WHAT WE LEARNED AS A RESULT OF OUR PARTICIPATION IN THE 'LIVE FROM THE STRATOSPHERE' PROJECT NOTE: All of the following responses came from the students themselves, not the teacher or some other reference source. Morningside Elementary Brownsville, Texas Mr. Rowan's 5th Grade Class 1. What did we learn about the Kuiper Airborne Observatory? We learned that the KAO is a converted C-141 jet. The KAO carries an infrared telescope that is 36 inches in diameter. The KAO flies above 85% of the atmosphere and 99% of the water vapor. It is going to be decomissioned. 2. What did we learn about the atmosphere? The atmosphere causes the stars low on the horizon to twinkle more because the light passes through more of the atmosphere. The atmosphere is full of water vapor, which is why the stars tend to twinkle. 3. What did we learn about the electromagnetic spectrum? Every kind of light has a different spectral signature. You can feel infrared, but you cannot see it. The smaller the waves, the more power they have. Gamma rays are the most powerful waves. Radio waves travel at the speed of light. 4. What did we learn about astronomy? Astronomy is the study of the stars, galaxies, planets, and everything "out there." Scientists use astronomical units to measure distances between objects within the solar system, and light years are used to measure distances outside the solar system. Astronomers use star charts to locate stars and galaxies. We learned that a new planet was discovered in the constellation Pegasus. If a star "wobbles," there might be a planet nearby. Big stars can go supernova, and REALLY big stars can become black holes. When we look up at stars, we're looking at light that might be millions of years old. It takes 8 minutes for light from the sun to reach the Earth. We learned that we will never travel outside the galaxy because it would take thousands of years. Some of the lights we see in the sky are not planets or stars, but galaxies containing trillions of stars. 5. What did we learn about the people who work aboard the KAO? We learned that they are scientists. We learned that some were teachers or professors. We learned about their lives from the journals they wrote. We learned what their jobs were and what they did. Brian Scott was a student from Clearwater High School who was selected to fly aboard the KAO and help the scientists with their experiments. 6. What did we learn about the telescope aboard the KAO? It gathers infrared radiation from the stars. It takes picture in pixels. Bright colors are hotter than their surroundings. 7. What did we learn about Jupiter? Jupiter has rings. One of Jupiter's moons has active volcanoes. Jupiter has 16 moons. Jupiter has 4 Galilean moons that were named after Galileo, because he was the guy who discovered them. Jupiter's four Galilean moons are named Io, Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa. Ganymede is the largest Galilean moon; Europa is the smallest; Callisto is the brightest in infrared; and Io is the brightest in infrared. Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a giant storm that has been active for hundreds of years. 8. What did we learn about stargazing at night? On cloudy nights, you cannot see stars. Light pollution affects the number of stars you can see, and so does moonlight, pollution, and tall buildings. We can't see stars in the Southern Hemisphere because the Earth gets in our way. 9. What did we learn about how scientists classify stars? Scientists classify stars by their size, temperature, magnitude, and color. Blue stars are the hottest, and red stars are the coolest. 10. What did we learn about Saturn? Saturn has 18 moons. Saturn's rings are made of dust, ice, and rock. Saturn is mostly made of gas. Saturn has 7 main rings, and many smaller ringlets. WE ALSO LEARNED THAT SCIENCE CAN BE FUN AND EDUCATIONAL AT THE SAME TIME!!! Signed, The students in Mr. Rowan's 5th grade class __________________________________________________ Submitted by Chris Rowan .