Students Invited to Participate in Three Educational Events

An array of Webcast specials designed
to capture young people’s imagination about the thrill of space exploration
and future of flight will take place on Space Day, Thursday, May 1st.
Students, teachers and space enthusiasts around the world can participate in
three unique events.

Cyber Space Day(SM) Webcast — 12 Noon to 1:00 p.m. (ET)

The line-up kicks off with the annual Cyber Space Day, which is broadcast
from Washington, DC via satellite and the Internet. Hosted by CBS
correspondent Joie Chen and Bianca Baker, teenage reporter for NASA’s SCIence
Files, the live Webcast will offer viewers the opportunity to interact with
some of the nation’s foremost astronauts, scientists and experts working on
the next generation of space planes.

Guests will include: Senator John Glenn, co-chair of Space Day; NASA’s
Deputy Administrator and former astronaut, Fred Gregory; NASA’s Morphing
Program Manager, Anna-Maria McGowan; Garry Lyles, Manager of the Next
Generation Launch Technologies Program at Marshall Space Flight Center; and
Tim McElyea, author of A Vision of Future Space Transportation – A Visual
Guide to the Spacecraft of Tomorrow. Several “stellar” Design Challenge
student teams will be interviewed as well as Anne Breaks, aspiring astronaut
and Canadian teenager who will share her dreams about space exploration.
Space experts will answer e-mail questions live during the Webcast. To access
the Webcast log on to: www.spaceday.org.

Countdown to Mars — 1:00-2:00 p.m. (ET)

The one-hour broadcast/webcast will offer a behind-the-scenes look at one
of the most significant missions of the Space Age — MER, NASA’s Mars
Exploration Rover project. Hosted by Bill Nye “The Science Guy”, the program
will invite students to conduct science and engineering experiments just like
those of the actual NASA researchers. Documentary sequences capture the years
of development getting the rovers to their June and July launch windows at the
Kennedy Space Center. Viewers throughout North America can interact via e-
mail as 250 students participate on camera in hands-on experiments. The
program originates live at DePaul University in Chicago and NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Guests include many of the NASA
scientists, engineers and technicians who have been working on the MER
project. It will be seen nationally on participating PBS stations (Check
local listings), NASA-TV and online. (Visit
http://passporttoknowledge.com/mars)

NASA Quest Webcast — 2:00-3:00 p.m. (ET)

In March, NASA invited teachers and students to develop and submit their
preliminary designs for robot “helpers” in tandem with those now being
developed to assist astronauts aboard the International Space Station. During
this Webcast, members of NASA’s ISS Robot Challenge team will review students’
final submissions and answer questions online.
(Visit http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/projects/space/robotdesign)

Established in 1997, the Space Day initiative is dedicated to the
advancement of science, technology, engineering and math by inspiring young
people to realize the vision of our space pioneers. Each year, more than 75
Space Day Partners and Associates organize local events in communities across
North America. These three Webcasts, designated as official Space Day events,
serve as informative and entertaining learning tools to further the mission of
Space Day, which is supported by the non-profit Space Day Foundation.

Satellite Information:

CYBER SPACE DAY –

The Webcast will be available at www.spaceday.org/en/teachers/cyberday.php
and via satellite on Space Day 2003, May 1 from Noon – 1 p.m. ET. The Webcast
can be viewed using either Windows Media Player or Real Player. These
applications can be downloaded free of charge at
www.spaceday.org/en/teachers/cyberday.php. The satellite coordinates are:

  • C Band: KU:
  • Telstar 5 C band Telstar 5 KU band
  • Transponder 6 Transponder 25
  • Downlink: 3820 Horizontal Downlink: 12144 Vertical

Also available at www.spaceday.org. Just click on “Cyber Space Day”.

COUNTDOWN TO MARS – can be seen over the air if carried by local
participating PBS stations (check local listings). The satellite coordinates
are:

  • KU-band:
  • AMC-3 (GE-3) / K19 (transponder 19), 87 degrees West
  • Downlink frequency 12080 MHz, Horizontal. Stereo audio on 6.2 and 6.8

MHz.

This is a non-encrypted analog signal. Close captioned.

Subject to last minute pre-emption for NASA events, the program can also
be accessed through the NASA-TV signal:

  • C-band:
  • AMC-2 transponder 9C, 85 degrees West
  • Downlink frequency 3880 MHz, Vertical. Mono audio on 6.8 MHz.
  • This is a non-encrypted analog signal.

The program will also be streamed on the web by NASA-TV partners, and may
also be accessed via http://passporttoknowledge.com/mars