Learning
Space
Exhibit Info
 
Space
Week
Learning
Space
Space in the News
Museum Curricula
Resources
 Space
Remembered

B1 Lunar Prospector
NASA Ames Research Center
 
Lunar Prospector was launched to the Moon, Jan 6th, 1998. Within a month it began its primary one-year mission, returning answers to long-standing questions about the Moon, its resources, its structure and its origins.  The first and most exciting data returned  will answer the question first raised in the early seventies and underscored by the 1994 Clementine mission: Is there water in the form of ice in some polar craters? The significance of this information for further exploration of the Moon and future utilization of Moon resources is great.

In the Space Week museum, a model of the Lunar Prospector spacecraft will be accompanied by panels with supporting information describing the mission.
 

General Information Curriculum Ideas
  • The Moon, Teacher's Guide "Gateway to the Solar System". Includes lesson plans (3 units), and instructions for building a Lunar Prospector model.
  • Moonlink:  The Internet-based Space Education Program for NASA's Lunar Prospector Mission.

 
B2 Moon Rocks
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA Johnson Space Flight Center
N. Zellner
 
Between 1969 and 1972, 843 pounds of lunar surface material were returned to Earth during the six manned Apollo missions to the Moon. The material consisted of soil and rock samples retrieved from the lunar maria and highland regions which exhibited excitingly different characteristics. Much has already been learned about the Moon and our solar system from these materials and scientists continue to study them for more information.

The museum will be exhibiting seven moon rock models from the Apollo 11, 15, 16, and 17 missions, as well as a genuine specimen.  In addition, supporting background information will help explain the rocks and their importance.
 
 

General Information
Curriculum Ideas

 
B3 The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
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Information not yet available.
 
General Information Curriculum Ideas

 
B4 Exploring the Universe
NASA Ames Research Center
 
Deep Space 1 Probe
Humans have always scanned the heavens, seeking knowledge about our origins and destiny. Now, with NASA technology to investigate astronomical mysteries, the timeless quest continues. NASA’s series of specialized Earth-orbiting satellites, including the Hubble Space Telescope, help us to explore the patterns and dynamics of the wondrous universe around us.
 
 
General Information Curriculum Ideas

 
B5 Mars
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
 
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Information not yet available.
 
 
General Information
Curriculum Ideas

 
B6 Mars Rover
Schenectady Planeterium and Museum
 
Mars Rover prototype developed at Rensselaer.
A three-quarter scale model that was developed at Rensselaer for use on very rough terrain under the formal title, "An Autonomous Roving Vehicle for the Planet Mars."  Originated by Dr. Stephen Yerazunis and carried on under the direction of Dr. David Gisser, this project has been largely carried out by RPI undergraduates from a variety of scientific and engineering disciplines.  

In addition to the basic battery-powered vehicle, the project includes development of a mast-mounted pulsed laser vision system to guide the machine.  Begun in 1967, the project has been supported by NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in addition to Rensselaer.
 

General Information Curriculum Ideas