"Go for Launch"

Did you notice how quiet it is on the third grade floor? That is because all the 3rd graders have earned their "Astronaut" badge and are now on a space mission to Mars. The 3rd graders have been NASA design engineers, rocket assemblers, gone through Mission training, spent 2 days in Mission Control to launch their rockets, and now are doing some scientific investigations while they are on their long journey to the "Red Planet". The astronauts are trying to figure out why we have seasons back here on Earth, what the different pahses of the moon are, and then they will be ready to land on the hostile Martian surface. Before they put their spacecraft down, they need to find a safe spot to land, one free from Martian impact craters. They will explore how these craters formed by doing an investigation called "Modeling Martian Craters". On their way back to Earth, they will take a look at how reduced gravity might have affected their bones after such a long time in space. Keep tuned to our "NASA" blog to find out how are astronauts do on their 2012 mission. "Good Luck, Astronauts!"