NASA’s International Space Station (ISS) EarthKAM program is
launching its eighth year of involving students in the
scientific study of Earth from space. The ISS EarthKAM (Earth
Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students) program is
designed to inspire student interest in science, math,
technology, and geography.
Students have direct access to, and control of, a digital
camera mounted on the Space Station. They identify places on
Earth to photograph from space, and then use the ISS EarthKAM
Web-based interface to calculate exactly when the digital
camera should take pictures. Students use their digital
images of Earth to study a wide variety of science topics.
The first ISS EarthKAM investigation period for the 2004-5
school year is October 26-29. Additional ISS EarthKAM image
acquisition and investigation missions are scheduled in
February and April 2005. Participation is free.
Inspired by her Space Shuttle missions, Dr. Sally Ride,
America’s first woman astronaut, created the ISS EarthKAM.
Ride established EarthKAM in 1996 as a way for students to
experience the same fascination and awe she felt looking down
at Earth from space.
Since its inception, more than 16,400 scientifically
valuable, high-quality digital images of Earth have been
taken by thousands of middle-school students from America and
other participating ISS countries. “No other NASA program
gives students such direct control of an instrument flying on
a spacecraft orbiting Earth,” said Dr. Karen Flammer,
EarthKAM’s Project Director. “As a result of this hands-on,
real world experience, students assume an unparalleled
personal ownership in the study and analysis of their Earth
photographs.”
NASA expects the excitement and interest generated by
participation in ISS EarthKAM to translate into students
studying science and engineering in high school and college,
and possibly even choosing to participate in agency space
exploration activities.
NASA funds ISS EarthKAM. It is coordinated through a
partnership between the University of California at San
Diego; NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.;
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; and TERC, a
non-profit education research and development organization
based in Cambridge, Mass.
To participate in ISS EarthKAM during the 2004-05 school
year, visit:
http://datasystem.earthkam.ucsd.edu/ekReg/ekRegistration.shtml.
Student Earth images are available via the Internet at:
http://datasystem.earthkam.ucsd.edu.
For educator guides, activities, and other educational
resource materials visit:
For information about NASA education programs on the
Internet, visit:
For information about NASA and agency programs on the
Internet, visit:
