National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA)

• Whirlwind Disaster: Where do these monster storms we call hurricanes come from? Why do they always form near the equator and only during certain times of the year? How do they come to be so organized and so destructive?
  You can find answers to these questions and play a hurricane word game called Whirlwind Disaster at the SciJinks Weather Laboratory website. SciJinks, a joint effort of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), targets young people of middle school age. The new How Does a Hurricane Form? web page and accompanying interactive game can be found in the How & Why menu at http://scijinks.gov.
  
• NASA Quest’s Spring Challenge for Students: How can the current air transportation system safely handle a substantial increase in the number and frequency of aircraft in the system? NASA Quest challenges students in grades 8–10 during the months of March through May to follow a "flight path" along which they will learn mathematical concepts, examine related social issues, and explore career pathways—all in the context of airspace systems. Students will interact live with industry professionals who will serve as career role models and who can discuss the merits of the operational concepts showcased in the lessons. To learn more and register your students at no charge, see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov.
  
• NASA’s Free Podcast Service: NASAcast allows subscribers to download NASA features, news, and other content as part of a new free podcast service. David Mould, assistant administrator for public affairs at NASA Headquarters, says the agency is "committed to making information about space exploration more accessible to audiences [who] may not normally get a chance to experience the exciting things” NASA does.

  Agency selections include the features from NASA's website, www.nasa.gov; "This Week@NASA" from NASA TV; interviews with Stardust and Mars Exploration Rover scientists; and an interview and concert clips from former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney's historic live hookup to the International Space Station.

  All the latest NASAcast audio and video will automatically get downloaded. Subscribers can choose to listen or view the content at their computer or download it to a portable digital device for later use. Detailed information about how to use NASAcast can be found at http://www.nasa.gov/podcast.

• Black Hole Rescue!: Nearby matter is not the only thing attracted by a black hole. These mysterious objects also attract a great deal of curiosity from kids here on Earth. Taking advantage of this interest, NASA's website for kids, The Space Place, has added a new game called Black Hole Rescue! After (or before) reading a short, illustrated article introducing black hole concepts, players "rescue" the vocabulary words, one letter at a time, before they get sucked into the black hole. Play the game yourself at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/blackhole.

• Why is the sky blue? Why does the sky sometimes turn red at sunset? Every curious child will ask these questions at some point. Are you prepared to give scientifically correct and simple answers? Visit
  NASA’s SciJinks website (http://www.scijinks.gov) to refresh your memory. SciJinks, a joint effort of NASA and NOAA, targets middle school students. The new "Why is the sky blue?" page can be found in the How & Why menu on the SciJinks Weather Laboratory homepage: http://scijinks.gov/weather/howwhy/bluesky.

• NASA’s Center for Distance Learning (http://dlcenter.larc.nasa.gov), at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, enhances grade K–16 curriculum by providing educators with FREE multimedia instructional programs. We use NASA research information to develop educational activities and programs to increase awareness of how mathematics, science, and technology relate to the real world. There are currently six programs available.

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