Examined responses of 97 students who witnessed space shuttle disaster on video at school. Asked them to rank three things that had affected them most. Only 8.9 percent of females ranked space shuttle first, and only 30.4 percent ranked it in top three. More males (88.9 percent) mentioned space shuttle, and 38.9 percent saw it as top concern.…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using Spanish captions, English captions, or no captions with a Spanish language soundtrack on intermediate university-level Spanish as a Foreign Language students' listening/reading comprehension. A total of 213 intermediate (fourth semester) students participated as intact groups in the…

In this article, the author describes a student-centered research project he introduced to his students. In this research project, his students used images collected by telescopes at Kitt Peak National Optical Observatory (KPNO) to look for novas in the Andromeda Galaxy. This project grew out of the author's experience during a Teachers As Leaders…

This issue of "Mercury" is a tribute to the accomplishments of female astronomers. It is an affirmation that women can and do pursue successful careers in the physical sciences even though some special obstacles have existed and, sadly, continue to exist in both the education process and the professional career process. The journal contains the…

Learning research in visuals and media from education is reviewed, summarized, and extrapolated for the planetarium. Of particular interest is research into the use of cuing, with relevance to the planetarium display. It has been demonstrated that viewers can learn more if they are told about the important concepts and terms before the planetarium…

This booklet was prepared by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for use by teachers in the classroom or by parents at home. The descriptions, classroom activities and illustrations are designed for elementary-level school children. On each right-hand page is a simple line drawing that illustrates the narrative and the…

This material presents the historical perspectives of flight and student activities for grades K-3 prepared by the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Sections included are: (1) "Historical Perspective of Flight"; (2) "Discovery Vocabulary" (listing the terms found in the first section);…

Since its beginning, the space program has caught the attention of young people. This space science activity booklet was designed to provide information and learning activities for students in elementary grades. It contains chapters on: (1) primitive beliefs about flight; (2) early fantasies of flight; (3) the United States human spaceflight…

This document attempts to identify and promote human factors research that would likely produce results applicable to the evolutionary design of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) national space station to be launched in the 1990s. It reports on a symposium designed to yield information applicable to future space systems. The…

Originally designed as a summer program to be offered through the network of bookmobiles and rural public libraries in the state, the Texas Reading Club is now also promoted year round by school and institutional libraries to encourage young readers and to acquaint them with libraries and their services. A theme, formats and ideas, and basic…

Discusses the current state of space-related research and manufacturing techniques. Focuses on the areas of spectroscopy, materials processing, electrochemistry, and analysis. Provides examples and classroom application for using these aspects of the space program to teach chemistry. (TW)

Designed as a follow up unit on the study of imperialism, this lesson requires students to use their knowledge of imperialism to solve a problem that could arise in the future space frontier. Organized for small group participation, the lesson focuses on international cooperation. Includes all required resources and suggests appropriate additional…

Contains the annotated bibliographies of introductory books and sections of books, recent introductory articles, more advanced articles, and more advanced books dealing with quasars and active galaxies. (CW)

Presents several classroom ideas to help students understand their relationship to and their place in the universe as well as how difficult it would be to find life beyond Earth. Lists activities for children including the "Map Procedure," the "Model Procedure," and "Good Ol' Sol." (CW)

This teaching unit is designed to help students in grades 4-8 explore the concepts of geometry and measurement in the context of surveying planets. The units in this series have been developed to enhance and enrich mathematics, science, and technology education and to accommodate different teaching and learning styles. Each unit consists of a…