Spaceward Bound Narrative

Catherine Campbell

Scarlett Middle School

Ann Arbor, MI 48108

NASA Explorer School 2004

![](media/image1.pct){width="2.3055555555555554in"
height="1.875in"}*Liza Coe, "There are two themes that run through all
these items: How did the expedition affect you as a teacher and how will
it affect your teaching."*

As is the case in all school years, the 2005/2006 school year was not
without challenges and opportunities. Students on the RoadRocket Team at
Scarlett Middle School in Ann Arbor, Michigan were engaged in a revised,
technology based curriculum that included an extended unit on evolution,
the Jason Project (Mysteries of Earth and Mars) and classification
through inquiry. It seemed that a visit to the Atacama desert with
like-minded teachers and extraordinary scientists would offer the chance
to enhance and further elaborate on connections between student learning
in the classroom and real-world science.

However, after experiencing Spaceward Bound, it became obvious that the
possibilities for classroom connections extended far beyond an
individual classroom or an individual school, school district, state or
even country. Collaboration between teachers and scientists resulted in
many great ideas for how to extend the experience to other teachers,
students and working scientists. The biggest problem became how to
narrow the focus and distill the ideas into a cohesive, user-friendly
format.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="4.041666666666667in"
height="3.0277777777777777in"} The best ideas come from the simplest
sources. In this case, why were teachers and scientists sent to the
Atacama Desert to work? Was it only to look for life in the driest place
on Earth? Was there actually more to it than that? Certainly there were
components of inquiry involved, along with outcomes and standards to be
met. There was methodology used before and during the expedition. Those
elements were instrumental in the planning and execution of the
Spaceward Bound experience and would determine the success of the
mission.

Experiential science is defined by the Association of Experiential
Education (AEE) as, "...a philosophy and methodology in which educators
 purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused
reflection  in order to increase knowledge, develop skills and clarify
values." Key words that translate Spaceward Bound into science inquiry
classrooms are "*purposefully engage*, *direct experience* and *focused
reflection*".

How were the Spaceward Bound teachers purposefully engaged? There were a
number of activities performed by teachers that prepared them for the
trip, starting with a rigorous essay application process that required
applicants to reflect on specific prior experiences and personal
qualities necessary to make an expedition such as Spaceward Bound
meaningful. Teachers also researched various Mars analogs and became
familiar with the science done at those sites along with the logistics
of doing science while living in extreme environments. Teachers were
placed in teams to write about the components of a Spaceward Bound type
of expedition, which allowed them to begin to communicate with each
other and work towards common goals. Videoconferencing provided both
content and introduced the teachers to some of the scientists that would
be part of Spaceward Bound and allowed everyone to put faces to names.
By the time it came to travel to Chile, the group was fairly cohesive
and looked forward to meeting each other in person.

That sense of purpose continued during the expedition itself with daily
meetings between teachers concerning the outcome of the project and the
DLN broadcast, which was scheduled for the ninth day of the trip.
Connections were also made between scientists and teachers. The
fieldwork proved fascinating and the scientists were engaged and eager
to share their expertise. Teachers shared the scientists' enthusiasm and
curiosity throughout the journey and worked alongside them to learn more
about the research and the process for doing the research. Scientists
also worked with one another, comparing and discussing results in order
to verify information. Many soil and rock samples were checked using
different equipment and methods with much debate regarding results
obtained. Instruments were calibrated and recalibrated and anomalous
findings provided more opportunities to troubleshoot techniques.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="3.0833333333333335in"
height="2.3333333333333335in"} The broadcasts were another opportunity
to observe troubleshooting at its finest and proved to be a highlight of
the expedition. The technology necessary to do a broadcast from the
middle of the desert along with the number of technicians and support
staff was amazing. The Chilean teachers went first with a fairly formal
broadcast. The majority of the broadcast consisted of Dr. Benito Gomez
from the University of Antofagasta discussing the science being done at
the station and the station itself. The American broadcast was much less
formal with each teacher discussing the experience and how the
experience would be taken back to schools and to other teachers. The
viewers included people from teachers' families, schools, the 2006
cohort from Glenn Research Center in Ohio and teachers attending the
Astrobiology workshop at AMES in California. The broadcasts definitely
provided purposeful engagement to the Spaceward Bound experience.

