Let the Mobile Earth +
Space Observatory come to you! Our scientist educators will
transform your classroom into a space of innovation, discovery, and
experimentation. These programs will fuel your students
passion and curiosity for nature & science. MESO will bring
everything to make this a meaningful and memorable educational
experience. Each classroom session can accommodate up to 30
students.
Mobile Earth + Space Observatory (MESO) programs and
activities are inquiry based with an emphasis on getting participants
hands on scientific equipment! Classroom programs are adjustable from 45-90 min,
appropriate for a max of 30 students, and are presented by
scientist educators. The assembly program is appropriate for
a large audience. NSSTI programming has been developed by professional
educators, vetted by PhD scientists, and delivered through
interactive, hands on, fun experiences in a classroom or
aboard MESO. Book Now!
Mapping & Building a Watershed Grades: K-2, 3-5, 6-8
What does it mean that Colorado is a headwater state and
why is it important? Can you predict the way Colorado rivers
flow and why? In this station based program students will discover
the environmental impacts of sharing a watershed with their
neighbors, and will see how their own watershed fits in a Colorado
context using a high quality hands-on relief map. Using an
augmented reality sandbox students will build their own unique
topography, identify and explore the concepts of divides and
watershed boundaries. By reading topographic maps, contour
lines and elevation, students will discover how to recognize
watersheds.
Water Purification Design Challenge! Grades: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Every team of students will
get 1 liter of dirty water and plenty of lab equipment to try to
clean it. After an introduction to the importance of clean
water and water purification techniques including filtering,
sedimentation and distillation, each team has 20 min to produce the
cleanest water they can. This design challenge has students
constructing their own filters using natural ingredients, making
turbidity measurements, and documenting their results. Which team
will win?
Cape Town Water Conservation Story Grades: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Could your water taps be
turned off? Has your community ever experienced water
restrictions? Teachers encourage students to track their
water footprint (including flushing toilets, taking showers,
watering plants, etc.) Monday - Friday, using digital tools
provided that allow them to summarize their results at the end of
the week. A discussion of water conservation follows
including the story of Cape Town, South Africa, which went from
being a community on the verge of turning off its water taps, to a
city that is now a global leader in water conservation! Students
share their collected data and consider if this could happen in
their local community and what role each person can
play.
The Science of Light & Color Grades: 3-5, 6-8
How does the human eye perceive color? Spectroscopy
could be the single-most powerful tool astronomers use to
understand our galaxy. Using diffraction glasses, gas spectrum tubes and
incandescent light, students explore emitted energy and the nature
of color. Concepts include sources of visible and non-visible
light along the electromagnetic spectrum. Students will engage with
infrared cameras, analyze the relationship of light and heat, and
discover different materials which can or cannot pass visible and
infrared light. In the extended version of this program students
explore color perception. Using only red, green and blue spotlights students
discover how computer screens trick the human mind into seeing even
more colors than are in the
rainbow!
Blinded By The Light Grades: 9-12
How bright is that star, and how do we know? How can we tell the difference between a distant bright star and a closer dim star when they both look the same to telescopes on earth. Beetlejeuce, a red supergiant in the Orion Constellation is 400,000 x brighter than our own sun, but is just a mere spot in the night sky to our eyes. Students will explore the science of Photometry by investigating images of open star clusters to understand how stars are born and then analyse them to figure out how bright one object is relative to another object.
Imaging Earth & Space Grades: 6-8, 9-12
Explore the dramatic visuals produced by remote sensing and scientific visualization! Satellite data is used to track landscape changes like fires, hurricanes, and other natural hazards, as well as land use and climate change over time. These high resolution images of Earth are taken every week, and similar imaging is taken of astronomical regions! Students are introduced to the scientific visualization of imagery, and engage in the scientific practices of comparing images to learn about changes taking place in a region using landsat satellite and hubble telescope images. Come explore the changing Universe.
