From the Hubble Space
TelescopeMade possible in part by NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, The National Science Foundation, PBS K-12 Learning Services and public television
Dear Educator,
Welcome to Live from the Hubble Space Telescope! This project marks the very
first time
that K-12 students have been directly involved in choosing which objects to
observe with
Earth's most powerful orbital telescope. And it's the first time that a
unique mix of live
interactive video and on-line interaction have given students across America and around the
world the opportunity to visit-virtually-via an "electronic field trip," with the men and
women who operate the Hubble. This Guide and the co-packaged hands-on materials are
designed to help you and your students prepare for that experience, integrate it successfully
into your course of instruction, and make it pay off long after the live videos are over.
Many of the Activities you'll find here directly parallel the processes
you'll see on camera
or read about on-line. When your students chart which planets are safe to
view with the
Hubble (Activity 2C), throw a basketball around the gym to simulate
the
telecommunications path which brings the Hubble's data back to Earth
(Activity 2D), or
make a color image from black and white data (Activity 3A), they'll be
mirroring the real-world activities they'll see the astronomers, mission
planners and engineers doing on
camera, in the real world of research.
Live from the Hubble Space Telescope is targeted primarily at middle schools,
but can
easily be adapted up or down in grade level. The project features
cutting-edge science, but
also provides extensive connections across disciplines, including math,
social studies,
language arts, technology education and computer skills, and it contains
information about
high-tech careers as well as "pure" research.
This is the third in our ongoing Passport to Knowledge series. Old hands will
recognize
many aspects of earlier Modules. But just like your students, we hope we've
been growing
and learning. We now have a full-time Education Outreach Coordinator,
Jan Wee: you'll
find her contact numbers on the inside front cover of this Guide. They are
there for
educators to use, with questions about any aspect of the project. Our innovative on-line
resources continue to evolve. If you're new to the Internet, you'll find a
section in this
Guide designed to get you going. If you use the World Wide Web or have more
extensive
connectivity, you'll find graphics, a "Virtual Tour" of Space Telescope and its support
network. We hope our project suggests ways in which your students
can become authors,
creators and publishers on-line, not mere "browsers." As one elementary teacher said,
"Passport to Knowledge doesn't encourage students just to 'surf the Net,'
but rather to
'make waves.' "
Is there a common feature to all our Modules, ranging as they do from penguins
to planets,
from the South Pole to Pluto? We hope you agree it's putting people into the
process, so
that students discover science not as history-with all discoveries done by
others, many
long dead-but as real life in which they can play a role. Passport to
Knowledge is "Real
Science, Real Scientists, Real Locations, Real Time."
Our project makes interaction with world-class scientists possible for students in schools,
at home or from science centers and museums. And our project very much wants
interaction with, and feedback from, YOU. On page 40, there's news about a
special
inducement to return the Teacher and Student Evaluation forms: a free CD-ROM.
But your
greatest reward will be to help shape future Passport to Knowledge field trips-the better to
help you inform, inspire and educate your students. In Fall 1996, we plan to begin Live
from Mars-a project which will extend over many years and multiple NASA and
international missions. In Winter 1997, we expect to be back in the
Antarctic, in the Palmer
Peninsula, studying baby seals and and other wild-life close-up, as well as
hunting
dinosaur fossils. We hope your success with this current project means you'll
be traveling
with us then, and that Live from the Hubble Space Telescope will help you make
"Reality" the fourth "R" in your classroom.
Thanks for your belief in our planet's most precious and, we believe, unlimited resource:
the minds and imaginations of its young people.
Sincerely,
Geoff Haines-Stiles
C-band: NASA TV: Spacenet 2, 69 degrees West, transponder 5, channel 9, horizontal,
frequency 3880 Mhz, audio on 6.8
NASA TV has indicated it will carry programs at the time and date scheduled. However
Shuttle schedules and other factors may modify this. Again, please check current schedules
close to air time. NASA TV publishes its daily schedule over NASA Spacelink. The
Live
from Hubble Home Page will also provide a pointer to this information.
Project Director, Passport to Knowledge and the Live fromÉ specials
Programs and Initial Air Dates and Times
Program 2 Making YOUR Observations
March 14, 1996, 13:00-14:00 Eastern
Program 3 Announcing YOUR Results
April 23, 1996, 13:00-14:00 Eastern
Please Note:
Program 1 The Great Planet Debate
first aired November 9, 1995, as an introduction
to the entire project. (For videotapes, see below)
Primary Satellite Coordinates
Ku-band: PBS K-12 Learning Services: Telstar 401, 97 degrees West, transponder 8,
horizontal, 11915 Mhz, audio on 6.2 and 6.8
Please note: this refers to carriage on the primary satellite used by PBS. Carriage on the
satellite itself does not guarantee broadcast by any individual PBS station. Please check
local listings well in advance of air time to verify local arrangements! An on-line listing of
confirmed carriage by local stations and educational networks will be accessible between
March 1, 1996 and April 23, 1996.Videotapes
You can order
tapes from Passport to Knowledge.
