Author Archives: Tim Grove

An Out-of-This-World Program

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How do you bring together two orbiting astronauts and more than 12,000 students scattered around the U.S. and Canada?  It’s not rocket science, but it’s close.  First you have to find some very dedicated partners with a common purpose, like the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Department of Education, and the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education.  Second you have to ensure an audience; which isn’t very difficult because who wouldn’t jump at the chance to talk to astronauts while in space?  Third, and most challenging, you have to put together the technology capable of linking 24 sites scattered around North America and Hawaii with something moving at 28,163 kph (17,500 mph) 354 km (220 miles) above the Earth’s surface.

This amazing program occurred in the National Air and Space Museum’s Moving Beyond Earth exhibition, a perfect location because it tells the history of human spaceflight during the shuttle period and beyond.  As part of International Education Week, staff conducted a live video downlink between students, Museum visitors, and astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS).  We used the Internet, video conferencing equipment, and some high-definition cameras to bring three astronauts (two on the ISS and one on Earth) into the classrooms of 24 participating communities and an audience at the Museum.  In addition, the downlink was broadcast live on NASA TV and webcast on the NASA and National Air and Space Museum websites.

Downlink

Astronaut Leland Melvin answers a school group’s question via a live video link at the National Air and Space Museum.

Students from each of the 24 communities designed a science experiment to be conducted by NASA astronauts in space as part of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education’s Student Spaceflight Experiments Program. In fact, some of the schools participating in the downlink actually had science experiments onboard the ISS at the time.  These students were talking live to one of the actual astronauts who worked with their experiments.

Students at each location asked questions of outgoing ISS Commander Sunita Williams and incoming ISS Commander Kevin Ford about life and work aboard the orbiting laboratory.  As  moderator I was impressed with the thoughtful questions.  For example, students from Hilo, HI asked Williams, “What are some of the advancements made in engineering and science due to research conducted aboard the space station, and who profits from these?” and students from Guilford County, NC asked Ford, “What are the challenges and advantages of working with astronauts from other countries?”

The reaction from each student group I introduced was incredible enthusiasm!  Each time I called on a new school, the students would erupt in cheers that echoed over the distance.  Williams and Ford broke out into big grins each time and it seemed that they enjoyed the program as much as the students did.  I was amazed by the fact that each school seemed so emotionally and physically invested in the experience.  Every time I heard the schools applause I thought about what an incredible opportunity we were providing these kids and it gave me chills.

Downlink

Audience members at the National Air and Space Museum watch a school group on Earth talk to astronauts onboard the ISS live via a video link.

Following the live Earth-to-station exchange, NASA Associate Administrator for Education and two-time space shuttle astronaut Leland Melvin continued answering questions and encouraged participating students and Museum visitors to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).  “You are the scientists, engineers and astronauts of tomorrow,” Melvin said. “America’s future of scientific research and space exploration is in your hands, and there’s no better way to prepare yourselves for those grand adventures than to start pursuing a STEM career now.”

View the entire ISS downlink program.

Michael Hulslander is Manager of Onsite Learning at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Learning Takes Flight

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Washington, DC is filled with museums of all shapes and sizes that feature educational exhibits and activities for kids. Developing learning opportunities for different ages at a museum requires a lot of planning. Staff must identify an audience for each program, know how to best engage that audience (combining the latest scholarship about informal learning with an understanding of various learning theories and recognition that people learn in many different ways), define a learning objective (what do we want the audience to learn?) and figure out how to make it fun. Underlying it all is research on the many reasons that people visit museums.

How Things Fly

Visitors learn to ‘change their attitude’ on the gyro chair interactive exhibit. The How Things Fly exhibition is full of hands-on interactives like this one and features daily live demonstrations on the principles of flight.

This planning applies to online activities as well. We understand that not everyone can visit us in Washington and Virginia. For those who can’t, check out our latest interactive website, How Things Fly, where children can learn the principles of flight in a fun and engaging way.

Our staff works hard to make the Museum interesting and educational for all ages, including the youngest of visitors. So when the National Air and Space Museum recently won two reader polls, the staff was excited. It is a great honor, and even more so because it was the readers who made the decision.

The two polls I am referring to are by The Washington Post Express newspaper, where the National Air and Space Museum was voted the Number One Kid’s Museum in Washington, D.C., and The Maryland Family magazine whose readers voted us the Best Museum for Families.

Public Observatory

Young visitors look through the 16-inch telescope to discover craters on the Moon, spots on the Sun (using safe solar filters), and other wonders of the Universe inside the public observatory at the National Air and Space Museum.

