Showing posts with label NASA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NASA. Show all posts

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Beaumont, we have a problem!

We have had quite a unique experience to follow this week. One of Canada's very own astronauts, Jeremy Hansen, has let us tag along on his adventures in training for a future mission in space. I have had a lot of kids turned on to science and wanting to be astronauts when they grow up.  Amazing!!
NEEMO 19 team getting ready for their last day aboard Aquarius
Jeremy has been spending a week as a member of NEEMO. "NEEMO is a NASA mission that sends groups of astronauts, engineers and scientists to live in Aquarius, the world's only undersea research station, for up to three weeks at a time. The Aquarius habitat and its surroundings provide a convincing analog for space exploration" - NASA
"Back alive with all body parts! Night dive as cool as expected. Luminescence, feeding frenzy, squid..." - JH
Before he spent his week under the sea he put a shout out for simple experiments to do, both at sea level and 19 meters below the surface of the ocean near Key Largo, Florida.  See more about it and the lab we challenged him to try HERE.
  

He accepted our challenge and gave it a try on the surface before going into the deep.  See all about it HERE.  

The results were not at all the same as they were here in Edmonton.  This prompted great discussion about the scientific method and variables that may have altered the experiment.  I always tell kids that science is a process and most of the time your results are inconclusive but lead to refining the experiment and coming up with an even better plan.  


 Yesterday he gave our experiment a go while aboard Aquarius with almost three times the atmospheric pressure pushing down on them!!  Here is what he discovered.
 The scientific process at work!  So now we have to come up with an even better experiment with more controlled variables and see if we can do it ourselves here in Beaumont. 

I sent this blog post out into the Twitterverse and broke the internet.  Seriously my phone went CRAZY with notifications.
Here are a few more pictures Jeremy took while out exploring the ocean.  So cool. 
"This wave of small blue Creole Wrasses surrounded us causing a feeding frenzy of Groupers and Barracuda." - JH
"Oh baby! Night dive time. A taste of what's in store just swam by. What you can't see won't hurt you right..." - JH (Anyone else hear Heart singing "Barracuda" while reading this??)

 Now this is just for fun.  William Shatner and Chris Hadfield became Twitter friends while Hadfield was aboard the ISS last year.  Jeremy Hansen was trained and gave ground support for Hadfield and his mission.  So from science fiction to science fact, this is just funny ...



 NEEMO Mission 19 has wrappped up and the aquanauts had to decompress for 16 hours before coming to the surface.  So what do you do for 16 hours?
What a great week in science!!!!!
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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Going for it!

Best.  Day.  Ever.

 Here is the back story ...

 Last year I made it my goal to meet Chris Hadfield and have him come and talk to my school.  I am a self-proclaimed space geek and love all things Hadfield.  With his new celebrity and best-seller book he is even more popular than ever so, even though I did get to briefly meet him, I have to set the second part of this goal aside.  For now.

 I have made a new goal.  Connect with a current Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Skype, perhaps one day have a school visit, and eventually to be there to interact and support when the day comes for his own time in space.  So now I have achieved two of the four so far and am excited to see what the future may bring.

Last November I attended the ATA Science council conference and was delighted to find out that Canadian astronaut, Jeremy Hansen, would be a keynote speaker.  I read all I could and discovered so much about Hansen, Hadfield, and the CSA.  Through Twitter I interacted with Magalie Renaud from the Canadian Space Agency and was able to meet her and Jeremy face-to-face.  It was wonderful to ask him so many questions and pick Magalie's brain about what was out there for educators in regards to our Canadian Space Program.  She asked me if I had applied to have an astronaut speak to my class and, of course, I had.  A few months later I received an email from her letting me know that Jeremy was able to Skype with my class! 
  This past week and a half was busy getting the students and their questions ready and even doing a practice Skype with NASA.  We had heard that there was a possibility that the event would have to be rescheduled because the astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station were planning a space walk to repair a computer, and that our own Jeremy Hansen would be the Ground Intravehicular Officer.  It was explained to me that it would be like he is the conductor to the orchestra that is the symphony of space walking.  A pretty big deal!
Fortunately the space walk was scheduled for tomorrow so we were able to do our Skype after all.  (Please click HERE to watch the space walk live on April 23rd at 7:20am MST and listen for Jeremy's voice!).  All 80 kids and 5 teachers piled in to my classroom and the excitement was palpable.  What a great moment!

  Jeremy talked to us about his journey in becoming an astronaut including Air Cadets as a youth, being a CF-18 fighter pilot for the Canadian Air Force and finally being chosen to join the CSA as an astronaut.  He explained about the detailed training including going on caving expeditions, geology and research in the arctic, space walk simulations in space suits under water, and learning how to use the famous Canadarm.  He talked about his job and all of the experiences he has had so far with such joy and appreciation that I think it was very inspiring for my students who are starting to find and follow their own dreams.

