Space, School and Beyond
By John W. Healy

Resident spaceman Mr. Santer and his son Rickie, age 12, in a simulated space walk (right). Students work on their solar system illustrations (above, left).

Imagine your students walking down the halls of their school and seeing a spaceman, or spacewoman. This is certainly not impossible, nor absurd. So much of what children come to expect in school is predictable, and rightly so. The world would be in chaos without structured learning experiences that give all of our students an equal education, year after year. Yet, how surprising and unforgettable this experience would be! At Woodland Middle School in East Meadow, NY, where I teach, children regularly see a towering spaceman in their midst. At six feet four inches, wearing a sky-blue NASA uniform adorned with colorful astronaut patches, this spaceman is Mr. Santer.

Astronaut in our midst
Mr. Santer teaches sixth grade science at Woodland and has had three separate experiments catapulted into outer space as part of the NASA Explorer Schools Program. In one, Mr. Santer took his class to a local pond and collected samples of water, soil and brine shrimp for Space Shuttle Discovery. Once in orbit, the shuttle doors were opened and these samples were then exposed to weightlessness, extreme temperatures and cosmic radiation.

The second experiment involved the exploration of how passing through the lines of the Earth's magnetosphere while in orbit would affect magnets and metallic materials.

The third, called SOAR (Students Observing Atmospheric Radiation), sent material sensitive to electromagnetic radiation to the edge of space. The altitude achieved was 123,000 feet.

Creating a 1:10 billion scale model of the solar system
When an art teacher visits a science class it is an unexpected and memorable event for the students and a great way to bring together these complimentary subjects. Students in three of our sixth grade science classes created a 1:10 billion scale model of the solar system. Reaching out to the local community, Mr. Santer planned this student artwork first to be exhibited at the The Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, NY. A second set of paintings will be displayed permanently along the corridors of our school.

1. Introduce the art aspect of this lesson with multiple images of space and its visual offerings, which will focus the class on the lesson and gain their attention. These images should be a mix of photographs and illustrations; it then will become clear how photographs provide an informed starting point for the illustrator. The nature of illustration is to tell a story. These pictures should be continually referred to by the students throughout the creating of their illustrations. Useful websites are http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/welcome.htm and http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html
2. 1/8-inch Amazonite board primed with gesso is an ideal surface for this project. It is durable and no frame or matting is required.
3. A very light pencil drawing using circle templates or found round objects may be used to render the specific details of the planets.
4. Watercolors are quite good at capturing the ethereal qualities of the solar system. This medium allows for a gradual, complex blending of color. Diluted acrylic paints also adhere well to this surface.
5. On each painting, include five or more fun and unusual facts about the subject.
6. Position photographs on the painting of related space subjects taken in outer space.
7. Have the class work together as a team to create the paintings and an accompanying Guide Book to facilitate the cohesive understanding of the overall exhibit of their Solar System.
8. Exhibit the completed project in the school library or a hallway outside the classroom where it was created.
9. In addition, find somewhere in the local community that will exhibit student art work. Parents are an ideal intermediary in making this contact through their friends and workplaces.
10. Display the planets and the sun illustrations on individual easels. The distance between the paintings is proportionate to the distance where each is in the solar system. The scale used is 1:10 billion; simply divide the distance in meters from the sun to each planet and then divide by 10 billion. The shortcut for this is to drop 10 zeros or move the decimal point 10 places to the left. If the original distances are in kilometers, then divide by 100,000,000 or drop eight zeros. For example, the average distance from the sun to Mercury is 579,000,000 km. 579,000,000 km divided by 100,000,000 = 5.79 or 6 meters.

An integrated curriculum of the solar system brings students to the threshold of the infinite. To find out how your school can become involved with NASA Explorer Schools, visit www.explorerschools.nasa.gov

Dr. John W. Healy teaches art at Woodland Middle School, East Meadow, NY.

February, 2006, Vol.36, No.5