NASA’s highly-anticipated Europa Clipper Mission launched on October 14 with US Poet Laureate Ada Limón’s poem “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa” engraved onto one the spacecraft’s vault plates.
Listen to a recent recording of Limón reading her poem along with a reading of it in Spanish by translator Roque Rivera. Afterwards, the two reflect on their processes and this unique and expansive project.
Network members might also be interested in this recorded Library event in which Limón read her poem publicly for the first time and spoke with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and NASA officials about "space exploration, poetry, and sending inspirational messages into space."
We are in a new era of private space exploration, new space suits, musical performances with curriculum guides, and a mission to support research to eradicate cancer. A tall order and a work in progress!
The Polaris Program! What is NASA's role? See below.
Polaris Dawn Program was launched from Florida for a 5 days mission. This is a private enterprise space exploration program funded primarily by one of the astronauts on board and Elon Musk of SPACEX.
Polaris Dawn has 5 main objectives:
High Altitude
The First Commercial Space Walk
In-Space Communications
Health Impact Research
Spacex has also designed new space suits for future exploration addressing new needs of flexibility.
About the Mission
https://polarisprogram.com/dawn/
Meet the Team of astronauts on Polaris Dawn
Full Interviews of the Polaris Dawn crew
Polaris Dawn Mission Commander Jared Isaacman (the billionaire who helped fund the Polaris Dawn project with Elon Musk)
Jared Isaacman is the CEO of Shift4 (NYSE: FOUR), the leader in integrated payment processing solutions. He is an accomplished pilot & astronaut with over 7,000 flight hours of aviation experience, including ratings in multiple experimental and ex-military aircraft. He was the commander of Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to space that helped raise over $240 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® to help eradicate childhood cancer.
Jared also holds several world records including two speed-around-the-world flights in 2008 and 2009 that raised money and awareness for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. He has flown in over 100 airshows as part of the Black Diamond Jet Team, dedicating every performance to charitable causes. In 2011, Isaacman co-founded what would become the world’s largest private air force, Draken International, to train pilots for the United States Armed Forces.
HARMONY OF RESILIENCE – the Music connection
The Polaris Program has partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and El Sistema USA ® to create the Harmony of Resilience. This partnership is grounded in a shared belief in the power of human resilience and pursuit of extraordinary goals. Inspired by the universal language of music and the relentless fight against childhood cancers and diseases, this moment was created with the hope of inspiring the next generation to look towards the stars. Not just to dream, but to overcome, persevere, and achieve the seemingly impossible
The song in the video, "Rey's Theme," was written by John Williams for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and was performed by Gillis aboard the Polaris Dawn mission's Crew Dragon spacecraft.
The links and video of the performance which went live on Sept. 13, 2024 are below, with the music curriculum developed by El Sistema USA.
The Polaris Dawn and El Sistema USA Curriculum: A Musician’s Guide to Reaching for the Stars.
A Musician’s Guide to Reaching For the Stars
Educator Guides for Music Mission Prep:
https://polarisdawn.elsistemausa.org/#mission
Sarah Gillis is a classically trained violinist, engineer and Polaris Dawn Mission Specialist
Meet your Musical Mission Guides from Polaris Dawn
Polaris Dawn Education (available in several languages with links on the upper right corner of the web page)
For Educators :
The Polaris Dawn & El Sistema USA®
https://polarisdawn.elsistemausa.org/mission-prep-zone-1-daring-to-dream/
Mission Zone 1 : Who Supports Your Big Dreams ? Classroom Expansion
Mission Prep Zone 2 : Classroom Expansion - What Strengths Do you Bring to a Team?
Mission Prep Zone 3: Training for Space Life – How Might It Feel to Make Music in Microgravity?
Mission Prep Zone 4: Plotting the Mission Timeline
A perspective the mission from space.com:
The crew has also tested in-flight communications using SpaceX's Starlink satellite constellation and conducted outreach with the public, all while raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospitaland breaking altitude records, flying higher than any crewed mission in orbit since Gemini 11 in 1966.
NASA is working closely with Polaris Dawn and here are some of the ways:
NASA to Test Telemedicine, Gather Essential Health Data With Polaris Dawn Crew
Polaris Dawn crew members participating in these TRISH (Translational Research Institute for Health) studies will provide data about how spaceflight affects mental and physical health through a rigorous set of medical tests and scans completed before, after, and during the mission. The work will include assessments of behavior, sleep, bone density, eye health, cognitive function, and other factors, as well as analysis of blood, urine, and respiration.
