Out of this world

Imagine the look on students’ faces when they were told they owned part of a $15 million radio telescope!

Parents and students from Kaiserslautern Middle School spent last week learning about the impact of radio astronomy. Mrs. Pat Reeder, a trainer from the Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) and the Lewis Center for Educational Research visited the school and met with parents, teachers, community members and students to share information about radio telescopes and future space missions.

Mrs. Reeder’s visit was a first for a Department of Defense Dependents Schools – Europe school. She has been training teachers from all over DoDEA for more than a decade, but this was the first time she has worked directly with students. The KMS PTSA sponsored Mrs. Reeder’s visit to work with the school’s stakeholders and spar interest in the upcoming LCROSS moon mission in April. On her first day in the school, the PTSA sponsored an “Out of this World” night with moon pies and Tang, the drink of astronauts. More than 135 community members attended the event, as students made real-life, real-time connections via the Internet with a quasar in space.

Students were able to see actual astronauts and rocket scientists at the Lewis Center in Apple Valley, Calif., while they were simultaneously collecting radio waves from outer space.

“We sure didn’t have anything like this when I was in school,” said Brian McCarthy, KMS parent. Parents and students alike were amazed at the data students collected from space.

During the week, Mrs. Reeder presented for every science class and made radio connections again.  Students were surprised at the amount of information they could gather using materials located at the school and via the Internet and the Lewis Center.

The next step for the students is for GAVRT trained science teacher, Peggy Hess, to begin a Space Club after school. The students will learn more about space and future moon missions. The club will continue to make radio connections and track objects in outer space. A big event which all students are looking forward to is the April moon mission.  The LCROSS mission, scheduled for late April, will be the first time man has visited the moon in more than 35 years. Students will be able to track data from the mission. The after-school activity is open to all KMS students in sixth through eighth grades.  For details, contact Dr. Susan Hargis at susan.hargis@eu.dodea.edu or 489-7430.