Today is also Earth Day and he mentioned how aboard the ISS they have a really good view of our entire world and that it is important to care for it.  Wouldn't it be nice to see the world from way up there?  No borders or boundaries.  Just planet Earth.

 Jeremy talked about the future of the space program and how in our lifetime we will see a boom in scientific studies, commercial space flight, and new discoveries and technologies that these kids could very well be a part of.  He told them that no matter what their dreams are they need to find that thing they are passionate about and go for it with all that they have. 

 He showed us two amazing videos that were distorted by our slow bandwidth.  I thought I'd re-post them for you all to see.

 The last half was spent answering the plethora of questions the kids were itching to ask.  They wanted to know more details about his training, goals, challenges, and even fears.  I asked about his role in the space walk tomorrow, the role of social media in promoting specifically Canadian astronauts, and any photography tips he may have picked up.  Space selfie? 

 I want to say a HUGE thank you to Jeremy for taking the time during such a busy and important week to talk to our class.  I know I found it very inspiring and know my students will never forget it.  I also want to thank the CSA and NASA for the continual educational support.  It is an exciting time to be a teacher!  Merci.  Thank you. 

La Nouvelle Beaumont News was there to cover the story.  They interviewed me and some of the kids for an article in an upcoming addition.  Keep an eye out!  Here is the picture they took.

What an adventure!  I am smiling so much my face hurts. 

Follow on Twitter and see more here
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Thursday, April 17, 2014

NASA Calling!

We are really looking forward to Skyping with Canadian astronaut, Major Jeremy Hansen, on Tuesday April 22nd from 1:00-2:00pm.  See more about it here.

Today NASA called me at work!  The last thing I expected was to hear our lovely secretary say "Mme Merriman NASA is on line one."   I just about fell off my stool!  We did a quick practice Skype to make sure we are ready to go on Tuesday.  After that I was so distracted I couldn't even think straight.  The kids worked on their science projects while I giggled like a little kid.  I am such a space geek!

I also received an email from the Canadian Space Agency letting us know that it is possible that we may have to reschedule.  Here is what they wrote:

"As mentioned in our confirmation email, astronauts’ schedules are subject to last minute changes and I’m afraid this could be one of those rare occasions. A computer problem was reported aboard the International Space Station last Friday and a contingency spacewalk is being planned for some time next week, possibly on the day of your Skype session. For the moment, your Skype session is still on the schedule for next Tuesday, but we may have to cancel at the very last minute.   

Jeremy has been named Ground Intravehicular (IV) Officer for the spacewalk. The role of the IV is to support the astronauts and help them with procedures while they are spacewalking outside of the station – a little bit like an orchestra conductor if you will. It’s the first time that this kind of assignment is given to a Canadian astronaut – and a rookie nonetheless – and we feel that it’s actually a strong statement of confidence in his skills.

The date/time of the spacewalk is still uncertain as the scheduling depends on several factors including the successful launch of a rocket this Friday carrying the SpaceX Dragon resupply capsule.  If we end up cancelling the session, we will be in touch early next week to reschedule the session for the end of May or mid-June.  

I understand that the students may be disappointed, but I also think that this can be turned into a fantastic learning opportunity. The spacewalk can be followed live on www.nasa.gov/ntv (exact day and time still TBD). Normally, the exchanges between Jeremy and the crew should be heard on air. Students can follow the spacewalk in class or at home and ask their questions about it to Jeremy during the Skype session.  

We will keep you posted as soon as we get more information. Thank you very much for your understanding and collaboration."

If you want to catch a fly over of the ISS as it zips across the sky here is the information for tonight if the clouds break and this terrible weather changes.
Time:Thu Apr 17 9:48 PM, Visible: 4 min, Max Height: 41 degrees, Appears: W, Disappears: SE

The SpaceEx launch is live tomorrow on NASA TV
April 18, Friday - EST - Eastern Standard Time 
9:30 a.m. - ISS Program Status and Spacewalk Preview Briefing - JSC/KSC (All Channels) 
12:45 p.m. - ISS Expedition 39 In-Flight Educational Event with the University of Connecticut, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Houston, Clear Lake - JSC (All Channels) 
2:15 p.m. - Coverage of the SpaceX-3/Dragon Launch to the ISS (Launch scheduled at 3:25 p.m. ET) - KSC (All Channels)
5 p.m. - SpaceX-3/Dragon Post-Launch News Conference - KSC (All Channels) 
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Thursday, January 16, 2014

200th blog post!

