Supporting STEM Students From the White House

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Retired astronaut Cady Coleman talks with Team America Rocketry Challenge’s Team Rock-It of North Carolina that displayed their work at this week’s White House Science Fair. Image courtesy of @nasahqphoto.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, and don’t give up on your dreams.”

That was the advice given by one of the panelists at yesterday’s White House Science Fair, who, at the ripe old age of eight, is already encouraging young people, and perhaps even some a little older, to try and achieve their goals.

The 2016 White House Science Fair will be President Obama’s last, as the United States is transitioning administrations soon. While it may be his final fair, we hope it is not the country’s. Programs like this should be seen as nonpartisan, and be continued under future administrations. While policy is up for debate, supporting the next generation’s future should be a given.

Students at the fair presented practical solutions to real problems using their knowledge of STEM, from a way to clean up the NYC subway to charging batteries with water power. Their ingenuity and curiosity benefits all of us today and provides a solid workforce for the nation’s economic future.

Students who receive encouragement and support are more likely to push themselves to achieve more. One of the other panelists, now in college, said that her recommendation to younger students was to take advantage of every opportunity given to them. As a community and as a country, we need to make sure those opportunities are there for them to take in.

Bright minds are not in short supply here in America. We encourage the next administration to continue events and opportunities like the White House Science Fair to ensure that those minds can be cultivated.

Rocket Contest National Finalists Announced

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TARC Rocket Contest

Team Dunuh: Rachel Li, Arpitha Shenoy, Mei Baek, Clara Kim and Renee Li, Neha Chinthapatla, their team captain, Diana Zavela.

Drumroll please…

We are pleased to congratulate Team Dunuh from Thomas Jefferson High School on qualifying for this year’s Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) finals! The team, which we featured here, has received a qualifying score high enough to move on to the next round of the competition.

The top 101 teams from all across the country were announced this weekend, and those on the list will be participating in the finals on May 14th to compete for the grand prize of more than $100,000 in cash and scholarships. In addition, the winning team will go to the United Kingdom to complete in the International Rocketry Challenge at the Farnborough Air Show in July.

The finals will be held in Plains, VA after they are received at the “Rockets on The Hill” event the day prior in Washington, D.C. The Mars Generation plans to attend the event with representatives, including its founder, Abigail Harrison, who will be speaking at the event.

Team Dunuh is very excited to be moving forward. They are one of the few all girls teams in this year’s contest, with seven members including Rachel Li, Arpitha Shenoy, Mei Baek, Clara Kim and Renee Li, Neha Chinthapatla, their team captain, Diana Zavela.

To see the full list of finalists, and other updates, you can go to the TARC website, as well as following their Twitter. Also, check back here for more posts following the events!

Rebecca MooreAuthor:

Rebecca Moore is part of the media team at The Mars Generation, focusing on public relations. She has a background in online writing and a passion for all things space.

We Have Liftoff! Rocketry Team’s Qualifying Launch

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TARC1“Check the egg! Check the egg!”

Seven girls scramble around a tube as they pull out a small ball of green and blue tape. Inside is a single egg, in perfect condition.

“Be careful!” a few cry as they hand it to the judge for inspection.

That egg has just flown 855 feet in the air on a small rocket, so high that it wasn’t even visible at it’s apex, and then came crashing back down with nothing but a parachute no larger than a piece of printer paper. But the egg cracking wasn’t even what the excited team was worried about.

Meet Team Dunuh from Thomas Jefferson High School, one of 43 all-girl teams in this year’s Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC). Their team is made up of seven students, including five sophomores: Rachel Li, Arpitha Shenoy, Mei Baek, Clara Kim and Renee Li; one freshman: Neha Chinthapatla; and one junior: their team captain, Diana Zavela. Last Saturday, they participated in their qualifying rocket launch, an event to determine if they will move on to Nationals, where they would compete with the top 100 out of 789 teams.

TARC2TARC, the world’s largest student rocket contest, is a competition designed to give middle and high school students a chance to pursue and study careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It has also become a critical piece of the aerospace and defense industry’s strategy to build a stronger workforce development pipeline, hence its sponsorship from industry giants like Raytheon, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin.

