Published: July 16, 2009 06:23 am      

Out of this world

Elementary students get taste of space, learn math and science through e-Mission activity

LLOYD — Greenup County elementary school students discovered a lost spaceship on the planet of Saturn Wednesday morning.

They spoke with their commander, who communicated with them on a large projected computer screen on a wall of the Greenup County High School technology lab. They communicated through Skype.

Students held a microphone headset and delivered reports and findings as they narrowed in on where the lost spaceship, The Distant Discovery, had gone.

The activity was part of the e-Mission “Moon, Mars and Beyond,” put on by the Challenger Learning Center at Paducah.

The center, part of the national Challenger Center for Space Science Education network, strives to improve science and math education in the region.

E-Missions are interactive lesson plans provided by the center through the Internet.

About 32 gifted and talented students in the fourth and fifth grades were eligible to attend the program, said Diana Brown, who works with the gifted and talented students in the district.

It started Tuesday with lessons on calculating supply needs and decoding messages sent in forms such as Greek letter and math problems, said Gwen Bussey, who also works with gifted students in the district. Participants completed the mission on Wednesday and will visit the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus today.

In addition to “Moon, Mars and Beyond,” older gifted and talented student in grades six through 12 participated in the e-Mission “Operation Montserrat” where they planned for the evacuation of citizens of the island of Montserrat during both a volcanic eruption and a hurricane, Bussey said.

About 21 students participate in “Operation Montserrat,” Brown said.

E-Mission coordinator Margaret Anna Potter, who the children called Commander Potter, gave instructions and guided participants through the steps to finding the spaceship for the elementary school e-Mission.

Participants were divided into six teams: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and communications. In addition to deciphering clues telling them the location of the spaceship, they calculated how many crates of water, food and oxygen they would need to launch a rescue mission to the planet their team was named after. Communications talked directly with Potter and collected reports.

Sydney Hulgan, 8, of Lloyd, was a cargo specialist for the Pluto team.

“I think that that’s very cool because that’s the one planet that probably no one will get to explore,” she said of her team name.

Hulgan said it was challenging to do the big multiplication and division required to calculate the supplies needed for a rescue mission, but she enjoyed reporting to the commander.

“When I heard of it I was thrilled to be invited because I’d get to learn about space and have fun,” she said.

Ashton Dupuy, 10, of South Shore, was part of the communications team.

She said it was difficult to coordinate all the groups, but she enjoyed talking with Potter and learning about space.

Diana Brown, who also works with the gifted and talented students in the district, said the e-Mission emphasize practical math and science skills as well as leadership and problem solving.

“We hope they are able to utilize some of the skills they’ve learned over the past year in math and science,” Brown said.

Bussey said the mission appeals to students because it introduces them to an area of study they’re not familiar with — space.

Mackenzie Polley, 10, of Argillite, was a reporter for the Jupiter group. She said it was difficult to make a report about all the things the group had done and deliver it to the commander, but she enjoyed the experience.

“I like doing, like, space stuff,” Polley said. “Plus you get to go to COSI.”