SPACEX has developed new space suits designed for more flexibility during space walks (EVA’s – Extra Vehicular Activities) as part of the Polaris Dawn mission.
This raises many questions about government's role in space exploration, its ability to fund the many initiatives currently underway, and concerns about oversight while encouraging new opportunities to pursue space exploration. 3 - 5 6 - 8 9 - 12 13+ Science Technology Art/Music Polaris mission Polaris Dawn NASA Music in Microgravity private space exploration
On November 12 and 13, 1833, a spectacular showing of the Leonid meteor shower took America by storm. Supposedly, it was the first recorded meteor shower in modern times (highly debatable). We know that Thomas Jefferson was interested in meteors and Native American rock art depict both supernova and meteor showers.
The Richmond (VA) Enquirer on November 15, 1833, reported on the shooting stars. (Brilliant Phenomenon, center page)
Several days later, the Enquirer carried dispatches from across the eastern US on the Phenomenon.
The Vermont Telegraph and other papers carried reports of the meteors.
Artist Adolf Vollmy produced an engraving of the shower based upon a first hand account from a minister who was traveling between New Orleans and Florida when the meteor shower occurred. It was published in the 1888 volume Bible Readings for the Home Circle. (image 80)
An 1881 engraving captures "The November Meteors"
The 1883 booklet Meteors attempts to explain the difference between meteors and meteorites (one flies below the clouds and one doesn't) among other things.
This Library blog from 2020 outlines how newspapers helped to crowdsource a scientific discovery.
How to use these sources?
Have your students compare media coverage then and now of the Leonids and other meteor showers such as the Geminids.
Examine the booklet Meteors and research recent scientific advancements in meteor research as compared to what was known in 1883, including the recent NASA success of a probe bringing back a sample of an asteroid.
3 - 5 6 - 8 9 - 12 English/Language Arts Social Studies/History Science astronomy
This new blog post from the Library's Manuscripts Division is just so much fun! I think there are enough stories in it to entertain and challenge a science class for some time.
Of Note: Eleanor Roosevelt, Alien Investigator tells the story of a sighting of nine strange, bright objects over the state of Washington in 1947 and Eleanor Roosevelt's involvement in the search for an explanation. What fascinated me most were her questions for Robert Oppenheimer, as well as his response. My favorite sentence from the blog post was this: "The lesson, for Oppenheimer, was that 'arriving at the truth can often be a more difficult and troublesome thing than we like to think,' and that 'even a group of scientists is not proof against the errors of suggestion and hysteria.'"
That's a strong statement for science students to consider, especially in light of the culture of conspiracy theories so prevalent today.
J. Robert Oppenheimer to Eleanor Roosevelt, May 19, 1950. Box 62, J. Robert Oppenheimer Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
We've had a few interesting posts here in the TPS Teachers Network about pseudoscience. For example, this Pseudoscience discussion by 
Jacqueline Katz
leads to a wonderful series of her Library blog posts that could be used to expand upon discussions around the alien investigator blog post.
How would you use all this information in your science classes?
3 - 5 6 - 8 9 - 12 Science Flying Saucers Pseudoscience Conspiracy Theories
Whether you're an elementary teacher, a general science teacher, or an AP Environmental Science course teacher, don't miss the exceptional exhibit from Bunk History and 
Anne Evans
called American Environmentalisms. It has nine parts - 19th Century Forebears, To Protect and Conserve, Rachel Carson, Law and Regulation, Earth Day, Misplaced Fears, Environmental Justice, Radical Tactics, and Industry Foes - and lots of Library of Congress primary sources dispersed throughout. Below is a Library of Congress photograph from the article titled How America's Hunting Culture Shaped Masculinity, Environmentalism, and the NRA. And that's just one of many examples!
Pre K - 2 3 - 5 6 - 8 9 - 12 13+ Science Social Studies/History Environmental Studies
How did I not know about this? I’m always looking for cross-curricular resources to teach mathematics and I just found this terrific list at the Primary Sources Nexus https://primarysourcenexus.org/2012/02/primary-sources-math-does-this-add-up/
My favorite one so far is this lesson using the codex
https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/huexotzinco-codex/
I actually knew about this resource , but the lesson using it is so cool.
