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NEARlink® Sample Press Release
Students from ABC Middle School Taking Trip to Near-Earth Asteroid Green Bay, Wis., 3/27/08 - Students from ABC Middle School in Green Bay, Wis. are preparing for a simulation of NASA's NEAR-Shoemaker mission. Through the generosity of the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium, Lynn Teacher's students will showcase Space Explorers, Inc.'s NEARlink® simulation at ABC Middle School on April 3, 2008 at 3 p.m. "The NEARlink® program provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn about an actual NASA mission and understand what’s involved in a space exploration mission," said Lynn Teacher. "My students are thrilled to have the chance to encounter an asteroid." The NEARlink® simulation is based on a NASA asteroid mission with the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) Shoemaker spacecraft. NEARlink® simulates the spacecraft that observed two asteroids, Eros and Mathilde. The spacecraft performs a flyby of Mathilde. Students must then make advanced calculations to adjust the spacecraft’s course and align it with Eros, where it will make observations until the end of its mission. Students will demonstrate the simulation in the ABC Middle School computer lab. After completing the simulation, students will work with actual data from the NEAR spacecraft to try to answer their own scientific questions about asteroids. NEARlink® is part of Space Explorers' Mission: Solar System program. Students involved in Mission: Solar System are engaged in an in-depth study of asteroids while learning about various NASA missions, the solar system, and other science and technology concepts. For more information about this special event, contact Lynn Teacher at 411-515-1234. To learn more about Space Explorers, Inc. and the NEARlink® simulation, visit http://www.space-explorers.com or e-mail pao@space-explorers.com. # # # |
