Amusement park physics with a NASA twist

Glenn's engineers and scientists will offer a variety of daily activities, presentations and educational materials Monday through Friday, May 14-18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., for students and teachers.

Monday, 14 May 2012

NASA Glenn Research Center Press Release

CLEVELAND - NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland will participate in the annual Math & Science Days at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio with educational activities such as poster displays, hands-on demonstrations and briefings.

Glenn's engineers and scientists will offer a variety of daily activities, presentations and educational materials Monday through Friday, May 14-18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., for students and teachers.

Schools from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania are expected to attend.

On Monday and Tuesday, May 14-15, NASA employees will be at the Corkscrew Plaza where several demonstrations will take place including operating a regenerative fuel cell with a table top lamp and learning the fundamentals of rocket propulsion using alcohol as fuel.

In addition, Glenn researchers will provide briefings and answer questions pertaining to the Space Launch System program and the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. NASA's Space Launch System program will give America the launch vehicle it will need to send humans deeper into space than ever before. Orion will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel, and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.

On Wednesday, May 16 NASA engineers and scientists will be located at Power Tower Plaza to demonstrate testing in a microgravity environment using a small-scale drop tower. Students and the public will be engaged in discussions as to their observations of the tower in action.

On Thursday and Friday, May 17-18, NASA engineers and scientists return to Corkscrew Plaza where they will demonstrate how NASA simulates space launch dynamics and space environments in order to verify the performance of space vehicles. Students will also see water boil at room temperature, a feather and a piece of metal fall at the same rate of acceleration when in a vacuum and watch the behavior of complex fluidic phenomenon associated with surface tension.

NASA uses the excitement of its missions and programs to inspire students and serve as a catalyst for encouraging studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. The agency continues its tradition of investing in the nation's education programs and supporting the country's educators who play a key role in preparing and inspiring the young minds of today to become the workforce of tomorrow.

For more information about Glenn, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/glenn

For more information about NASA's educational program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/education

For more information about the Cedar Point Math & Science Week, visit: http://www.cedarpoint.com/group-sales/educational-programs