BOOST Cafe

Celebrate the Next Landing on Mars!

You’re invited to join the celebration of the landing of Mars Perseverance Rover on February 18, 2021.

Participate in the “Mars Student Challenge” with hands-on STEM enrichment activities for the weeks leading up to the landing that can be done by students at home using everyday materials (such as Make a Cardboard Rover), activities that can be done as virtual demonstrations (such as Make a Moon Crater – Perseverance will be landing in Jezero Crater), and fun short videos that explain key ideas.

You’ll also get a weekly newsletter leading up to the landing and access to video conversations with mission scientists and engineers highlighting how their work relates to the activities. Throughout the five-week challenge, you can submit student questions and work that could be featured during NASA broadcasts leading up to and on landing day. During landing week, February 16-18, tune in with your students to participate in Q&As with mission experts. And of course, all these activities can be used to keep the learning going as Perseverance explores the surface of Mars, right through this summer (and beyond).

The fun starts on  Thursday January 21 from 8:30-9:30 am Pacific Time, with a live STEM enrichment training specially targeted just for you and the out-of-school time community.

Front-line staff and STEM coordinators will get entry-level, practical training for leading hands-on activities, and tips for implementing the Student Challenge in your program. We’ll provide an additional half-hour “bonus activity” for those who can spend the time.

The training will be recorded for those who can’t join us live.

Register soon to get all the details, and be sure to list your registration affiliation as Out-of-School time Program. As always, we welcome this opportunity to include diverse learners in the NASA family.

See you on Mars!

For breakfast, I had a warm bowl of oatmeal with raisins.