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Science & Stories on the Space Station

Help Us Send Science & Books to Space to Teach Children on Earth

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Science & Stories on the Space Station

Science & Stories on the Space Station

Science & Stories on the Space Station

Science & Stories on the Space Station

Science & Stories on the Space Station

Help Us Send Science & Books to Space to Teach Children on Earth

Help Us Send Science & Books to Space to Teach Children on Earth

Help Us Send Science & Books to Space to Teach Children on Earth

Help Us Send Science & Books to Space to Teach Children on Earth

Patricia Tribe
Patricia Tribe
Patricia Tribe
Patricia Tribe
1 Campaign |
Houston, United States
$5,025 USD 36 backers
9% of $55,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Story Time From Space

storytimefromspace.com

At Story Time From Space, our goal is to use the magic and wonder of space to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and literacy learning in K-12 education programs all over the world. We are raising $55,000 to fund science demonstration equipment that will be sent to the International Space Station early this summer. We will use the hardware to produce nine fun videos showcasing the role of gravity in basic science principles. Once edited these demonstrations will join the story book readings read on orbit and then integrated with accompanying curriculum. All these videos the story book readings and science demonstrations will be available at little or no cost to schools, science centers and families everywhere. 

With real astronauts performing this accurate science in an orbiting laboratory 240 miles above Earth, the Story Time From Space team hopes to bring compelling, meaningful lessons in STEM to students and educators everywhere. Together, we can turn the space station into the world's coolest classroom to improve STEM learning and inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, inventors and explorers! 

The Story Time Mission: The Story Time From Space Program uses stories and experiments that are read and conducted by astronauts onboard the International Space Station to engage and inspire educators and school children in STEM and Literacy learning programs.

“What you cannot imagine, you cannot do.” -Astronaut Alvin Drew

When astronaut Alvin Drew first read Max Goes to the Moon on the Space Shuttle Discovery’s final mission in 2011, he and Story Time founder Patricia Tribe chose the book because it combined the magic of space adventure with scientifically accurate lessons. Not long after that first reading, Drew and Tribe paired up with astrophysicist, author and educator Jeffrey Bennett, with the goal of combining reading and space science to inspire students to explore literacy and STEM education.

The Story Time Program 

Videos: Based on real footage of astronauts conducting these science demonstrations and reading STEM-themed storybooks from the Earth-facing Cupola of the ISS, our educational videos will include classroom-ready explanations and interactive exercises. , all integrated into a program designed to complement and strengthen existing lessons. Books to be read on orbit to date are: Max Goes to the Space Station, Max Goes to the Moon, Max Goes to Mars, Max Goes to Jupiter, The Wizard Who Saved the World, Rosie Revere, Engineer, Endeavours Long Journey, Mousetronaut, Mousetronaut Goes to Mars, I, Humanity, There's No Place Like Space and The Rhino Who Swallowed A Storm.
Curriculum: Our space-based STEM lessons are designed to complement and strengthen existing elementary school curriculum, and also to serve as individual modules designed for libraries, science centers and after-school programs.
Companion Kits: Each program will include science experiment kits for students that mimic the demonstrations from the videos – a real hands-on experience!
Educators: Educators will participate in training workshops using the videos and companion kits to deepen their own understanding of the science concepts.

“The inspirational value of the space program is probably of far greater importance to education than any input of dollars....A whole generation is growing up which has been attracted to the hard disciplines of science and engineering by the romance of space.” Sir Arthur C. Clarke, First on the Moon (1970)

The Next Giant Leap: Educational Science Demonstrations
$55,000

  • Can you measure mass with a balance in space?
  • Why do you get taller in free fall?
  • Does gravity affect buoyancy and sedimentation?
  • What role does gravity play in the space station’s orbit?
  • What does surface tension mean for liquid droplets in free fall?

                                     

In the summer of 2015, nine science demonstrations answering these questions and more will be shot up to the International Space Station on a powerful rocket. Targeted at elementary and middle school students, these experiments have been designed to illustrate basic scientific principles that complement the science kids will hear about in the Max Space Adventures books. The final product will be a series of videos that integrate the astronaut recordings with lesson materials and activities.

The Equipment

  • Stand (including instrumentation)                    $7,000
  • Balance Beams                                                       $4,500
  • Meniscus Vessel                                                     $8,500
  • Buoyancy Vessel                                                    $8,500
  • Data Unit                                                                  $3,500
  • Thorlab Camera                                                      $1,700
  • Hero2 (including modifications)                         $500
  • Materials/Kit Bag                                                  $4,700
  • Camera Mount                                                        $1,200
  • Engineering Design/CAD drawings                   $4,500
  • Cables                                                                       $400
  • Integration and Safety administrative costs   $10,000                                                                                                                      =$55,000


Stretch Goals

Help us Shoot for the Stars

A made-for-space Spectrometer to unlock the secrets of light (The final piece of hardware)…………………………...………………………..........…...................... $25,000

Edited Story 

Story Books and Science Videos available at no cost through an Interactive Web Portal (This pays for the editing of 12 readings and 9 demonstration videos at about $2,000 each, and for a face-lift to our website to create a functional access portal for videos and curriculum materials, about $8,000.) …………………………...………………………………………………………………………………….……..............…$50,000

