Local schools tie Artemis II into science lessons

VAN BUREN — Students of all ages were able to learn about space right along with the recent Artemis II voyage to the moon. Ann Jackson, who teaches gifted students at Van Buren Elementary School, was already working on a Mars simulation unit for her fifth-graders before realizing the timing of Artemis II made it a "perfect tie-in." The students figured out the trajectory of a hypothetical spacecraft and when it would land on Mars, and determined how long it would take to communicate with people back on Earth. Shortly afterward, Jackson said, they learned how long communication would take between the Artemis II astronauts and the International Space Station. The live feed stayed up in the classroom, so students could hear what the astronauts were saying. The Mars simulation unit, which Jackson was using but did not create, also called for students to practice a solar flare drill in case they encountered a solar flare at any point on their hypothetical trip to Mars. Students created a plan, which called for them to get into the middle of the room and protect themselves from the surge of heat that would come with a solar flare. The Artemis II astronauts happened to be doing a solar flare drill on the same day. The Van Buren students also tested out "space gloves" (oversized work gloves), putting together Lego structures as if they were building something on Mars. They also discussed the importance of exercise to stay healthy while in space. Jackson said the students seemed excited by the unit, and the chance to tie it in to what was really going on at the time. "And I think kids always love space stuff," she said. Abby Kibler's begindergarten (kindergarten readiness) students at Cory-Rawson Elementary School have spent the last two weeks learning about space, including watching some of the livestream of the astronauts during the mission. "I love teaching a unit on space every year, but this year has been extra special since we have actual people in space," Kibler wrote in an email. "I typically reserve this unit for the end of the year when we are all too squirrelly to focus on the usual things we teach/learn about, but I knew we had to move it up this year!" "The kids were surprised to find out that the sun and moon are not planets" during a sorting activity involving planets versus non-planets, she wrote. Other activities included making moon craters out of Play-Doh, shooting soda rockets made of Coke and Mentos, and eating freeze-dried snacks. "We love implementing our space theme where we can and have had our students transition to and from the carpet by 'walking like astronauts'. We also have a 'five little astronauts' song" we learn," Kibler wrote. Twice a week, the begindergartners visit Cory-Rawson High School to work with the older students. They read a Berenstain Bears book and sang a song about space, then made helmets out of paper plates and rocket ships out of toilet paper rolls while they talked about what going to the moon might be like. Ned Basinger, a science teacher at Cory-Rawson Junior High School, said in these children's lifetime they may see people residing on the moon, as well as travels toward other planets. Given the established curriculum on other subjects, he didn't want to take too much time, but he did talk with the students about how long it might take to get to the moon. Basinger, who retired and was rehired, is 72 and remembers early space exploration. "I was around when we actually landed somebody on the moon…. And it was a really big deal for us," he said. "And I thought the space shuttle was a really big deal." He added that there is so much to learn and these missions may have a "future impact to how we live our lives here on Earth." Kate Dellenbusch is a teaching professor of physics and astronomy at Bowling Green State University and director of the BGSU Planetarium, which held public events for both the Artemis II launch and splashdown. She said the launch event drew about 90 people, including children, for whom she had printed off coloring pages from the NASA website. Dellenbusch played a livestream from NASA, and gave few remarks but was available if people had questions. "I think it's just the excitement of seeing humans launch into space again, and going to the moon after more than 50 years," she said. The splashdown event was standing room-only at the planetarium, which seats 114. Dellenbusch said media coverage of the astronauts throughout their journey seemed to have gotten more people engaged with the topic. At this event, she spoke about the reasons behind the mission and the next steps. One goal, ultimately, is to have a permanent base on the moon, so the Artemis II astronauts were observing craters that indicated impacts on the surface of the moon, to gain a sense of their frequency and size. "If there's going to be a more permanent human base on the surface of the moon, impacts could be a threat," Dellenbusch said. Dellenbusch teaches introductory astronomy courses for the general student population, as well as more advanced courses for those wanting to delve further into the subject. She said most of the latter pursue a physics major along with an astronomy minor. BGSU announced on April 10, however, that it was suspending new student admissions to the bachelor of science in physics program beginning in spring 2027 in order to comply with Senate Bill 1. Along with banning faculty strikes and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs at Ohio's public universities, the 2025 law requires them to cut any undergraduate degree programs that produce on average less than five degrees annually over a three-year period. Dellenbusch herself has been interested in astronomy since childhood. "My parents took me to an amateur observatory where we lived, and I guess I fell in love with it," she said. She said she gave her first public astronomy talk around seventh grade and has been doing it ever since. She said astronomers have the possibility, with today's imaging, of "seeing things in a way maybe no one has seen before…. It's kind of a little bit of mystery, right? Trying to make sense of the universe around us." And even those who are not pursuing this as a career may appreciate "the wonder of looking up at the night sky," she said. Humans have already explored most of the Earth and, as explorers, space travel is the natural next step, she said. "I think it's part of human nature to explore and push boundaries … Going to the moon, and going to space, is a part of that," Dellenbusch said.