JSC ENGINEERS, FIFTH GRADERS CAP PROJECT WITH SOLAR-POWERED RACE MAY 14



May 9, 1996



James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center
(713) 483-5111



Mary Ann Amelang
Publicity Chairman
Ed White Parent-Teacher Association
(713) 326-3734

<h4>Release: 96-015</h4> <h4>NOTE TO EDITORS:</h4> <h3>JSC Engineers, 
Fifth Graders Cap Project With Solar-Powered Race May 14</h3> 

Fifth-grade students at Ed White Elementary School, El Lago, will 
highlight a week spent working with seven NASA engineers to design 
and build solar-powered model cars with a race of the models at 1 
p.m. May 14 in the school's parking lot.



Media are invited to attend the race at Ed White Elementary School, 
1708 Les Talley Drive, El Lago. In the event of rain or heavily 
overcast skies, the race will be postponed until 1 p.m. May 15.



The innovative educational project, called "Solar Power Up," is 
sponsored by the Texas Solar Energy Society, which provided solar 
cells, motors, gears and other parts for the model cars. In addition 
to teaching students about alternate energy sources, the project also 
teaches students to work in engineering design teams and make group 
engineering decisions as they construct the models. The seven NASA 
engineers assisting with the project include Mike Ewert, Cindy Cross, 
Mike Rouen, Joe Kosmo, John Cornwell, Jeff Dominick and Betsy 
Kluksdahl. Except for Kluksdahl, they are all part of JSC's Crew and 
Thermal Systems Division, which designs spacesuits, spacecraft life 
support equipment and spacecraft cooling equipment, among other 
engineering tasks. Kluksdahl works in JSC's Propulsion and Power 
Division, which designs spacecraft thrusters and 
electricity-generating systems.

	
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