2018 NASA NSSEC Activities

The Museum of Science Fiction partners with the NASA Space Science Education Consortium (NSSEC) to provide STEAM education outreach for students from underrepresented and underserved communities.  We achieve these objectives through the annual Escape Velocity STEAM Conference, which provides hands on learning activities for students, teachers, and informal educators.  The focus of these learning activities is to increase engagement in space science and innovative technologies.  More information about NSSEC activities is available here.

Through this collaboration, the Museum is also a member of the NASA Museum Alliance. The NASA Museum Alliance is a resource for informal educators in the Consortium to provide outreach and raise event awareness related to STEAM education.  More information about the NASA Museum Alliance can be found here.

Escape Velocity and NASA educational priorities for 2018

In 2018, NASA's NSSEC focus will involve public events and raising awareness about NASA’s work on the search for exoplanets, NASA's plans for up close and personal observation of the sun, and even how NASA plans to return to the moon.  These NASA Space Science Education talks will be presented at Escape Velocity, May 25-27, at the Gaylord National Convention Center. Appropriately, the event theme for 2018 is Other Worlds!

The 7 Dwarves (OK TRAPPISTS)
In February 2017, NASA announced one of its most exciting discoveries to date: 7 exoplanets in the TRAPPIST-1 system, some of which have the potential to support life as we know it. Join Drs. Giada Arney, Katherine Garcia-Sage, Ravi Kopparapu, and Aki Roberge to learn more about the TRAPPISTS, exoplanets in general, and how such discoveries are possible. 

Touch the Sun
The Parker Solar Probe, which is slated to be launched sometime in 2018, is a NASA mission to "touch" the sun in order to study solar wind. Come hear a discussion led by Dr. C. Alex Young, Associate Director for Science in the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA, and other experts involved in the design and launch of these types of expeditions.  Learn about what it can tell us about the sun, exoplanets, and alien worlds.

EarthRise
Missions around, to, and beyond the moon fascinate and educate the public, and provide scientists with oodles of data and scientific knowledge. In 2018 already, we have had once in a lifetime viewing experiences related to the moon, including a super wolf moon, a super, blood, blue moon, and more to come as the year progresses! In addition, the 50th Anniversary of EarthRise, the Apollo 8 mission, will be in December of 2018. And perhaps most intriguing, NASA is headed back to the moon!!!!!! Come hear NASA scientists talk about what it takes to get to the moon and what the moon can tell us about our solar system and others.

The NSSEC collaboration also allows the Museum to provide quarterly talks on various STEAM topics.  The inaugural lecture series was provided on February 22, 2018 by Dr. Phil Frana of James Madison University, who spoke about Cognitive Computing and Artificial Intelligence in recognition of the 50th anniverssary of the film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Click here for press release
Click here for lecture schedule
Admission is free for Museum members, join here