Why do people like us so much? Perhaps it’s the abundance of engaging activities for all ages, from story times and puppet shows for our very young visitors; a planetarium show designed especially for kids; a series of fascinating family programs where visitors can meet astronauts, Tuskegee Airmen, or costumed interpreters such as Amelia Earhart; exhibitions like the Pioneers of Flight Gallery with dynamic elements for even the youngest ages; hands-on science demonstrations; and digital interactive activities for every age.

story time

Young visitors enjoy story time at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Here’s a list of a few more of the popular activities that bring families to the National Air and Space museum again and again.

*special event, not offered on a regular basis

 

Grow Up Great With Science

The National Air and Space Museum offers an abundance of activities for preschoolers and other young children. Here, a young boy and his father enjoy an art project together.

Have you and your family had a good time at the National Air and Space Museum? Tell us about it.

Tim Grove is Chief of Museum Learning at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

How Kites Fly

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Recently the National Air and Space Museum hosted Kites of Asia Family Day.  It featured lots of kite activities, cultural crafts, indoor kite flyers, and Japanese kite masters.  All of the incredible kites and amazing activities made me wonder how many people actually understand how kites fly.

To understand how a kites flies, you need to define what a kite is.  A kite is a heavier-than-air object that flies… just like an airplane.  Most kites have three main components: the kite body (which comes in many different shapes and sizes), the bridle (or harness), and the control line (or tether).  The kite body is made up of a framework and outer covering.  The framework is usually made from a lightweight material like wood or plastic.  Paper, fabric, or plastic is then stretched over the framework, turning it into a sort of wing.  The bridle and the control line help the kite flyer control the kite.  In flight, the kite is connected to the kite flyer by the control line, which is connected to the kite by the bridle.  The kite pivots and dives about the point where the bridle connects to the control line.

kite diagram

Kite diagram

The four forces of flight (i.e. Lift, Weight, Drag, and Thrust) affect kites in the same way they affect airplanes, and anything else that flies.  Lift is the upward force that pushes a kite into the air.  Lift is generated by differences in air pressure, which are created by air in motion over the body of the kite.  Kites are shaped and angled so that the air moving over the top moves faster than the air moving over the bottom. Daniel Bernoulli, an 18th century Swiss mathematician, discovered that the pressure of a fluid (like air) decreases as the fluid speeds up.  Since the speed of the air above the kite is greater than the speed of air below, the pressure above is less than the pressure below and the kite is pushed into the air and — Tada — lift!  Weight is the downward force generated by the gravitational attraction of the Earth on the kite.  The force of weight pulls the kite toward the center of the Earth.  Thrust is the forward force that propels a kite in the direction of motion.  An airplane generates thrust with its engines, but a kite must rely on tension from the string and moving air created by the wind or the forward motion of the kite flyer to generate thrust.  Drag is the backward force that acts opposite to the direction of motion.  Drag is caused by the difference in air pressure between the front and back of the kite and the friction of the air moving over the surface of the kite.  To launch a kite into the air the force of lift must be greater than the force of weight.  To keep a kite flying steady the four forces must be in balance.  Lift must be equal to weight and thrust must be equal to drag.

Wind is obviously a big part of kite flying.  But what do you do if you don’t have any wind or you’re trying to fly your kite inside?  Check out the video of this national champion indoor kite flyer from the family day.  There obviously wasn’t any wind inside, so how was he able to fly kites in the middle of the Space Race gallery?  The kite flyers create lift, drag, and thrust with various walking patterns, arm movements, and spinning to make the indoor kite flying experience like a dance.  Whether inside or out it doesn’t matter whether the wind moves over the surface of the kite or the kite is pulled through the air — lift must overcome weight and thrust must overcome drag to keep the kite soaring.

To learn more about the four forces of flight visit the How Things Fly website.  And to learn more about the aerodynamics of kites and experiment with different kites, visit the NASA website.

Michael Hulslander is manager of onsite learning at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Red Tail Stories

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I would like to think that I’ve always known the inspirational story of the Tuskegee Airmen—the groundbreaking pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group.  (The first African American military aviators in the racially segregated armed forces during World War II, whose bravery both in the air and on the air field lead to Truman signing Executive Order 9981 desegregating the armed forces in 1948).

Sadly, when I started at the National Air and Space Museum almost eight years ago, I did not.  The first family program I produced, African American Pioneers in Aviation, had for many years featured the Tuskegee Airmen.  Since I had limited time to develop a new program, I continued the tradition—and fell in love.