For this launch, the team needed to send their rocket 850 feet in the air within 44-46 seconds. For each quarter of a second they were outside of that window, a point was added to their score. Each foot over or under the target also adds extra points.

“Last year the cutoff was 40 points, but we think it will be more competitive this year,” says Rachel. “The teams are getting better.”

TARC4Team Dunuh is optimistic. As they wait, each of them talks about life outside of rocketry. Most of them are involved in sports and a few play in their school’s orchestra. Some shy away from thinking about the future beyond just finishing this year’s challenge, but not all.

“I want to be an aerospace engineer,” declares Neha, the freshman of the group. She is confident and well spoken, taking time to explain the details of their rocket’s motor.

Team captain Diana has her career narrowed down to one of three options. “It’s either going to be astronaut, president, or teacher. I’m not sure.”

When asked about which teams they are most competitive with, they shrug. “We’re just trying to do our best. It’s not so much about beating another team,” says Arpitha. But that’s not to say the challenge is completely drama-free.

“The other teams don’t like us,” Renee laughs.

“They’re just salty,” says Arpitha. “We have the most experience between all of us and we wouldn’t join any of their groups.”

They lament that they may not be able to stick all together again next year, since the school may force them to spread out their expertise with less practiced students. As much as they want to help others, they also want to do their very best and make a team to go all the way. But perhaps that may be a possibility this year.

A team’s final score is the total of their two lowest launches out of three. With last year’s highest qualifying score at 40, Team Dunuh was aiming for something below that. Fortunately they comfortably cleared that, with their final score coming in at 33.

Now they just have to wait until April 8 to find out if it’s good enough to get them to Nationals. Until then, we here at The Mars Generation will be keeping our fingers crossed for this remarkable team of students. We wish them, and all the other TARC teams, the best of luck moving forward.TARC5

Rebecca MooreAuthor:

Rebecca Moore is part of the media team at The Mars Generation, focusing on public relations. She has a background in online writing and a passion for all things space.

Train Like A Martian And Get Rewards Too!

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Train like a martian astronautOur first annual signature event, Train Like A Martian, is sure to be a great success and while we have opportunities for everyone to win prizes without any donations or fundraising, we also have special rewards for donors and fundraisers, too!

It’s easy to earn rewards; either make a donation or setup a fundraising page and raise funds to reach your goal! We also have several special rewards for schools and teams – scroll down for more information on rewards! To setup a team page you can go here (make sure you share the team page link once created with team members so they can join in and setup their pages to link with your pages so all donations are recorded for team).

The Train Like A Martian Donation/Fundraising Individual Rewards Include:

  • Ground Control: Raise or donate $25 or more to receive Love to Mars art print.
  • Launch Pad: Raise or donate $50 or more to receive the newly released Astronaut Abby patch and be entered in the donor prize drawing for a TMG patch jacket. You will also receive all lower rewards.
  • Rocket Fuel: Raise or donate $75 or more to receive a newly released TMG logo pin. You will also receive all lower rewards.
  • Blast OFF: Raise or donate $100 or more to receive the newly released TMG logo keychain and receive all lower rewards.
  • Lower Orbit: Raise or donate $150 or more to receive a TMG logo t-shirt and all lower rewards.
  • Deep Space: Raise or donate $250 or more to receive a TMG logo sweatshirt and all lower rewards.
  • Asteroid Visit: Raise or donate $500 or more to receive a TMG logo coffee mug and two pounds TMG Get Your Roast To Mars Coffee and receive all lower rewards.
  • Moon Travel: Raise or donate $1000 or more to receive a private Google+ Hangout Session with Astronaut Abby! Also receive all lower rewards.
  • Mars Or Bust: Raise or donate $5000 or more to have Astronaut Abby speak at your corporate, school or community event. This is subject to availability and event must be in the continental U.S.

Team Fundraising Prizes and Rewards

  • Top fundraising team – 5 TMG t-shirts and autographed Astronaut Abby photo for all team members registered.
  • 2nd place fundraising team – 5 TMG patches and autographed Astronaut Abby photo for all team members registered.
  • Raise $1000 or more as a school team to schedule a private Google+ Hangout Session with your team and Astronaut Abby and perhaps a few more surprise guests!
  • Raise $5000 or more as a team and schedule Astronaut Abby to visit and speak at your corporate, school or community event. This is subject to availability and event must be in the continental U.S.    **Any speaking requests outside continental U.S. will be subject to transportation and room and board fees for Abby and one guest and is subject to availability. Please contact groundsupport@TheMarsGeneration.org to discuss details. 

