Goddard Space Act Agreement Keeps Remote Sensing Earth Science Teacher Program Aloft

GREENBELT, Md., Nov. 5, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A Space Act Agreement signed between NASA's Remote Sensing Earth Science Teacher Program (RSESTeP) and the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) will allow certified Earth science teachers nationwide to continue to bring NASA Remote Sensing resources into their classrooms.

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RSESTeP, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, provides science teachers the opportunity to expose students in 4^th through 12^th grades to NASA cutting edge resources and technologies. Members of the AMA can now partner with local schools to fly NASA remote sensing payloads, collecting Earth science data needed to complete classroom projects.

"The collaboration with the AMA will significantly pave the road to expanding NASA's RSESTeP program to many more schools around the country," said Patrick Coronado, NASA RSESTeP Project Manager.

Each year, teachers submit ideas for local Earth science missions to RSESTeP. Those selected are invited to spend a week during the summer at Goddard developing their missions. The training syllabus includes the basics of remote sensing; Earth Observing Satellite Date Product Acquisition; ground-truthing data collection and more.

Students participating in the program are excited about experimenting with real science. "RSESTeP provides us another opportunity to engage and excite teachers, students and even communities about the fascinating work that is accomplished here," said Dr. Robert Gabrys, director of Goddard's Education Office. "I know the RSESTeP team is very excited about working with AMA, assisting mission teachers in completing the flight components of their missions."

The program started in 2005 and currently has RSESTeP teachers in 21 states engaging local students and communities while providing valued Earth Science data.

The AMA began in the mid-1930's during the golden age of aviation providing an opportunity for young people to improve their technical skills as a gateway to careers in math, science and engineering. "The Academy of Model Aeronautics is very excited about the collaboration that this memorandum of agreement represents," said Dave Mathewson, president of AMA. "This is another opportunity for our clubs to give back to the local community and we are delighted to have a chance to play a significant role in this important NASA project."

RSESTeP is a part of NASA's continuing tradition of investing in the nation's next generation of explorers. It is directly tied to the agency's educational goal of strengthening NASA's and the nation's future workforce. Through this project and other educational programs, NASA continues to identify and develop the critical skills and capabilities necessary for future space exploration. 

For more information about RSESTeP, please visit:

http://education.gsfc.nasa.gov/sestep/

For more information about NASA education, please visit:  

www.nasa.gov/education

For more information about the AMA visit:  

http://www.modelaircraft.org/

SOURCE NASA