July 3, 2003

Gretchen Cook-Anderson
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-0836)

Jonas Diño
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
(Phone: 650/604-5612/9000)

RELEASE: 03-229

NASA'S ASTRO-VENTURE HELPS STUDENTS EXPLORE HABITABLE PLANETS

As NASA embarks on new missions to Mars in search of evidence of life, 
students now have access to virtual tools that will help them 
understand the conditions that make human life possible on Earth and 
how to design a habitable fictional planet. 

On July 1, 2003, three new modules were added to NASA's award-winning 
Astro-Venture Web site developed at NASA's Ames Research Center, 
Moffett Field, Calif., as part of NASA's educational goal to inspire 
students to pursue careers in math, science and technology. The site 
is an educational, interactive, multimedia Web environment in which 
fifth through eighth grade students emulate NASA occupations and use 
scientific inquiry, to search for and design planets with the 
necessary characteristics for human habitation. The original 
astronomy unit and the three new modules - geology, biology and Earth 
Science, complete the Earth system science unit for middle school 
students. 

"Astro-Venture is an excellent tool to assist educators in delivering 
exciting NASA research to our future generation of explorers," said 
Donald James, NASA Ames Education Director. "The site exposes 
students to the compelling topic of astrobiology and the wide variety 
of careers that support this area of research." Astrobiology is the 
study of the origin, evolution, distribution and destiny of life in 
the universe. 

Guided by the animated character 'Astro Ferret,' students explore the 
environmental features that help Earth support human life. They then 
engage in standards-based classroom lessons that emphasize why these 
features are necessary, before embarking on mission modules that 
simulate how NASA scientists are searching for habitable planets. The 
Web site uses multimedia features such as video, animation and 
graphics to keep students engaged and stimulated to explore each 
learning module. 

The new modules, continue the multimedia-rich, inquiry-based standard 
set by the original astronomy unit, which includes two astronomy 
multimedia modules, an astronomy educator guide of inquiry-based 
classroom activities, and a wealth of career fact sheets. 

In the atmospheric science module, students can manipulate the amount 
of different gasses in our atmosphere and draw conclusions as to 
which proportions are necessary for human survival. Students also 
engage in activities that explain the properties of gases and 
chemical reactions. In geology, students learn about the structure of 
the Earth, volcanoes and the formation and recycling of rocks. The 
biology unit covers the 'web of life,' which explains how all 
creatures are dependent on each other. 

"The completion of these three new modules provides students with a 
unique opportunity to explore the Earth as a system," said Christina 
O’Guinn, NASA Ames' educational team lead. "Students view the Earth 
from the perspective of astrobiologists and see how all areas of 
science are interrelated. They come away with an appreciation of 
their planet and the complex systems on Earth that support human 
habitability." 

To help teachers implement the lessons in the classroom, astronomy and 
atmosphere educator guides are currently available, and geology and 
biology guides are being developed. Astro-Venture lessons are 
designed to meet national education standards.

Since its launch on Feb. 1, 2003, Astro-Venture has been recognized by 
the educational community with an 'A+' review by Education World, 
Wallingford, Conn. and with the Star Award from the Griffith 
Observatory, Los Angeles for excellence in promoting astronomy. 
Astro-Venture has been included in the Gender and Science Digital 
Library Project conducted by the Educational Development Center, 
Newton, Mass., the Digital Dozen Project conducted by the Eisenhower 
National Clearinghouse, Columbus, Ohio and in an educational exhibit 
at the Bloomfield Science Museum, Jerusalem. 

For information about the NASA Education Enterprise and programs, 
visit: 



http://education.nasa.gov 

For information about NASA on the Internet, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov 

For information about Astro-Venture, visit: 



http://astroventure.arc.nasa.gov 

For information about NASA Astrobiology Institute, visit: 



http://nai.arc.nasa.gov

	
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