School Team Fundraising Rewards and Prizes

  • Top fundraising team – 5 TMG t-shirts and autographed Astronaut Abby photo for all students registered in the school.
  • 2nd place fundraising team – 5 TMG patches and autographed Astronaut Abby photo for all students registered in the school.
  • Raise $1000 or more as a school team to schedule a private Google+ Hangout Session with your school and Astronaut Abby and perhaps a few more surprise guests!
  • Raise $5000 or more as a team and schedule Astronaut Abby to visit and speak at your school. This is subject to availability and event must be in the continental U.S.    **Any speaking requests outside continental U.S. will be subject to transportation and room and board fees for Abby and one guest and is subject to availability. Please contact groundsupport@TheMarsGeneration.org to discuss details.

For more information on rewards and prizes please go to our contest page here.

Do Astronauts Use Yoga? #TrainLikeAMartian

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The Mars Generation AstronautMake sure you Sign Up Here for Updates for the Train Like A Martian Challenge

Do astronauts use yoga exercises to train for missions? That’s the question I asked myself as I was lesson planning for an upcoming unit on Flight and Space for my classes. Immediately, I found a large amount of information and determined that, yes, yoga is definitely used by astronauts and recommended by doctors to counteract the effects of low gravity and space-sickness.

With this answer I realized not only could I effectively learn and teach simple yoga to my middle school students and have them take it seriously, but I could also create resources for the upcoming TMG Train Like A Martian Challenge. This event is happening worldwide with classrooms and school participating along with people of all ages around the world.

3 Yoga Exercises that Would Work With Students

I interviewed our yearbook advisor, who is currently taking night classes to become certified in yoga instruction. She showed me some exercises that would work with students, including three key areas: breathing, twisting, and balancing.

  1. For breathing, we used Ujayi (inhale) and Pranayama (exhale). It is important that students understand that astronauts are under a tremendous amount of physical and mental pressure and that breathing is something that should be given a lot of attention. That is where our class lesson on Train Like a Martian starts.
  2. Next, we attempted to twist our bodies in order to release toxins and expand our breathing abilities. Depending on the group of students, this can be done sitting or standing. Since my classroom is a cramped computer lab, we opted for the sitting version.
  3. Finally, we ended with balancing practice. I demonstrated the tree pose first, using my drishti (concentrated intention), and then had every other student stand, while their partner observed. Then we switched. This way students could see each other’s pose and provide positive reinforcement.

Students were very curious at first, but quickly came to realize how important it is to slow down and focus on one thing at a time. This focus is critical for astronauts as they train. There is no room for error and being able to breathe, twist, and balance are important aspects of what they need in order to have a successful mission.

I encourage teachers to try the breathing, twisting, and balancing exercises with their students. It makes for a great warm-up for the start of class and I will continue to use it even after our unit on Flight and Space.

Video Demonstration of Yoga In The Classroom

See the video below in which I demonstrates breathing, twisting, and balancing. It was my very first attempt at doing yoga and I offer you, my fellow classroom teachers, the opportunity to try for yourself these three exercises that are helpful for astronaut training as well as an easy physical activity for your students. If I can do it, so can you!

Yoga Basics: For Classroom Teachers

 

For more information on how yoga benefits astronauts and assist in your Train Like a Martian activities, please visit the following resources:

http://www.yogamag.net/archives/2013/dapr13/space.shtml

http://www.yogaforspacehealth.com/downloads/Yoga-For-Space-Health.pdf

https://prezi.com/libv9msfxu6n/yoga-for-astronauts/

Don’t Miss the Train Like A Martian Challenge!

Make sure to sign up for updates for the Train Like A Martian Challenge so you don’t miss a thing!