Wow!  This is my 200th blog post!  A great milestone!

I wanted to share a great initiative I found via Twitter.  You can have your name blasted up into space!

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission and The Planetary Society invite you to submit your name for a round-trip ride to asteroid Bennu. Your name will hitch a ride to the asteroid, spend 500 days there, and return in the Sample Return Capsule to Earth in 2023.  Plus your name will be on the spacecraft, which will remain in space long after returning the sample return capsule to Earth.





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Sunday, November 17, 2013

ATASC 2013

I had an amazing time this weekend at the ATA Science Council Conference and am humbled by the great minds that were brought together to share and inspire!  The ATASC did a wonderful job, as usual, bringing together a wide variety of presenters keynotes with excellent hospitality.  I am tempted to join the council.  I was able to meet so many new people who all had such unique and amazing ideas and ways of teaching science.  I feel both inadequate and inspired all at the same time.  

I also introduced myself to the ATASC Science Teacher of the Year Award winner, Annie, who is one of the few other French immersion junior high science teachers I have ever met.  Naturally I exchanged information with her and will be in touch soon.  I am looking forward to picking her great big science brain!  Felicitations Annie!

I was able to present two session with my friend, Morgan Laird, about teaching with technology and quick science demo's and how we keep them organized on Pinterest.  It was wonderful to have someone so like-minded to work with and explore what we are able to share with other teachers.   See our session notes and links HERE.  See the notes and hand outs of ALL of the sessions HERE.
Morgan and I ready to rock our presentations!
The rest of the weekend was spent being inspired by other educators and organizations out there looking to share with and support teachers.  There are so many energy and petrochemical companies with free resources that not only share he science of oil but also how to conserve and protect the environment.  My favourite of all is Inside Education, the organization that brought Morgan and I together for the love of science!  See their website for FREE teacher PD!!

The highlight of the entire weekend was being able to meet Canadian Astronaut, Jeremy Hansen as well as Magalie, his lovely co-worker from the Canadian Space Agency.  I introduced myself to Jeremy and Magalie and they both indulged my questions and we had a lovely conversation about space, science, geology, parenting, and more.  I found out Jeremy lived in Cold Lake when had just started teaching there.  I wonder if it was his F-18 roaring over my class making the windows shake?  He was very kind and spoke with an innate yet humble intelligence.  He was gracious enough to sign a picture I brought and pose for a picture that I will treasure in my space-geek collection.
The autograph reads "To Amanda, Thanks for your contribution to our students!  Jeremy Hansen"
Later on Jeremy gave his keynote address that made us all want to become astronauts!  Well maybe if it weren't for the exhaustive training, arduous elimination process, and the immeasurable amount of education, patience and intelligence needed.  If we aren't up for that we were at least inspired to be the best we can be, reach for our goals, work hard to achieve them, and enjoy the ride in the mean time.  Maybe we will be the teachers that share our love for science and space and inspire the next generation of future Canadian astronauts!   Jeremy was very appreciative of teachers and acknowledged the importance of what we do, especially if we do it well and with caring and passion.  He spoke of a variety of resources for space and science education including the educational support the CSA has to offer, the Tomatosphere project, and the ever evolving National Film Board Space School that my school was lucky enough to participate in.
The CSA looks like the starship Enterprise!
Hadfield and the Candarm - Great Canadian contributions to space
He showed us some amazing pictures of the ISS, his training, new technologies and a variety of perspectives of our world.  He shared about working with Chris Hadfield and my favourite video of him in space, other than the ISS song and Space Oddity.  Jeremy was very witty and I think the CSA was testing how he deals with pressure by having a technical glitch with his presentation that deleted all of his video links.  He recovered with humour and great speed.  Well done.  
Trying out being weightless with other astronauts from around the world!
Jeremy flying over the Alberta Rockies.  Stunning.
Jeremy was part of Chris Hadfield's ground support.  Sounds like a great team to me!
My favourite Chris Hadfield science demo
This is by far one of the most stunning videos from space I've ever seen.  My kids keep asking me to play it for them over and over again.  My boy wants to be an astronaut now!