As we all watch in horror this morning at the unfolding disaster of the Francis Scott Key continuous truss bridge collapse in Baltimore, students may have some questions about the engineering and design of such structures. My first question was, "Why did it collapse so quickly?"
Here is a slide show from a truss bridges search I did in the HABS/HAER collections of the Library of Congress. What can students deduce from the variety of structures and locations?
Taking a cue from a recent HABS discussion started by 
Michelle Pearson
, I added measured drawing to my search and found examples of truss bridge engineering drawings, too. I share one example below:
The Woolsey Bridge in Arkansas was built in 1947. The notes that accompany the five images in sequence include fascinating details about the construction, materials, and even solutions at sites where cranes cannot be used in the assembly of such bridges.
3 - 5 6 - 8 9 - 12 Science STEM Engineering Bridge Construction Disasters
Edited
This image and the accompanying teaching notes come from a wonderful album—Bringing in the Hay: What can the TPS Teachers Network do for me?—created by TPS Teachers Network Manager 
Mary Johnson
. Be sure to check out the entire album for more cross-curricular connections and feel free to share the publicly available album with friends and colleagues.
Possible topics: agricultural science, chemistry, ecology, botany
"Hay quality varies due to different factors such as forage species, fertilization, stage of maturity, harvesting practices/curing and storage. Hay produced in Oklahoma consists of grass hay (such as Bermudagrass, lovegrass or tall fescue), legume hay (such as alfalfa and clovers), native hay (whatever is growing in a pasture or range site) and mixtures of these. As a rule of thumb, fertilized and less mature forages may have higher quality than unfertilized and mature ones. Furthermore, proper curing is essential for keeping hay absent of molds and spontaneous fire. Finally, proper storage will maintain the achieved hay quality for longer periods." From Evaluating Hay Quality Based on Sight, Smell and Feel: Hay Judging, Oklahoma State University Extension, 2017.
Intuitive Machine's Odysseus is on the moon in what was a suspenseful landing. IM-1 Mission and Landing Coverage (with updates) is online and in the proverbial books. A new NASA chapter is underway with commercial payload opportunities but IM-1 is linked very closely to the Artemis Program which hopes to send astronauts into orbit around the moon in Fall 2025. Boots on the ground (regolith for moon) are next.
Odysseus carried 6 instruments that are tasked with various roles for lunar analysis. By the way, Odysseus will not "roll" in tradition travel mode but hop across the lunar service.
"The six NASA payloads aboard Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 mission include:
- LN-1 (Lunar Node 1 Navigation Demonstrator)
A small, CubeSat-sized flight hardware experiment that integrates navigation and communication functionality for autonomous navigation to support future surface and orbital operations. Principal investigator: Dr. Evan Anzalone, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
- LRA (Laser Retroreflector Array)
A collection of eight retroreflectors that enable precision laser ranging, which is a measurement of the distance between an orbiting or landing spacecraft to the reflector on the lander. LRA is a passive optical instrument and will function as a permanent location marker on the Moon for decades to come.
Principal investigator: Dr. Xiaoli Sun, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
- NDL (Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing)
A Lidar-based (Light Detection and Ranging) descent and landing sensor. This instrument operates on the same principles of radar but uses pulses from a laser emitted through three optical telescopes. NDL will measure vehicle velocity (speed and direction) and altitude (distance to surface) with high precision during descent to touchdown. Principal investigator: Dr. Farzin Amzajerdian, NASA’s Langley Research Center
- RFMG (Radio Frequency Mass Gauge)
A rocket propellant gauge used to measure the amount of spacecraft propellant in a low-gravity space environment. Using sensor technology, RFMG will measure the amount, or mass, of cryogenic propellants in Nova-C’s tanks, providing data that can help predict propellant usage on future missions. Principal investigator: Dr. Greg Zimmerli, NASA’s Glenn Research Center
- ROLSES (Radio-wave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the Photoelectron Sheath)
Four antennas and a low-frequency radio receiver system designed to study the dynamic radio energy environment near the lunar surface and determine how natural and human-generated activity near the surface interacts with science investigations. It will also detect radio emissions from the Sun, Jupiter, and Earth, as well as dust impacting the surface of the Moon. Principal investigator: Dr. Nat Gopalswamy, NASA Goddard
- SCALPSS (Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies)
A suite of four cameras to capture stereo and still images of the dust plume created by the lander’s engine as it begins its descent to the lunar surface until after the engine shuts off. Principal investigator: Michelle Munk, NASA Langley
Intuitive Machines is one of 14 vendors eligible to carry NASA payloads to the Moon through the agency’s CLPS initiative, which began in 2018. CLPS is an innovative approach connecting NASA with commercial solutions from American companies to deliver scientific, exploration, and technology payloads to the Moon’s surface and into lunar orbit. Through CLPS, NASA aims to gain new insights into the lunar environment and expand the lunar economy to support future crewed missions under the Artemis campaign."
