Celebrate NASA's 50th Anniversary

Fifty years ago, the U.S. government created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to help Americans explore outer space. Between 1958 and 2008, NASA has sent astronauts into orbit around the earth, to walk on the moon, and to live on the International Space Station and launched satellites, rockets, and shuttles to explore our solar system and beyond. These resources from Science NetLinks offer you a taste of what NASA has been up to during that time as well as a peek at what they're planning for the future.

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Activities

Gravity Launch
Gravity Launch lets you launch a rocket into space. Use the control panel at the bottom of the screen to adjust the ship's thrust and take-off angle to dock with the space station. Keep in mind how the force of gravity pulls an object toward the earth and moon.

MESSENGER Make a Mission
In MESSENGER Make a Mission, you can design a spacecraft that will let you explore the planet Mercury.

Lunar Dust
Hear how moon dust may be dangerous to astronauts' health in this Science Update episode.

SETI at Home Upgrade
Listen to this epsode of Science Update to find out how you can use your home computer to help SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) find evidence of alien life in outer space.

Online Resources

NASA's 50th Anniversary
NASA's official celebration page has information about its space ships and missions and fun tidbits about outer space.

When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions
The Discovery Channel offers videos, puzzles, games, and more information about space and NASA's various missions.