 When explaining how they deal with the potential conflicts of living in space for so long and being confined together he said "Nobody wants to fly in space with a jerk." He continued to explain the extensive training and team building they do for years before they ever leave the ground.  He was able to go up to the Arctic and train with a geologist so he would be able to collect data and samples on the moon, an asteroid, or even Mars!  He also did a cave exploration with a team of astronauts from around the world and had to squeeze through some tiny spaces as well as collect scientific data.  All of this to prepare for the day when it will finally be his turn to go into space.  We will be cheering you on from Canada Jeremy!
Jeremy on Mars with his Mars Rovers ... or the Arctic with ATVs.
Jeremy's cave adventure
I have to indulge my ego and share something that was by far the most meaningful moment of the conference for me.  Jeremy was able to stay and enjoy the rest of the conference and a few sessions.  A total class act.  As I was leaving the final keynote speech to go home after an exhausting (and amazing) day he stopped me to talk.  He said that someone was singing my praises and saying that I was a passionate science teacher.  He shook my hand and thanked me for all of the hard work and all that I do.  I stood there blushing and dumbfounded but truly honoured.  I thanked him and in a blur made my way home.  I'm not sure if he will ever know just how much it meant to me to be acknowledged by someone of his calibre.  I plan to pay it forward and acknowledge all of the amazing and talented teachers, students, and people who are dedicated to their passions.  

Thank you Jeremy.  Merci



 What an amazing week!  I'm going to buy a lottery ticket and if I win get on that flight with Lady Gaga into space!
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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Jeremy Hansen, CSA, and Hadfield

Anyone who follows my blog knows that I am obsessed (in the intellectual-not-creepy-way) with Commander Chris Hadfield.  I, along with my children and students, have been so inspired by his story and insight into the universe.  Through everything I have read about him I have also learnt a lot about our own Canadian Space Agency and have to say that I am SO PROUD to be Canadian and have a world class space program.  

 I have also learnt a lot about an up-and-coming Canadian astronaut, Jeremy Hansen.  He will be the keynote speaker at the ATA Science Council conference where I will be presenting about technology in the science classroom and some kitchen chemistry and lab ideas from Pinterest.  See more here.  I really hope I am able to meet him and finally introduce myself to the amazing people from the CSA.  I'm not sure if any of these people understand just how much their communications and interactions online have meant to me.  I am so excited about teaching science and sharing everything they have to offer with my students!

You can MEET JEREMY HANSEN at the Telus World of Science on Friday, November 15, 2013, 11:00 am to 12:30 pm and 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm  See HERE for more details.
So here are a few thing I've learnt about the CSA, Hansen and Hadfield!

 CSA - Canadian Space Agency

 The CSA mandate states that their purpose is "To promote the peaceful use and development of space, to advance the knowledge of space through science and to ensure that space science and technology provide social and economic benefits for Canadians." 

 Want to be an astronaut for the CSA when you grow up?  You had better get started and, as Hadfield says, make sure every decision in your life brings you closer to your goal.  Other career opportunities are available as well.  AMAZING!! http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/careers.asp

 There are a lot of resources for teachers as well.  Love it!

 Canada's major space contributions!!
Candarm - Canadian robotic arm on the ISS

 Dextre - "The most sophisticated space robot ever built, Dextre is a space handyman with a mission: keep the International Space Station (ISS) ship-shape"

 First Canadian in Space - October 5, 1984 - Marc Garneau

First Canadian Woman in Space - January 22, 1992 - Roberta Bondar 
First Canadian mission specialist, first Canadian to operate the Canadarm in orbit, and the only Canadian to ever board Mir (Russian Space Station).  First Canadian to do a spacewalk  to control the Candarm and command the ISS - Commander Chris Hadfield

More Canadian Space Flight History - OOOOHHHH CANADA!!

Major Jeremy Hansen
Read his biography to learn more.  "Major Hansen was selected in May 2009 as one of two members of the third Canadian Astronaut selection. He is one of 14 members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. In 2011, Major Hansen graduated from Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, Extravehicular Activity (EVA), robotics, physiological training, T-38 flight training and water and wilderness survival training. Since his graduation, he is assigned as Crew Support Astronaut for Expedition 34/35." - CSA

He is part of a training program preparing for a variety of future endeavors, one of which may include space geology.  That's right studying rocks, earth, and more on the moon, asteroids, or maybe even mars!  See more about how he trained in the arctic and also in caves.  Both very hostile and stressful environments that will help him get ready for a multitude of space explorations.  Read more about it on the CSA website here.
Training in the acrtic
Training in caves
Hansen and Hadfield
Expedition 34/35 was the mission that Chris Hadfield commanded and as such the two Canucks worked closely together.

 See here for how he worked as part of the support crew.

 See his perspective of Commander Hadfiled's adventures in space here

One of Jeremy's observations about Chris Hadfield
"He really taught us that we live on 'Spaceship Earth.' We only have one of them and it's the only one we have the technology to live on right now and we have to take care of it and we have to take care of the people on it. And that's a pretty profound message, I think, for humanity." - J. Davison
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