JPL Educator Conferences

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory Education Office is pleased to announce two educator conferences for the 2007-08 school year.

First up is “Basics of Space Flight: How We Explore the Universe,” Dec. 1-2, 2007. Join us all day Saturday and half day Sunday at JPL in Pasadena, Calif., for the answers to questions like: “How do you get to another planet?” “How does data get back to Earth?” “Why can’t you go just any time you want?” “What parts does every spacecraft need?”

At JPL, perhaps, we make the exploration of Earth and deep space look easy. But the whole process of exploration requires talent, creativity, an understanding of the environment, and about a billion details and lessons learned (sometimes the hard way).

This conference is open to all educators and museum staff. High school students are welcome as well. It will be lead by JPL’s Dave Doody, a planetary flight projects veteran and author of the “Basics of Space Flight” online textbook (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/basics ).

Please visit http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/events.html for additional details and conference registration (which is required).

Then, on Jan. 26-27, 2008, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of America’s entry into space with JPL’s Explorer 1, which launched January 31, 1958. We will use the opportunity to look back at the start of space science and the origins of the space race. We will have a look at what did and did not happen during humanity’s first fifty years in space with Dr. Erik Conway, JPL’s historian, and other speakers. Please save the date. Registration details will be available in November at http://education.jpl.nasa.gov.