The second component of experiential education is "direct experience".
It is obvious Spaceward Bound met the direct experience component as the
entire expedition from the planning stage through the Atacama stage was
direct (and directed) experience. It was mentioned more than once during
the trip that this was the best field trip ever, one which included all
aspects of science, including collection of samples, running of tests,
learning about process and discussing next steps. Having Chilean
teachers and professor/scientists from the University of Antafagasto,
Chile, and other countries such as France and Italy, expanded the
expedition to include elements of geography and culture, which
incorporated the concept of global science into the experience. Language
barriers, translation and different accents created interesting problems
with communication as the ever increasing group size created problems
with logistics, transportation and the use of resources such as bathroom
facilities and electrical outlets. Although those types of problems were
to be expected, they served to focus group problem solving and provided
more opportunities for direct experience that could
![](media/image4.jpeg){width="1.7916666666666667in"
height="3.0416666666666665in"}be brought back to classrooms and schools.

There are many connections and experiences that this participant will be
translating into content and activities for the classroom. The main one
is the connection made with Dr. Henry Sun, a research scientist at the
Desert Research Institute in Nevada. Dr. Sun was in the Atacama looking
for endolithic microbes and field-testing apparatus used to detect
organic respiration. Through discussion and observation of his work, it
became apparent that the basis of his work could be translated for
seventh grade students studying life science and scientific process by
simulating the transect between Santiago and Yungay Station in a
classroom or greenhouse environment. Students and Dr. Sun would be able
to interface through the DLN thereby providing an authentic experience
and an enthusiastic audience for the students' experiments and results.
Using the same type of experiential science that was used to prepare for
Spaceward Bound should create a viable framework for the collaborative
work. Protocol and lessons are currently in the development phase, but
when completed and documented could be presented at national science
conventions or through the NASA DLN. This is an example of how the
second component of experiential education, direct experience,
contributes to the advancement of experiential education for other
educators and students as well.

Directed reflection is the third component of experiential education. It
is during this phase that the learner understands the purpose of the
experience and connects it to the real world. It is also at this time
that the content is clarified, and assessment can take place. If the
Spaceward Bound programs qualified as true experiential education, this
all -important component needed to be present.

Throughout the Spaceward Bound experience teachers were required to
journal thoughts, ideas and events. The journal became the basis for the
narratives that were to be written and provided a means to document the
trip, along with becoming a record of ideas that would be used to
translate the experiences when we returned. Directed reflection was the
vital piece of the educational experience, for it was through the
reflection that the individual pieces of the expedition combined into a
complete picture.

It was also through reflection on the part of everyone involved in the
Spaceward Bound program that the program would evolve into a sustainable
one. As this participant reflected on the experience, a few improvements
came to mind.

1.  Develop a finite outcome prior to the experience and convey it to
    the participants. The outcome should be useful to participants and
    be communicated to all. This will allow better collaboration between
    team members, whether they are teachers, scientists, NASA education
    personnel or any combination of the above.

2.  Continue to recruit from NASA Explorer School teachers. Teacher
    familiarity with the NES goals, along with NASA workshop experience
    and expectation would allow the Spaceward Bound program to establish
    and maintain built-in partnerships. Thus NES teachers would utilize
    the NSTA network of teachers to expand the program beyond NASA
    Explorer Schools.

3.  ![](media/image5.jpeg){width="3.875in"
    height="2.922222222222222in"}In order for the program to evolve into
    a viable entity, the relationships and partnerships established with
    the pilot group would need to be promoted and encouraged. This would
    allow the core group to continue to develop resources and curriculum
    through additional experiences offered beyond the Atacama Desert,
    i.e. at other Mars analog sites. When new opportunities become
    available, the core group of teachers would provide orientation and
    classroom connections for recruits.

4.  The long-range outlook for Spaceward Bound ideally would involve
    core groups of teachers located throughout the country working in
    conjunction with scientists and organizations to promote
    experiential education and NASA's educational mission and programs.
    Funding must be obtained from a network of sources with teachers
    contributing by grant-writing and establishing on-going
    partnerships. Scientists interested in continued work with the
    Spaceward Bound program would also obtain funding through programs
    and grants both internally and external to their universities or
    employers. With diligence and effort, the inaugural Spaceward Bound
    Teacher program can grow to become the flagship of the NASA Explorer
    School program.

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