NASA now has Commercial Lunar [Payload] Services known as CLPS and there are already 14 companies that have contracts to explore, in some capacity, the moon.
"NASA is working with several American companies to deliver science and
technology to the lunar surface through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
These companies, ranging in size, bid on delivering payloads for NASA. This includes everything from payload integration and operations, to launching from Earth and landing on the surface of the Moon. Under Artemis, commercial deliveries beginning in 2023 will perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon as it prepares for human missions. CLPS contracts are indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts with a cumulative maximum contract value of $2.6 billion through 2028."
The CLPS program offers an Overview, a Delivery Timeline (which is “dynamic” - subject to change as circumstances require), Additional Payload Information, and a CLPS homepage.
https://www.nasa.gov/reference/commercial-lunar-payload-services/
Intuitive Machines lands on moon in nail-biting descent of private Odysseus lander, a 1st for US since 1972
Toyota, JAXA, NASA’s Commercial Space Program and the Lunar Cruiser
Come Ride With Us – Intuitive Machines
Lunar Access Services Guide:
50 years after Humankind first landed on the Moon, Intuitive Machines is proud to offer Lunar Access Services to Earth’s nearest neighbor. Our Lunar Access Services provide a reliable and affordable means for governments to explore, companies to develop, and individuals to place an object in cislunar space or on the lunar surface. Our landers are based on a decade’s worth of engineering development, first as NASA’s Project M, then Project Morpheus. Intuitive Machines is staffed by an exceptional team with a deep understanding of spaceflight hardware and operations. By working with one of our Payload Integration Managers, you may focus on your mission objectives while our team works on the details of mission execution. We’ve made every effort to take the complexity and cost out of getting to the Moon. Our entire service, from our lander to rideshare Intuitive Machines’ comprehensive processing facility and ground support systems, are designed to make integrating your payload and providing Lunar Access Services as smooth and cost-effective as possible. Our services Include features such as a dedicated launch vehicle, deployment in cislunar space, short transit times to the lunar surface (typically six days), and a precision landing capability to ensure you land when and where you want. Welcome to the next step in space exploration - the Moon is now within your reach.
Interested in becoming a lunar explorer through commercial access?
On the home page the navigation bar is intriguing.
Lunar Access Services: Rideshare, Micro-Nova (this Nova-C lander hops across the lunar service), Users Guide
Lunar Data Services: LTN (Lunar Tracking Network), Data Relay, Mission Control (Intuitive Machine’s Mission Control, not NASA’s at JSC), and Users Guide.
Space Systems and Services: Space Infrastructure, Products and Services
There are many more links on the page, including careers.
6 - 8 9 - 12 13+ Science Technology Library Intuitive Machines Odysseus, Lunar Lander NASA Commerical Services (Payload) Program CLPS Lunar Exploration
"The International Space Station Program brings together international flight crews, multiple launch vehicles, globally distributed launch and flight operations, training, engineering, and development facilities, communications networks, and the international scientific research community."
In an easily accessible and sufficiently succinct overview, NASA presents summaries of a collaboration designed to examine space exploration and how it can benefit mankind. Operating the space station and the responsibility for the hardware sent to the ISS are 5 partners: "...the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the State Space Corporation 'Roscosmos' . "
The space program and human exploration are moving forward with Moon to Mars initiatives (and spacecraft launching every few days).
This is a good departure point for where we are headed and how we hope to get there.
3 - 5 6 - 8 9 - 12 13+ Science Technology Social Studies/History English/Language Arts NASA International Space Station Overview NASA ISS mission space exploration human space exploration
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