Jeff Herold NASA STEM TeacherAbout The Author

Jeff Herold is in his 16th year of teaching. He has taught everything from Kindergarten through 12th grade and community college. Currently, he teaches S.T.E.M. to 7th and 8th graders at Hillcrest Middle School in Glendale, Arizona. While not volunteering at local elementary schools at their science nights, he enjoys paragliding, attending professional development, and spending time with his family. His favorite student is his 5th grade son, Skyler. Jeff is the 2015 Arizona Air Force Association Teacher of the Year and 2015 Arizona Challenger Space Center Educator of the Year. Jeff is a member of The Mars Generation Student Space Ambassador Planning Committee and the Train Like a Martian Planning Committee. You can follow his S.T.E.M. adventures on Twitter @STEMJeff.

 

Mausonaut Joins TMG and Reports on ExoMars Launch

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mausonaut ESA mars moonWe are excited to announce a new and exciting partnership! We are pleased to have Mausonaut and his human scientist friend Holger, join The Mars Generation team. Mausonaut will serve as an honorary Student Space Ambassador as well as a spokesperson for The Mars Generation. And to kick things off he is reporting for us at the European Space Agency launch of ExoMars on March 14, 2016.

For the ExoMars launch the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the lander Schiaparelli will start their 6-month journey to Mars lifted by a Russian Proton launcher. Mausonaut has been selected as a social media reporter and allowed to follow the launch from a very special location. He will not be onboard (yet) and he will not be present at the launch base in Baikonur. But there is another interesting place to follow a launch – from the satellite control center. The center is called ESA’s Space Operations Centre (ESOC) and is located in Darmstadt, Germany. All ESA satellites are controlled from there. And on March 14 TGO and Schiaparelli will be added to the list of satellites being controlled from there.

As always Mausonaut will report bilingual – in English and in German. He will be reporting mainly from his own Twitter account, @Mausonaut, but will also be tweeting from our Twitter account, @TheMarsGen. Finally you can find updates on our blog right here so make sure you sign up to get updates now.

Welcome Mausonaut – we have enjoyed getting to know you since we launched our organization last September and are so happy to have him join us officially.

#TrainLikeAMartian: 8 Ways You Can Get Involved

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Train Like Martian We Want You
Have you grown up dreaming of blasting into space aboard a Soyuz spacecraft? Do you obsessively follow the progress of Boeing’s Starliner and SpaceX’s Dragon capsules and picture yourself going to Mars in them? Do you spend a significant chunk of your paycheck on space-themed items? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then keep reading.

One of the major challenges facing space travelers today is keeping their bodies in shape in microgravity, which tends to cause muscles to decay and bones to lose density, making the return to Earth’s gravity painful. While living on the International Space Station, astronauts spend two hours each day exercising to keep themselves healthy. In that spirit, Tim Peake of ESA plans to become the second astronaut to complete a marathon in space when he uses the COLBERT to participate in the London Marathon on April 24.

Even if you weren’t one of the more than 18,000 applicants to NASA’s next astronaut class, staying healthy has been proven to lift your mood, lower the risk of certain cancers, and prolong life. Whether you’re competing with coworkers for steps, getting back into a fitness plan, or looking to do something different, The Mars Generation’s Train Like a Martian (TLM) event is a great way to have fun while promoting space.

Here are eight ways you can be involved with the Train Like a Martian Challenge

1. Join the challenge

Sign up for the event as an individual or bring together a group and follow along each day with our chosen TLM activities as we post them. You can log your activity on our Google spreadsheet (this is public, so please use only your first name and last initial) and see how people around the world stack up against you. Share photos and use the #TrainLikeAMartian hashtag to tell others about the event. You can do as few or as many of the activities each day as you want. Get into the challenge and feel the burn!

2. Be a part of the ground support crew

Don’t want to commit to participating each day? You can still join the ground support crew to get updates, share the event on your social media channels, and cheer us on the week of the event.

3. Raise funds for The Mars Generation

Help support our programs including the Student Space Ambassadors and the Space Camp Scholarship. You can also sign up as a team with friends and fundraise together. There will be prizes for the top individual fundraiser and the top team fundraiser. Sign up here to stay in the loop.

4. Host a local community event on April 24

It’s fun and easy to plan and host a local Train Like a Martian event. Get your friends, neighbors and community out for this fun activity here’s a simple how to guide.

Are you a student or a teacher? You can get your school involved too!

5. Plan a school-wide event

Host a field day, rocket run, fitness carnival or anything else you can think of that excites both kids and adults to exercise and have fun.