 

tuskegee

The Tuskegee Airmen at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC in 2011 — Standing Room Only

I have invited them to every African American family day since then and have been inspired by their stories. I also have stories about them.  There are too many to tell all, but here are few.  One year, we had NASA astronaut Col. Alvin Drew as a featured speaker.  The Tuskegee Airmen decided that they wanted to hear him speak.  I ran ahead to ask visitors if they minded giving up their seats for the Airmen.  Not only did they give up their seats without question, but one gentleman took off his hat, held it to his heart and said “it gives me chills to see them here listening to the astronaut.”  Another year, a featured speaker was former astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space.  One of the Tuskegee Airman asked if I thought they could meet Dr. Jemison.  Of course I immediately escorted them to her, and I cannot tell you who was more excited about the meeting.

Tuskegee & Jemison

Former NASA astronaut, Dr. Mae Jemison, meeting members of the East Coast Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen.

This last story speaks to what is so good and true about these men.  They did their jobs with bravery and a special type of courage—the will to succeed when so many people assume you will fail just because of the color of your skin.  Yet, they are often modest about their accomplishments; although generous in sharing their time and memories with those who want to hear of them.

I invite you to learn more about the Tuskegee Airmen.  Come visit the Pioneers of Flight exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, or visit the online version.  Here you will learn about the early African American aviators who paved the way for the Tuskegee Airmen, and about the importance of their legacy.  Or, you can try out an online interactive and fly a mission with the Airmen. Want to meet some actual Tuskegee Airmen?  Come to the National Mall Building on Saturday, February 11, 2012 or to the Udvar-Hazy Center, on Saturday, February 24, 2012 for African American Pioneers in Aviation Family Day.

The National Air and Space Museum’s African American Family Days are part of the Heritage Family Day Series, sponsored by Northrop Grumman Corporation.

Mychalene Giampaoli is the family programs coordinator for the National Air and Space Museum’s Washington, DC building.

When puppets tell the story…

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At the National Air and Space Museum, we tell stories in a number of ways — through objects, artwork, lectures, videos, planetarium shows — even puppets. Storytelling through puppetry can be a powerful educational tool for our youngest audiences in particular. Puppets have the ability to bring stories and objects in the Museum to life. Young children are concrete learners; they learn through direct experiences. Using puppets in the Museum is a wonderful way to engage young audiences.

We are thrilled to host a return engagement of  “The Wright Brothers: A Musical Play,” a show using shadow puppets, hand puppets, wide mouth puppets, human arm puppets, and  live actors to bring to life the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright and the world’s first successful, manned, heavier-than-air, self-propelled flying machine.  The show’s creator and founder of Rainbow Puppet Productions, David Messick, has been a professional puppeteer for 35 years. He was inspired by his childhood love for Captain Kangaroo, the Muppets, and musicals.

 

Rainbow Puppet Productions

Using a variety of puppets in combination with live actors, Rainbow Puppet Productions brings to life the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright.

Originally created in 2003 for the 100th anniversary of the Orville and Wilbur Wright’s first flight, the show has undergone revision to add more interaction with the audience. David hopes that the show leaves the audience curious and inspired to learn more. “I always try to work into the script something that is in the Wright Brothers gallery that is not in the show,” says David, “the puppet show gets children thinking, laughing, having a good time — we give them just enough to get them excited to go upstairs and see the real Wright Flyer and the objects that are integral to the Wright brothers’ story.”

Young children today live in a world where aircraft and spacecraft are everywhere. How was David able to take the story of the Wright brothers, who invented the airplane more than 100 years ago, and make it meaningful, and relatable, to young audiences? He recalls “having a dream as a kid, flying, like Peter Pan flying… what a cool feeling that would be. I remembered that feeling of curiosity and wonder. This is the heart of the story. So I created a scene in which Wilbur tells Orville, ‘can you imagine what it would really be like if we could fly like an eagle?’ We even have the puppet leave the stage and soar over the audience.” That curiosity is something that all young children can relate to, and it makes events in history become more real.

 

eagle

Wilbur asks Orville, "Can you imagine what it would really be like if we could fly like an eagle?"

There are many themes in the story of the Wright Brothers that are important life-lessons for young children and adults alike. While the puppet show teaches children the simplified physics of flight through a whimsical song, “Power, Lift, Control,” more than that, the show illustrates the importance of scientific discovery, curiosity, and trying, and retrying, again and again.

 

power, lift, control

The Wright Brothers puppet show teaches three properties of flight through props and whimsical song, "Power, Lift, Control."

Success in anything, from engineering to teaching, comes from testing and retesting whatever it is that you create. David knows this lesson very well, saying that when developing the Wright Brothers puppet show he had to try again and again until he got it right. “At some point” he says, “you have to trust yourself, just like the Wright brothers”.

Come see the show on Saturday, January 28 at two free performances at 11:30 and 1:00.

Lizzie Cammarata is an early childhood program specialist at the Mall Building.