Making Sense of Seasons Grades: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Understanding what causes Earth's seasons is one of the most confusing things for kids and adults alike - but when seeing this 3 dimensional model of the earth and sun system, adult participants have exclaimed, “I finally get it!” Your students will be able to get it too. Engage with the seasons model and understand what causes the seasons in the northern & southern hemisphere, where the arctic and antarctic circles come from, the significance of the tropic of cancer and capricorn, get a crystal clear understanding of solstices and equinoxes, and using this tool, individuals can follow the path of the earth from the day they were born to today!
Tour the Universe Grades: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Using state of the art astronomy software on a large digital screen, your students will take a virtual tour of the solar system and beyond. How long would it take to get to Mars? What do the moons of Saturn look like? Launch from the Earth and travel past the planets and stars to have a better understanding of our Universe, including constellations, moons, asteroids, and comets. Directed by the students personal interests.
Exoplanets and the search for life Grades: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
There are over 4000 planets that have
been discovered outside our solar system, which embodies a universe
of possibilities. Many new discoveries have been made in the
'habitable zone' even in the past five years. How have we
discovered them, do we know if they are like Earth, if so, can they
possibly sustain life? This experiential program will
endeavor to answer these questions and more. Participants will
explore the unseen dimension of gravity and force as they
literally stretch the fabric of space-time to
investigate these concepts, which are critical to our understanding
of our universe and what planets might harbor
life.
Water in the Solar system Grades: 3-5, 6-8 - 90 min
Do you ever wonder where
Earth's water came from? Are there oceans, frozen lakes and
geysers on other planets? Most scientists believe that water is
essential for life - at least life as we know it. For that
reason, NASA’s search for life in outer space begins with searching
for water. Explore with us as we search among the stars and solar
system for water! Experience an exploding geyser demonstration in
your classroom. Discover why comets are an important part of the
source of water on Earth. Model how comets are composed of
material from the early solar system in the form of frozen water,
gasses, organic compounds, dust and particles - then students will
try their hand at making their own comet!
The Power of Optics Grades: 6-8, 9-12 - 90 min
How do telescopes work and
how are they like the human eye? Students work directly with
pinhole boxes and lenses, investigating and exploring the concepts
of light and optics in small groups. Through hands on
interaction they discover how light waves can be bent and reflected
to form new and sometimes altered images. Students will develop an
understanding of basic optics, and will observe how light can be
amplified and focused to create bright and clear images, whether
through a telescope or human eye. Students will analyze the
behavior of light by tracing rays from the source to understand the
properties of light. Scientists use this same understanding of
light to peer into the human body as well as deep into
space.
Star Party - all ages!
Imagine research grade telescopes, science museum exhibits and astronomer educators at your school so the community can gaze at the stars. Astronomers guide students in basics of astronomy, the use of telescopes as participants explore the night sky and learn how to find stars, planets and other celestial objects. Experience the infrared camera, the science atrium and the projection of celestial images in real-time. The best part is the excitement of the crowd as they discover the rings of Saturn, moons of Jupiter, or craters of the Moon for the first time!
The Mobile Earth + Space Observatory and our
enthusiastic scientists educators provide immersive science
experiences for participants to get their hands and minds directly
on authentic science concepts. These learning opportunities
happen at the MESO vehicle, as well as in the adjacent tents
bursting with science experiences.
Using an augmented reality sandbox visitors will create their own
topography, identify and explore the concepts of watersheds. They will explore the mountains and valleys of our unique headwater state by interacting with a high quality hands-on relief map; and while using diffraction glasses, gas spectrum tubes and incandescent light visitors will discover the many applications of spectroscopy, including exploring emitted energy and the nature of light and color. Participants will be challenged to consider sources of visible and non-visible light along the electromagnetic spectrum; engage with infrared cameras, analyze the relationship of light and heat, and discover different materials which can or cannot pass visible and infrared light.
If the weather cooperates MESO will have telescopes
with solar filters and sun spotters to safety look at the sun and
observe sunspots if visible. These are great opportunities to
converse about basic astronomy, experience the use of telescopes,
and view celestial objects.
