Tag: Grades 5 – 8

NASA Knows: How Does the Sun Behave? (Grades 5-8)

NeRD

This article is for students grades 5-8. The Sun is the star of our solar system. Its gravity holds Earth and our planetary neighbors in its orbit. At 865,000 miles (1.4 million km) in diameter, it’s the largest object in our solar system. On Earth, its influence is felt in our weather, seasons, climate, and more. Let’s learn about our dynamic star and its connections to life on Earth. What is the Sun, and what is it made of? The Sun is a yellow dwarf star. It is approximately 4.5…

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NASA Knows – How Can I Get Involved With NASA Research?

NeRD

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA provides a variety of pathways for those outside the agency to contribute to authentic and meaningful research. Whether you’re a student pursuing a degree in STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics), an educator looking for new ways to engage your classroom, or a citizen scientist enthusiastic about sharing your observations, there’s a wide array of opportunities to get involved in NASA research. Citizen scientists around the world participate in environmental observation and measurement efforts through GLOBE. NASA Everybody…

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Slow Your Student’s ‘Summer Slide’ and Beat Boredom With NASA STEM

NeRD

4 Min Read Slow Your Student’s ‘Summer Slide’ and Beat Boredom With NASA STEM Creating and testing soda-straw rockets is a fun way for younger students to avoid the “summer slide” and stay engaged in STEM during summer vacation. Credits: NASA The school year has come to an end, and those long summer days are stretching ahead like an open runway. Parents and educators often worry about the “summer slide,” the concept that students may lose academic ground while out of school. But summer doesn’t mean students’ imaginations have to…

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Flag Day – One Small Flag’s Incredible Journey

NeRD

4 Min Read Flag Day – One Small Flag’s Incredible Journey This article is for students grades 5-8. This story tells the tale of one small American flag fortunate enough to embark on an incredible journey. It wasn’t the first flag to ride into space, or the most famous flag that went into space — that honor probably goes to the Stars and Stripes planted on the Moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969. So what makes this one little flag so special? Let’s let the flag tell its own…

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What Is the Artemis Program? (Grades 5-8)

NeRD

This article is for students grades 5-8. Artemis is NASA’s new lunar exploration program, which includes sending the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. Through the Artemis missions, NASA will use new technology to study the Moon in new and better ways, and prepare for human missions to Mars. Why Is This Program Called Artemis? The first missions to take astronauts to the Moon were called the Apollo Program. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to land astronauts on the Moon by the…

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What Is a Black Hole? (Grades 5-8)

NeRD

This article is for students grades 5-8 A black hole is a region in space where the pulling force of gravity is so strong that light is not able to escape. The strong gravity occurs because matter has been pressed into a tiny space. This compression can take place at the end of a star’s life. Some black holes are a result of dying stars. Because no light can escape, black holes are invisible. However, space telescopes with special instruments can help find black holes. They can observe the behavior…

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