Explorer Schools.

Image at left: JSC's Deputy Director of Education Phil West explains some of the challenges of space travel while he demonstrates an astronaut spacesuit. Credit: NASA

"The entire universe – the planets, stars and distant galaxies – will be your classroom," Loston said. "As NASA pursues the Vision for Space Exploration, we want to prepare you for tomorrow's space exploration challenges, when we send a combination of human pioneers and robotic pathfinders to the Moon, Mars and beyond."

A breaking message from the Expedition 11 crew in space on the International Space Station was played for the students. Commander Sergei Krikalev and NASA ISS Science Officer and Flight Engineer John Phillips welcomed the class of 2005 Explorer School from afar. "See you in space," Phillips said, signing off.

Eighth grader Latasha Sharp, who attends a NASA Explorer School at Dr. Anna Howard Shaw Middle School in Philadelphia, Pa, talked to the group about her experiences in the program.

"Because we are a NASA Explorer School, many universities and community organizations have become our partners," Sharp said. "I met mathematicians who taught me how math connects with everyday life. I also met professors and graduated students who taught me robotic designs and programming.

"With the support of my parents and teachers, these experiences make my dream of becoming an engineer more realistic," she said.

Astronauts Ellen Baker, Barbara Morgan and Franklin Chang-Diaz talked with students about their inspirations and the impact education has had in their careers today.

Baker, who graduated from Bayside High School in New York, credited her parents and teachers with supporting her to pursue her dreams.

Image at right: NASA Explorer School students of the 2003 and 2004 class listen and applaud as NASA Astronauts Ellen Baker, Barbara Morgan and Franklin Chang-Diaz talk to them about their experiences. Credit: NASA

"My heroes were my teachers," she said. "Schools had numbers instead of names. My high school was so big there were 1,400 kids in my graduating class. Even though I was one of many, many students, my teachers took great care in each of us, and they supported me and they nourished my brains and they encouraged me."

NASA's first educator astronaut Morgan, a former third-grade teacher, thanked the teams for allowing her the opportunity to work with them during the NASA Explorer School Symposium.

"I have seen education at its very best," Morgan said. "The students, teachers, parents, administrators, and NASA folks all have been working together in teams to learn. You’ve been exploring; you’ve been experimenting and you’ve been discovering to open doors to great opportunities, and what I think are great opportunities for our country and for the world."

Astronaut veteran of seven spaceflights Franklin Chang-Diaz told students that he had always dreamed of becoming an astronaut. He talked about how the early days of spaceflight inspired him to pursue his dreams.

"We are charting a new course," Chang-Diaz said. "We have great hopes, but we face a lot of challenges. The ships that will take us to Mars will be like nothing we've ever seen, but maybe you will get to design that ship. We have great hopes and aspirations for you."

Image at left: Educator Astronaut Barbara Morgan speaks to the students, flanked by astronauts Franklin Chang-Diaz, left, and Ellen Baker, right. Credit: NASA

The Explorer Schools Program is sponsored by NASA’s Education Office in collaboration with the National Science Teachers Association. Each year, the program establishes a three-year partnership between NASA and 50 Explorer School to enrich student learning across the nation.

Eighty seven percent of all NASA Explorer Schools are in high poverty areas, and 76 percent represent predominantly minority communities. Ninety-eight percent of the 2005 class is in high poverty areas, and 82 percent in predominantly minority communities; 19 are in Hispanic communities.

During the three-year partnership, Explorer Schools work with NASA people and others to create and apply strategic plans for staff and students. Learning agendas promote and support the use of NASA content and programs to address the teams’ local needs in mathematics, science and technology education.

"NASA has helped to change my life by exposing me to careers and student opportunities while increasing my knowledge of the universe, solar system and our planet Earth," Sharp said.

Amiko Nevills
NASA's Johnson Space Center