Exploring STEM in Space Developed in collaboration with NASA Making it to Mars: Perseverance Learn about the ways this rover is going to help us learn more about Mars, test new technologies, set up future missions, and even help us prepare to send humans to the Red Planet. watch now NASA Partnership EiE®, Museum of Science is excited to offer a suite of free NASA-funded STEM resources for students in grades 3-8. All resources are research-based and classroom-tested. They are designed to support students’ understanding of space, while helping them see themselves as capable problem solvers. Importantly, these units would not have been possible without the support of our collaborators around the country. Read on for more information about the PLANETS cooperative agreement. Activities for grades 3-5 In Good Hands: Engineering Space Gloves Students work as materials engineers, considering the trade-offs of each material in their space gloves to help astronauts complete one of three missions to an asteroid, Earth’s moon, or Mars. EXPLORE THIS UNIT Liftoff: Engineering Rockets and Rovers Students will engineer rockets and rovers to help India and Jacob explore several planets and moons in our solar system. EXPLORE THIS UNIT The Sky’s the Limit: Engineering Flying Technologies Students will learn that scientists and engineers often study harsh environments here on Earth (like the largest sand desert in the world, the Empty Quarter) to understand the environments they might encounter in space. EXPLORE THIS UNIT Activities for grades 6-8 Remote Sensing: Worlds Apart In this unit, students use the Engineering Design Process to design remote sensing devices that can help scientists learn about a newly discovered moon. EXPLORE THIS UNIT Water Reuse: Testing the Waters Students participating in this unit become water resource engineers as they use the steps of the Engineering Design Process to design creative ways to reuse water. EXPLORE THIS UNIT EVOLVE (Expanding Versatile Offerings for Learning in Virtual Environments) Under NASA award No. 80NSSC21M0042, content developers from EiE® join with astronomy educators from the Charles Hayden Planetarium to create exciting, new space-themed resources for grades 3-8. Image EXPLORE View our latest videos about the most recent Mars landing: Making it to Mars: Challenges Making it to Mars: Where's the Oxygen? Making it to Mars: Perseverance Making it to Mars: MOXIE PLANETS (Planetary Learning that Advances the Nexus of Engineering, Technology, and Science) Since 2016, EiE has partnered with Northern Arizona University and the United States Geological Survey - Astrogeology Science Center to create space-themed engineering units for students in grades 3-8. Guided by the steps of the engineering design process, students are encouraged to think like engineers while solving real-world problems. The PLANETS team, based at NAU under award No. NNX16AC53A, is excited to announce that it has been awarded another five-year grant from NASA. WestEd has joined the team and the group is planning to optimize and enhance the existing resources to ensure they are engaging and accessible to a broad audience. Image PLANETS Partners The Center for Science Teaching and Learning at Northern Arizona University, the U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center, WestEd, and the Museum of Science Boston are partners in developing, piloting, and researching the impact of three out of school time planetary science and engineering curriculum and related professional development units. *This material is based upon work supported by NASA under grant number 80NSSC21M0042. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Museum of Science, Boston and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
