Contact: Jerry Berg
jerry.berg@msfc.nasa.gov
256-544-0034
NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center News Center

Educators around the country will soon receive innovative and engaging science and math lessons delivered right to their classrooms with the ease of the Internet.

“NASAexplores,” a new lesson plan express delivery service, will provide the weekly lessons starting in January 2001. The lessons are published by the education department at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

NASAexplores will provide timely educational content based on real — not theoretical – research, developments and events. The content will meet national educational standards. “This will be a unique pipeline by which NASA will deliver its current science and technology information directly to the classroom, at no cost to the teachers,” said Jim Pruitt, manager of the Education Programs Department at the Marshall Center. “Our purpose is to help educators creatively present math, science and problem-solving skills based on NASA research and events under way at that moment.”

NASAexplores will be easy for educators to receive, prepare and use. “The program is based on an e-mail subscriber list,” said Pruitt. “Teachers simply sign up and we e-mail notices linking them directly to the Web site where the lessons are posted, along with related resources and materials.”

Teachers without e-mail can also use the lessons on the NASAexplores Web site, currently under construction, at: http://www.nasaexplores.com.

The program – available in a variety of downloadable and print-to-use formats – will include estimated preparation time for lessons and a list of materials required.

Each week, two lessons will be posted to the Web site, in versions adapted for three levels of learning: kindergarten through 4th grade, grades 5-8 and grades 9-12. The materials will incorporate and support national educational standards in math, science, geography and technology, and will align with standard subject areas, such as chemistry, biology and algebra.

Since its creation in 1958, NASA has emphasized education in its mission. The Agency employs its unique resources to create learning opportunities and uses the demonstrated inspirational value of the space program to fire students’ imaginations.

The NASAexplores project is supported by NASA’s Aerospace Technology Enterprise and Human Exploration and Development of Space Enterprise.

“NASAexplores is designed to help NASA achieve its mission to support educational excellence,” said Pruitt. “The information provided will be in sync with not only what’s happening throughout NASA, but also with other appropriate events and milestones, to take advantage of educators’ interests.”

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For more information about NASA’s commitment to education, visit:
http://education.nasa.gov.

For more information about the Marshall Center’s specific missions and roles in educational programs, visit:
http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/education.