Virtual Field Trip to Mars for Middle Schoolers

mars

Discovery Education and Lockheed Martin are teaming up to offer a virtual field trip to Mars for middle school classrooms around the world. The free event is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. PT Oct. 4, during World Space Week.

During this inaugural event, kids in grades 6 to 8 will be introduced to STEM concepts and careers in deep space exploration. They’ll also see a replica asteroid wall, a prototype of the Orion crew module and a massive 3D printer that uses metal, along with the engineers who operate it.

Students will also get the opportunity to interact with the test lab team simulating and testing Exploration Mission 1 (EM1), the mission to Mars. Lockheed Martin experts will be on hand to answer questions and explain their career paths and experiences exploring deep space.

The event will be broadcast live from the Lockheed Martin Space Operations Simulation Center in Littleton, CO. Advanced classroom signup is available at generationbeyondinschool.com.

Classrooms that register will receive lesson plans and activities ahead of the event, during the event and afterward to help reinforce learning.

The host will be Larry Price, Orion deputy program manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. This virtual field trip is part of the “Generation Beyond in School” program. For more information, visit the event website.

About the Author

Richard Chang is associate editor of THE Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Pattern of desks with interconnected circles, triangles, and lines

    Classroom Furniture Giveaway Seeks Dream Learning Space Design

    Educators have a chance to design their ideal K-12 learning space in a contest recently announced by classroom furniture manufacturer KI.

  • futuristic crystal ball with holographic data projections

    Call for Opinions: 2025 Predictions for Education IT

    How will the technology landscape in education change in the coming year? We're inviting our readership to weigh in with their predictions, wishes, or worries for 2025.

  • landscape photo with an AI rubber stamp on top

    California AI Watermarking Bill Supported by OpenAI

    OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, is backing a California bill that would require tech companies to label AI-generated content in the form of a digital "watermark." The proposed legislation, known as the "California Digital Content Provenance Standards" (AB 3211), aims to ensure transparency in digital media by identifying content created through artificial intelligence. This requirement would apply to a broad range of AI-generated material, from harmless memes to deepfakes that could be used to spread misinformation about political candidates.

  • sleek fishing hook with a translucent email icon hanging from it

    Phishing-as-a-Service Attacks on the Rise, Report Warns

    Cybersecurity researchers at Trustwave have identified a surge in malicious e-mail campaigns leveraging Rockstar 2FA, a phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) toolkit designed to steal Microsoft 365 credentials.