Register for on-line Live from the Hubble Space Telescope updates or check our
Web site:
http://passporttoknowledge.com/hst
On-line resources are a unique element of this project and are described in more detail in this Guide. Background information is already available, and will remain accessible indefinitely, so long as it remains current. The project's interactive and collaborative components, such as Researcher Q & A will commence March 1, 1996, and will be supported at least through April 30, 1996.
Educators may contact Passport to Knowledge at ptkinfo@passporttoknowledge.com
Passport to Knowledge Project Director: Geoffrey Haines-Stiles Executive in charge of Production: Erna Akuginow Education Outreach Coordinator: Jan Wee Producer: Richard Dowling Technical Coordinator: George R. Beneman, II Clearance Coordinator: Lisa Lehman Trager MultiMedia Instructional Materials Development Team Scott L. Coletti, Crittenden Middle School, Mountain View, CA Linda Conrad, Cupertino Junior High, Sunnyvale, CA Alan Federman, NASA K-12 Internet Initiative William A. Gutsch, Jr., past President, International Planetarium Society, and former Chairman, Hayden Planetarium, NY Pat Haddon, Science Teacher/Grade 6 Team Leader, Summit Middle School, Summit, NJ Thomas W. Kraupe, President Elect, International Planetarium Society, and Director, Forum der Technik Planetarium, Munich, Germany Patty Miller, KidScience Teleschool Teacher, Hawaii Department of Education Linda Morris, Director of Education/Center Director, Buehler Challenger & Science Center, Paramus, NJ Marc Siegel, NASA K-12 Internet Initiative Carolyn Sumners, Director of Astronomy and Physics, Houston Museum of Natural Science April S. Whitt, Fernbank Science Center, DeKalb County School District, Atlanta, GA Passport to Knowledge National Advisory Board Dale Andersen, Exobiologist, NASA Ames Research Center Linda Billings, Arlington, VA Bruce Daley, Clark County School District, Las Vegas April Keck DeGennaro, Teacher, Honolulu Joseph D. Exline, Curriculum Consultant, VA D.A. Harper, Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago Camille Moody, NASA Education John Rummel, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA Thom Stone, NSI/Sterling Software James S. Sweitzer, Ph.D., Associate Director, Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica, University of Chicago Astronomical Consultants and "Planet Advocates" Reta Beebe, New Mexico State University w Marc Buie, Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona Heidi Hammel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Carolyn Porco, University of Arizona, Tucson Space Telescope Science Institute Robert E. Williams, Director Ethan Schreier, Deputy Director Mimi Bredeson, Deputy Carol Christian, Office Head, Public Outreach Anne Kinney, Education Manager and Project Scientist Patricia Pengra, Outreach Services Manager Laura Danly, Education Project Scientist Carole Rest, Education Program Analyst Cheryl Gundy, Public Affairs Alex Storrs, Planning Scientist, Moving Targets Zolt Levay, Computer Specialist for Image Processing Al Holm, Manager, OPUS Tony Roman, Rob Landis, Karla Peterson and Andy Lubenow, Program Coordinators Walt Feimer, Astronomy Visualization Laboratory Ed Weibe, Engineer (Allied Signal) Ginger French, Video Producer Ray Villard, News and Information Manager Kim Zeidler, Teacher Intern Pat Momberger, Administration Coordinator NASA Goddard Space Flight Center John Campbell, Associate Director of Flight Projects for Hubble Space Telescope Ann Merwarth, Project Manager for HST Operations and Ground Systems Preston Burch, Deputy Project Manager for Operations, HST Operations and Ground Systems Project Chris Wilkinson, Deputy Operations Manager Jan Ruff, Public Affairs/Education Tammy Jones, PAO Pat Kennedy, TV Production Supervisor (Allied Signal) NASA K-12 Internet Initiative Karen Traicoff, NASA Ames Jennifer Sellers, Marc Siegel, Alan Federman, Susan Lee, Mike DeFrenza, Sterling Software Nathan Hickson, Chris Tanski, I-Net PBS K-12 Learning Services Sandra Welch, Executive Vice President, Education Francis Thompson, Tom Flavell, Cindy Johanson Space Telescope-European Coordinating Facility, Garching, Germany Piero Benvenuti, Head Robert Fosbery, ST Information Scientist Rudolf Albrecht, ST Data and SoftwareNext Section. -- Quick Guide.
