Newt Knows (not a Political opinion)

Don't worry, this is not a political editorial.  

By now you've probably heard Republican Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich's comments last week that by the end of his second term in office (provided he's elected and re-elected) there will be an American base on the moon. If you didn't hear Newt's comments last week, The Atlantic has a piece on it right now. 

Newt Gingrich's comments and the aforementioned article in The Atlantic made me think about NASA's role-playing game Moonbase Alpha. Moonbase Alpha is an online game developed by NASA to be played on the Steam online gaming platform. Moonbase Alpha a simulation game in which players assume the role of an astronaut working to repair equipment in order to restore oxygen delivery to a settlement on the moon. The game can be played by up to six players at a time who communicate using voice over communication. 

See the trailer for Moonbase Alpha in the video below. 
 

Applications for Education 
Put a classroom discussion of Newt Gingrich's comments together with Moonbase Alpha and you might have a nice little lesson covering both Civics and Space Science.

This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers.

Doodle 4 Google

In case you missed it, I wanted to let everyone know that Doodle 4 Google
2012 <http://www.doodle4google.com/> is off to the races so be sure to
spread the word!

As in past years, we invite student artists in grades K-12 to use their
creative imagination to redesign our logo. This year's theme is "If I could
travel in time, I'd visit..." The lucky D4G winner will not only see their
artwork on Google's homepage for one day, but they will also receive $30,000
for college and $50,000 for their school--and as an added bonus, the winning
artwork will also appear on a special edition of Crayola's iconic 64 box!

But we need your help getting the word out about this year's contest so be
sure encourage all the student artists in your life to get involved!

Cheers,

Observe the Night Skies

Curious what’s in your night sky? Check the resources from the Chicago Adler Planetariumfor some tips for sky watching. You can also share your night sky photos with Adler’s Night Sky Observation Flickr group.
Click Here to Visit Website 
Click Here to Visit Photo Gallery

NASA's Orion

NASA's Orion Spacecraft to Land in Oklahoma, Texas and Alabama

A test version of NASA's Orion spacecraft soon will make a cross-country journey, giving residents in three states the chance to see a full-scale test version of the vehicle that will take humans into deep space. 

The crew module will make stops during a trip from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The planned stops include Jan. 24-25 at Science Museum Oklahoma in Oklahoma City; Jan. 27-29 at Victory Park and the American Airlines Center in Dallas; and, Feb. 1-2 at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. Engineers, program officials, astronauts and NASA spokespeople will be available to speak with the media and the public. 

The full-scale test vehicle was used by ground crews in advance of the launch abort system flight test that took place in New Mexico in 2010. Orion will serve as the vehicle that takes astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit, and the first orbital flight test is scheduled for 2014. 

To see photos of the pad abort test, visithttp://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/mpcv/gallery/abort_test/index.htm . 

For more information on the each of the sites, visit

Science Museum Oklahoma:http://www.sciencemuseumok.org. 

American Airlines Center: http://www.americanairlinescenter.com.

U.S. Space and Rocket Center: http://www.ussrc.com.