![](media/image1.png){width="1.3527777777777779in"
height="1.3777777777777778in"}**JASON City at NASA Ames**

January 30 through February 3, 2006

**Activity List-For Teachers**

**Note: not all activities will be available all JASON Week days.**

1.  **Activity Sponsor: NASA Robotics Alliance Project**

Students will learn the basics of robotics by using remote control VEX
Robots, navigating through an obstacle course.

2.  **Activity Sponsor: Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy
    (SOFIA)**

Infrared Camera- Students will learn about remote sensing by taking
pictures of cold and hot water, and human skin and other objects and
project temp info on a TV.

3.  **Activity Sponsor: The Spaceward Foundation** websites are
    <http://spaceward.org/> and <http://www.elevator2010.org/>

A static display of the proposed Space Elevator. A couple movies, slide
show, general discussion and Q&A with the students. Includes one or more
static displays of space elevator components.

The purpose of this display is to:

1.  Make students aware of the potential and promise of the space
    elevator.

2.  Re-ignite the dream of space, not just for a select few astronauts,
    but also for regular people.

3.  Inspire students to learn math and science and to help make this
    dream a reality.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
4.  **Activity Sponsor: Happy Hollow Park and Zoo**

Animals of the Desert-Students will discover the specialized adaptations
of desert animals. Three live desert animals will be exhibit in
terrariums and with relevant biological artifacts (biofacts). The live
animals will be an African Pygmy Hedgehog, 2 Leopard Geckos, and a
Red-Kneed Tarantula.

5.  **Activity Sponsor: San Jose State University Geology Dept.**

Geology Town - Four associated activities in a broad group to emphasize
the geology of Earth and Mars.

-   Six Computers display Flash Media tutorial on reading satellite
    images and introduces some of the important geologic concepts
    covered other sections. Accommodates students, working in pairs.
    Approximate time 10 minutes.

-   Study of rocks and minerals. Based on 2.3 in *Mysteries of Earth and
    Mars*. Requires electricity for lights and microscopes. Accommodates
    6 students, working in pairs. Approximate time 10 minutes.

-   Stream Table to model sapping of crater wall. Demonstrates the use
    of physical models in testing hypotheses about the origin of surface
    water on Mars. Requires modest amounts of water and sand.
    Accommodates 6 students. Approximate time 10 minutes

-   At the Exit: Virtual tour of the San Andreas Fault using anaglyph
    images, by Phil Stauffer of the USGS, Menlo Park. Approximately 900
    square feet. Students use anaglyph glasses to view 3-D images of the
    fault in a walk through tour. Approximate time 10 minutes.

6.  **Activity Sponsor: Don Edward San Francisco Bay National Wildlife
    Refuge**

Salinity Sleuths-Students will play a huge board game and learn about
the importance salinity plays in several ecosystems here in SF Bay.
Students will learn what slough/marshes are; what species indicators
are, use of hydrometers, and how pollutions control effects water
salinity. The study of salinity is one of the topics covered in Unit 3
of *Earth and Mars*.

7.  **Activity Sponsor: Santa Clara Valley Water District Education**

Four different activities with four different educational objectives:

-   Groundwater Model Demo-Students learn how water moves in the ground,
    about aquifers, wells, and percolation ponds using a working model.
    Water and food coloring will be used

-   Water Magic and Music-Entertainment at its best by magician SCVWD
    Education Manger Kathy Machado. Students will learn about qualities
    and properties of water through music and magic

-   Painting with Crayons-Students will express their knowledge of life
    science, nature and space with water-based pastel crayons, rubber
    plates, paints and water.

-   Parts Per Billion-Students will learn about the scientific concept
    of PPB by measuring water in a series of spoons with food coloring
    and answering a series of questions about the dilution process

8.  **Activity Sponsor: San Jose Beautiful (SJB) , City of San Jose**

Earth Balloon Portable Classroom-Students will learn where on earth we
find extreme environments (Mars analogs) from within a 22 ft tall
inflatable balloon. Docent led discussions will center on the follow
JASON curriculum environments:

-   Hawaiian volcanoes

-   Mono Lake, CA

-   Meteor Crater National Park, AZ

-   Yellowstone Park acidic, hot springs

-   Mohave Desert, CA

-   Other extreme environments throughout the globe

SJB will provide a short flyer on the construction of the balloon and
the NASA satellite photos used to make the balloon image.

9.  **Activity Sponsor: NASA Ames Astrobiology**

Earth's Earliest Ecosystems-Middle school students will learn the basics
of microbial ecology, general ecology, and the scientific method.
Displays include live microbial mats, fossils of mats, and equipment
used to study mats. A 7-minute video will be shown. A microscope will be
available.

10. **Activity Sponsors: NASA Suborbital Science Program / UC Santa Cruz
    and NASA Education**

Huge puzzles of satellite photos of extreme environments here on earth
and the Martian planet. For all ages, students will learn about remote
sensing and what the planet of Mars really looks like.

11. **Activity Sponsor: Ames Education Technology Team (AETT) & Apple
    Computer**

Using Apple eMac computers, students will learn about major geologic
areas of Mars using a newly developed Mars Flyby program. Also, other
NASA Educational products (developed here at NASA Ames) will be
available for use.

12. **Activity Sponsor: Astronomical Society of the Pacific**

What is Astronomy? -- Students will be introduced to the basics of
astronomy, the common equipment used by amateur astronomers, and a slide
show of "cool" object in space.

13. **Activity Sponsor: MC Solar Engineering**

Solar Engineering - The goal is to introduce the students to some basic
earth science concepts as well as some basic understanding of renewable
energy, specifically solar electricity and solar hot water generation.
In addition to the Solar Pathfinder mentioned above, we will be bring an
inverter, a solar panel\[s\] and a Battery with a charge controller, We
will also be displaying a sample Solar Hot water system.

14. **Activity Sponsor: NASA Ames Research Center**

NASA Coloring Corral - For our younger visitors, enjoy coloring a NASA
Mars Exploration Rover and name it either Spirit, Opportunity, or
anything you like!