NASA Invites Students To Help Astronaut Count The Stars

Aug. 25, 2006

Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1761

Charles Henry Guillaume
Canadian Space Agency, Montreal
450-926-6651

RELEASE: 06-301

NASA INVITES STUDENTS TO HELP ASTRONAUT COUNT THE STARS

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are collaborating on a new
education activity that helps students become astronomers. The Star
Count Project will investigate the visual quality of the night sky
and help assess the extent of atmospheric light pollution.

There are many factors that affect how many stars can be seen at
night. NASA and the CSA are inviting U.S. and Canadian students to
participate in an effort to study these factors.

The project was suggested and is being supported by CSA astronaut
Steve MacLean. He is a member of the crew of the Space Shuttle
Atlantis on the next mission, designated STS-115, to the
International Space Station. The mission is scheduled to launch
Sunday, August 27.

MacLean will perform the Star Count experiment during the mission.
While in space he will upload star observation information into a
database via the Star Count Web site. As part of the project,
students will learn how to estimate the number of stars observed
based on random samples of sections of the sky. Students will add to
the database by entering their location, number of stars observed and
information about their viewing conditions. The students will be able
to compare their observations with MacLean's and other observers.

Star Count is a project of the NASA Student Observation Network. The
network is a collection of online inquiry-based activities that
challenge students to find answers to research questions by making
their own observations and interpreting them with NASA data.

To participate in the Star Count Project, students should visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/starcount

or

http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/educators/resources/stars/default.asp

The Star Count Project is directly tied to NASA's major education goal
of attracting students to science, technology, engineering and
mathematics studies. NASA is committed to engaging and retaining
students in these disciplines which are crucial to the agency's
future missions.

For information about NASA education programs, Star Count Project and
the Student Observation Network, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education


-end-

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Dark Mission
    ... I saw they recommended a book on their site about NASA as ... I'm not sure why only students with good ... Dark Mission is actually a darn good name for a lunar kind of mission, ... NASA/Apollo ongoing ruse/sting of the century. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • University Faculty and Students to RockOn! With NASA
    ... UNIVERSITY FACULTY AND STUDENTS TO 'ROCKON!' ... with NASA during a workshop June 22 - 27 at ... NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island in Virginia. ...
    (sci.space.news)
  • NASA Provides Unique Experience For Orlando Area Students
    ... NASA PROVIDES UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FOR ORLANDO AREA STUDENTS ... Orange County Public Schools will travel to NASA's Kennedy Space ... Center the week of Dec. 15 to take part in the first Orange County ...
    (sci.space.news)
  • Re: Why is NASA still giving away flights on its own vomit comet?
    ... Concerning the statement that Joe Strout made, "If NASA feels the ... need to spend taxpayer money on giving joyrides to students, ... NASA has offered students then it should be done. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • NASA Selects Student Experiments to Fly on Sounding Rocket (Forwarded)
    ... NASA SELECTS STUDENT EXPERIMENTS TO FLY ON SOUNDING ROCKET ... a rocket mission June 7 from the Wallops Flight Facility, ... During the weeks leading up to the launch, students and their teachers ...
    (sci.space.news)