Summer camp students connect to NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory
2013-08-15
Students at museums and science centers across the country recently participated in a unique video conference hosted by NASA’s Digital Learning Network (DLN).
Expert divers and educational experts at Johnson Space Center answered questions and shared stories about working with and training astronauts. The live DLN event was broadcast from NASA’s 6-million-gallon swimming pool, known as the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL).
The NBL is located at the Sonny Carter Training Facility in Houston. This facility is where astronauts train underwater for future spacewalks aboard the International Space Station and next-generation spacecraft. Beneath the surface of the pool, 40 feet deep, are life-sized mock-ups of International Space Station components. The pool provides realistic training opportunities by simulating a reduced-gravity environment. Numerous safety, time and cost benefits are attributed to astronauts training at the NBL.
“This video event was a unique and engaging experience for our participants,” said Arin Casavant of the Gateway to Science Center. “Even though we are in a small city, over a thousand miles away, we could still connect with NASA.”
Lauren Hansen and Joe Bosquez, both dive operation specialists at the NBL, were eager to share their experiences with the students.
"I think it is very important to inspire children to have a thirst for knowledge and enthusiasm for science,” Hansen said. “If we can ignite that passion in their hearts and minds, then there is no telling where science and exploration can take them.”
The students who participated in the DLN were attending summer camps at science centers and museums affiliated with JSC’s new Spaceflight Explorer project. Spaceflight Explorers, or SFX, is a new educational project that assists informal education providers, such as science centers and museums, with NASA-themed content that enhances camps, programs and events. The participating SFX facilities for this special educational video conference were:
This video connection not only provided engaging content for the K-12 campers, but it also allowed one of NASA’s college interns to apply acquired knowledge and public-speaking skills in a real-world setting. Gary Jordan, a senior at Penn State University studying marketing, is completing a Pathways internship with the JSC Education Office. Jordan’s internship experience for the summer included the opportunity to assist and co-host this unique event.
"It was surreal,” Jordan said. “We were connected to kids thousands of miles away and having fluid conversations. The kids were very energetic and full of great questions. I loved seeing how knowledgeable the kids were with our nation’s space program."
The DLN and the SFX project both strive to share NASA content while providing authentic science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-based educational opportunities for students and teachers.
"The kids were so excited for the event to begin, and then they proceeded to talk about it for days after,” said Arin Casavant of the Gateway to Science Center. “We plan on implementing DLN events into as many of our upcoming programs as possible."
Click to learn more about the Digital Learning Network.
Click for more information about JSC’s SFX project.
Christopher Blair
Johnson Space Center Education Office, Houston
281-483-1146
Expert divers and educational experts at Johnson Space Center answered questions and shared stories about working with and training astronauts. The live DLN event was broadcast from NASA’s 6-million-gallon swimming pool, known as the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL).
The NBL is located at the Sonny Carter Training Facility in Houston. This facility is where astronauts train underwater for future spacewalks aboard the International Space Station and next-generation spacecraft. Beneath the surface of the pool, 40 feet deep, are life-sized mock-ups of International Space Station components. The pool provides realistic training opportunities by simulating a reduced-gravity environment. Numerous safety, time and cost benefits are attributed to astronauts training at the NBL.
“This video event was a unique and engaging experience for our participants,” said Arin Casavant of the Gateway to Science Center. “Even though we are in a small city, over a thousand miles away, we could still connect with NASA.”
Lauren Hansen and Joe Bosquez, both dive operation specialists at the NBL, were eager to share their experiences with the students.
"I think it is very important to inspire children to have a thirst for knowledge and enthusiasm for science,” Hansen said. “If we can ignite that passion in their hearts and minds, then there is no telling where science and exploration can take them.”
The students who participated in the DLN were attending summer camps at science centers and museums affiliated with JSC’s new Spaceflight Explorer project. Spaceflight Explorers, or SFX, is a new educational project that assists informal education providers, such as science centers and museums, with NASA-themed content that enhances camps, programs and events. The participating SFX facilities for this special educational video conference were:
- The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery in Fort Collins, Colo.
- Edgerton Explorit Center in Aurora, Neb.
- Kansas Children’s Discovery Center in Topeka, Kan.
- Discovery Center of Idaho in Boise, Idaho
- Gateway to Science in Bismarck, N.D.
- The Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, N.D.
This video connection not only provided engaging content for the K-12 campers, but it also allowed one of NASA’s college interns to apply acquired knowledge and public-speaking skills in a real-world setting. Gary Jordan, a senior at Penn State University studying marketing, is completing a Pathways internship with the JSC Education Office. Jordan’s internship experience for the summer included the opportunity to assist and co-host this unique event.
"It was surreal,” Jordan said. “We were connected to kids thousands of miles away and having fluid conversations. The kids were very energetic and full of great questions. I loved seeing how knowledgeable the kids were with our nation’s space program."
The DLN and the SFX project both strive to share NASA content while providing authentic science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-based educational opportunities for students and teachers.
"The kids were so excited for the event to begin, and then they proceeded to talk about it for days after,” said Arin Casavant of the Gateway to Science Center. “We plan on implementing DLN events into as many of our upcoming programs as possible."
Click to learn more about the Digital Learning Network.
Click for more information about JSC’s SFX project.
Christopher Blair
Johnson Space Center Education Office, Houston
281-483-1146
(From left to right) Gary Jordan, Lauren Hansen and Joseph Bosquez support the DLN video conference from the NBL. Image Credit: NASA
Connecting with NASA was a special treat for summer camp students at the Edgerit Explorit Center in Aurora, Neb. Image Credit: NASA
Students at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery in Colorado talk to NASA divers and education specialists through video conferencing. Image Credit: NASA