The International Space Station (ISS) will be viewable in the skies above the Twin Cities this week, and sixth grade STEM students at MME and MMW are looking for it!
The students' assignment asks them to not only look for the station, but to imagine what the ISS astronauts are doing at the moment that they observe the ISS. The ISS is a 20-year collaborative effort of 16 nations to learn more about living in space and experiments in microgravity, and the community of astronauts living there spend 3-6 months or longer orbiting the Earth. The station looks like a bright, fast-moving star.
"We encourage students to spot the ISS with family members and share the experience together, talking about what it would be like to live in space. It is a great chance to get outside and observe our skies," explained Carrie Kroll, STEM teacher at MME. "It is also a great lesson to envision living in space right now, when we can relate directly to some of what the astronauts are experiencing as we limit our social contacts, stay inside, and relate to each other through technology."
Space-themed activities are part of each sixth grade STEM course. Winter months are a great time in particular to spot the ISS, since it gets dark so early, shared Ms. Kroll. To learn more about spotting the International Space Station, visit the NASA website: https://go.nasa.gov/33SGkpt
