On April 8, 2024, a solar eclipse was visible across the U.S., with parts of Texas lucky enough to experience a total eclipse of the sun by the moon. Houston landed just outside of the path of totality, giving students the opportunity to witness the moon’s 94% obfuscation of the sun using special kits provided by Space Center Houston and delivered by a real NASA astronaut.
Continue readingTag Archives: NASA
Chávez HS students blast off toward national rocketry competition
The casual observer might never guess that the students who gather after school in Dr. Maqsuda Afroz’s science classroom at César E. Chávez High School are anything but ordinary high schoolers. They gossip and smack-talk and speculate about the future, most of them seniors with one foot out the door. Few would guess that these “average high schoolers” are in fact literal rocket scientists.
The Chávez Rocketry Club, headed by Afroz, spends two afternoons a week (and sometimes lunch periods or whatever scraps of free time they can get) designing and engineering model rockets for an international competition, The American Rocketry Challenge.
Continue readingCelebrated Hispanic astronaut gives HISD students out-of-this-world surprise
As students gathered in the Deady Middle School auditorium on Friday, Sept. 15, they thought they knew what they were in for. Deady students, along with students from Milby High School and Davila Elementary, were treated the day before to a preview screening of the new Amazon Prime film, A Million Miles Away, the life story of astronaut José Hernández. Little did they know that José Hernández himself was waiting in the wings to surprise them.
Continue readingMilby HS culinary students compete in NASA HUNCH Culinary Challenge Finals representing one of two Texas high schools
Milby High School culinary team, also known as the “Space City Buffs,” were among the only two Texas high school culinary programs selected to compete in the final round of the NASA HUNCH (High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware) Culinary Challenge, an initiative that aims to develop new recipes that are not only delicious and sustainable for astronauts in space but also to provide an opportunity for students to research and present their work in a professional environment.
Continue readingHISD students visit Space Center Houston for National STEM Day
In observance of National STEM Day on Nov. 8, Space Center Houston welcomed more than 500 HISD students to speak with NASA astronaut Megan McArthur and engage in authentic science learning activities.
Students from Wesley Elementary School, Davila Elementary School, Deady Middle School, Booker T. Washington High School, and Milby High School were all in attendance.
Continue readingHISD educators participate in third annual NASA Teacher Externship
With a mission to bring new ideas and knowledge to the classroom, teachers from the Houston Independent School District participated in the third annual NASA-HISD Teacher Externship. On June 22 and 23, 14 teachers from HISD toured NASA facilities and completed professional development activities with NASA experts.
Continue readingAstronauts answer HISD students’ questions live from the International Space Station
Out of dozens of organizations across the country, Worthing Early College High School was selected for a unique educational event put on by NASA.
On Wednesday, with the help of Mission Control, astronauts on board the International Space Station took questions from students live. The students prerecorded their questions via video.
Continue readingTwo all-girl science teams at Waltrip HS first at campus to remotely navigate prototype Mars Rover
As two NASA astronauts ventured out of the International Space Station for an historic all-female spacewalk, a group of girls from Waltrip High School was the first to remotely navigate a prototype Mars Rover on Friday through the rocky terrain at the Canadian Space Agency’s (CSA) Mars Yard.
The nine female students made up teams Five Amigas and Mission Explorers, which were two of the five teams at Waltrip that took part in Mission Control Academy’s Mars rover training exercise. The students controlled the rover prototype located in the province of Quebec at a facility where terrain conditions resemble those on Mars.
“It is really cool,” sophomore Julyssa Godina said. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Continue readingNASA’s High School Aerospace Scholars program now accepting applications
High school juniors from across HISD are invited to join NASA in exploring the moon to Mars through its High School Aerospace Scholars program.
HAS is a unique, interactive STEM experience that culminates in an all-expenses-paid, week-long visit to NASA’s Johnson Space Center during the summer. The experience begins with a 16-week online interactive course on NASA activities related to space exploration, Earth science, technology, mathematics and aeronautics. Students complete design challenges including 3D drawings, science quizzes, discussion posts, technology writings and monthly webinars with NASA scientists and engineers.
Students with the highest scores will be invited to put the training to use at NASA, where they will get guidance from scientists and engineers and work with students from across the state to complete hands-on design challenges and plan a mission to Mars.
Continue readingStudents discover the sky’s the limit on DiscoverU field trip
High school students from across HISD attended a day-long field trip to Space Center Houston recently.
The trip, sponsored by Houston-based nonprofit organization DiscoverU, was the culmination of an outreach effort led by HISD’s College and Career Readiness Department that resulted in 57 eleventh-graders being admitted into NASA’s High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) program. All students who were accepted were invited to register for the free field trip, and 51 attended.
Activities included a tour of Building 9 and Rocket Park, an astronaut talk in Space Center Theater, and a chance to explore Space Center Houston.
“Being able to a meet an astronaut was inspiring,” said Energy junior Cynthia Gomez. “They set a high goal and accomplished it.”
Students from the following high schools went on the trip: Bellaire, Carnegie, Eastwood Academy, Energy Institute, Heights, HSPVA, Madison, Mickey Leland College Prep, North Houston Early College, Northside, Sharpstown, Texas Connections Academy, Washington, and Westside. A few tenth-graders from Madison and Washington also attended.
DiscoverU’s aim was to expose students to Space Center Houston and provide an in-person introduction to the program, with the goal of encouraging and empowering HISD students to complete the five-month online course and get a chance to spend a week at Johnson Space Center next summer.
It was also an opportunity for students to meet others in the program who share their interest in aerospace engineering.
“The trip was amazing,” said Washington sophomore Jesus Reynaga. “It really gave me insight into what I want to do when I grow up.”