NASA is assisting humanitarian groups in Haiti by using satellite images to identify areas of landslide risk.
Archive for the 'Science' category
Venus, asteroid or the Moon?
So which will be the next celestial body that NASA will explore?
The space agency has announced that it has chosen three finalists among the eight proposals sent for its next space probe. Depending on which finalist will be ultimately selected by mid-2011, the next space mission will be to Venus, an asteroid, or the Moon.
Here’s an excerpt from the NASA announcement.
NASA will select one proposal for full development after detailed mission concept studies are completed and reviewed. The studies begin during 2010, and the selected mission must be ready for launch no later than Dec. 30, 2018. Mission cost, excluding the launch vehicle, is limited to $650 million.
“These are projects that inspire and excite young scientists, engineers and the public,” said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “These three proposals provide the best science value among eight submitted to NASA this year.”
Want more info on NASA’s New Frontiers Program? Check out the site. You can also become a fan of the NASA Discovery & New Frontiers page on Facebook.
Photo courtesy of NASA.
Making science interesting to Filipino students
I’m happy to say that our daughter Sam, who recently turned 8, simply loves science. That’s not necessarily the case, however, for many students in the Philippines.
Recognizing this, the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology, whose flagship program is the Philippine Science Centrum, aims to make science teaching more engaging.
Here’s an excerpt from the BusinessMirror article.
“This teaching program is a way for teachers to recreate [the Philippine] Science Centrum’s [PSC] exhibits through classroom-type experiments in order for the students to be more attentive and receptive to the lesson,” PSC executive director May Pagsinohin told the BusinessMirror in a visit at the PSC.
The teachers’ training consists of brief lectures and extensive discussions, demonstrations and hands-on workshops. The participants, housed at the PSC, are given firsthand experience with the “interactive learning system” using the PSC’s collection of science exhibits.
Here’s hoping that our teachers will be able to instill a passion for science among more students.