6. Participate during our daily challenge

These are easy challenges that can be done on the playground, gymnasium, in the hallway or even in the classroom. Get your class or even your whole school involved!

7. Promote the event

Express your creativity and love of space through your school newsletters and social media challenges and encourage families to participate at home after school.

8. Organize a competition

Challenge classrooms, schools or the district to participate each day and see who gets the most exercise recorded.

We hope you join us for this exciting event! To show your stuff or submit your own ideas about getting in shape, use the hashtag #TrainLikeAMartian. Here’s to a healthier life and more ways to advocate for space exploration! You can qualify to win prizes now – click here to find out how!

Sign up here to receive Train Like A Martian updates! 

 

Becca BrowderBecca Browder is a blog editor and writer at The Mars Generation. She earned her Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Oklahoma and works as a space policy intern in DC at the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.

Press Release: The Mars Generation To Hold Train Like A Martian Challenge

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Train-Like-a-Martian-1200x600-2MINNEAPOLIS, MINN February 26, 2016

While an education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is important to the future of space exploration, it is also important to remember that space is a harsh and unforgiving environment which places unique challenges on the human body. In an effort to encourage and educate people on the importance of health and fitness, The Mars Generation (TMG) will be hosting the Train Like a Martian Challenge April 18-24, 2016.

During the Train Like a Martian Challenge, TMG will post daily physical activity challenges inspired by NASA’s Train Like An Astronaut program.* Individuals, community groups, and schools around the world are invited to join in by completing these challenges or up to 45 minutes of any physical activity each day, then share pictures online using the #TrainLikeAMartian hashtag. Regional events are being planned in Huntsville, Ala., Minneapolis, Minn., and Central Florida on April 24 the same day Astronaut Tim Peake will run the London Marathon on the International Space Station.

The Train Like a Martian Challenge is also an opportunity for individuals and groups to fundraise in support of the mission of The Mars Generation. Prizes will be awarded for participation and fundraising efforts.

TMG works to excite young people and adults about space and STEM education through three primary programs. The Future of Space Program is a worldwide outreach program designed to gain excitement about STEM and build support for human space exploration. The Student Space Ambassador Program encourages teens and young adults to share their excitement about space exploration with their own communities. Finally, the Space Camp Scholarship Program provides financial backing for young people who lack financial resources but show an aptitude in STEM to attend Space Camp®.

Join the conversation at:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/themarsgeneration
Twitter: @TheMarsGen
Hashtag: #TrainLikeAMartian
For more information visit: themarsgeneration.org/train-like-martian-challenge or email ground support (dot) themarsgeneration (dot) org

*NASA is not affiliated with or sponsoring the Train Like a Martian Challenge

TMG Founder to Speak at Humans To Mars Summit 2016

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Human to Mars Summit Buzz AldrinWe are excited to announce that our founder and spokesperson, Astronaut Abby, will be speaking at the 2016 Humans to Mars Summit. This annual Explore Mars premiere event is being help May 17-19, 2016 at the George Washington University in Washington D.C.

The speakers lineup on the first day of the event includes Astronaut Abby, Buzz Aldrin, Bill Nye, Andy Weir, Dava Newman, Charles Bolden, Ellen St0fan, James Green and many other esteemed professionals in the space and science community. The event is expected to exceed past events with an estimate of over 1,000 attendees and one million viewers online.

We are proud to announce that The Mars Generation is partnering with Explore Mars (the event organizers) and through this partnership we are providing a special discount code for 15% off of Humans to Mars 2016 conference tickets for our community members. The discount code is TMGMars and can be used on all full event tickets. For more information and registration please visit the Human To Mars Summit website.

We could not be prouder to have Astronaut Abby represent The Mars Generation at the summit and we hope those who are able will join us. Together we can change the world!

TEDx | Dorothy (Dottie) Metcalf-Lindenburger | The Mars Generation

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We are excited to present our Advisory Board Member Dorothy (Dottie) Metcalf-Lindenburger’s recent TEDx talk for your viewing. As a retired NASA astronaut Dottie shares her own childhood dreams that became a reality and talks about The Mars Generation, our mission inviting others to join our community and support the next big step in space exploration, Mars. Watch this talk and be inspired.