Curriculum Design for School & Teacher program (This pays for professional curriculum design for our School program—Story Time lessons incorporated into existing Science and cross content curriculum; and also for our Teacher Development program—workshops and mentoring relationships to develop teacher confidence and competence in science teaching.) ….…….......................................…………………………………………………………………………………………………..….$90,000

More Books and Science in Space (These costs cover the staffing, travel, outreach and hardware development necessary to send the next set of 7 books to space and to design and fly another set of science demonstrations to complement these readings.) ………………......................……….……………………….…….…$150,000

Year-Long Pilot of School & Teacher Program (In addition to the hardware described above, this would cover the costs of the additional hardware, editing and website design, curriculum development, staffing, and outreach for a full pilot of our School Curriculum and Teacher Development Program.)..............................................................………………………………$450,000

Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure science-Edwin Hubble

The Story Time Team 

Patricia Tribe, Educator.  

Patricia is passionate about education and space exploration. As the Director of Education at Space Center Houston for thirteen years, she worked with corporate, government and educational entities to improve education by utilizing the exciting world of space exploration. Currently, Patricia has her own consulting companies in the US and in Canada. The idea for Story Time From Space idea came to Patricia one night while cooking dinner, and after exploring the possibility with Alvin Drew, the cool idea that came to her over simmering kitchen stove is now a reality!

Alvin Drew, Astronaut. 

Alvin is a Retired Colonel in the Air Force where he flew helicopters in Special Ops and was a Test Pilot where he flew everything else. He then became an Astronaut and flew on two shuttle flights, STS-118 & STS-133, both of which went to the International Space Station. On his second flight he became the 200th human being to ever do a spacewalk. He has worked on interplanetary exploration and is now the NASA Liaison to the Air Force. Alvin co-founded Story Time From Space along with Patricia, and he attributes his strong interest in education and to his Mom, who was a kindergarten teacher.

Jeffrey Bennett, Author.   

Astrophysicists, educator, textbook author, and children’s book author, Jeff taught at Colorado University, lectures around the world and is passionate about space exploration and education. Jeff’s children’s books are now orbiting the Earth on the ISS. He also has his own company calledBig Kid Science, and you can learn more about him atwww.jeffreybennett.com.

Bjarni Tryggvason, Veteran Astronaut.        

Bjarni is a retired Canadian astronaut who flew on STS-85—one of a few astronauts who has been able to take up their own experiments up to orbit. Bjarni has worked on numerous educational projects that encourage educators to expand their knowledge and to help their students explore science accurately.  The owner of a electronic engineering company, QDAC, Bjarni’s ultimate passion is aerobatic flying.

Thank you to the wonderful librarians at theBellaire City Libraryin Houston, Texas for donating your space and your time to support Story Time From Space! 

Story Time From Space in the News

       What can you imagine? 


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Educator’s Package

$150 USD
Send some inspiration to your favorite teacher! It's almost the end of the year-what a great way to honor your child's teacher! Package includes: One Story Time From Space t-shirt featuring our logo and tagline: “What you cannot imagine, you cannot do”; One hardcover copy of *Max Goes to the International Space Station* book; One class set of Story Time From Space stickers; and one class set of Story Time From Space bookmarks.
4 claimed

Thank You!

$5 USD
A special Thank You video from the children of Story Time From Space.
2 claimed

Bookmark

$10 USD
Story Time From Space bookmark and Thank You video.
1 claimed

Set of Story Time Stickers

$15 USD
One class set (30) of Story Time From Space stickers, featuring our logo and tagline: “What you cannot imagine, you cannot do.”
1 claimed

T-shirt

$30 USD
Story Time From Space t-shirt, featuring our logo and tagline: “What you cannot imagine, you cannot do."
6 claimed

Max book

$50 USD
A hardcover copy of *Max Goes to the International Space Station,* with author and astronaut signatures.
6 claimed

Honor a Teacher

$75 USD
A shout-out to your favorite teacher on the Story Time's “Teachers Make the World Go Round” web page, plus a set of 10 bookmarks and stickers to pass out to students.
0 claimed

Max book and DVD

$100 USD
A hardcover copy of *Max Goes to the International Space Station,* with author and astronaut signatures, and a DVD of the Planetarium Show *Max Goes to the Moon.*
5 claimed

Max Science Adventure Series

$250 USD
Hardcover copies of all five books in the *Max Science Adventures* series, signed by the author.
2 claimed

Deluxe Educator’s Package

$500 USD
Give your favorite classroom the gift of Story Time From Space with this package of goodies, including: One Story Time From Space t-shirt, featuring our logo and tagline: “What you cannot imagine, you cannot do”; hardcover copies of all five books in the *Max Science Adventures* series; a DVD of the planetarium show *Max Goes to the Moon*; one class set of Story Time From Space stickers; one class set of Story Time From Space bookmarks.
0 claimed

Flown Mission Patch

$1,000 USD
Add a bit of star stuff to your home, office or classroom with a mission patch that has flown in space! You will received a framed mission patch featuring the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space ARK 1 (Advancing Research and Knowledge) flight projects.
0 claimed

Astronaut Skype Session

$1,500 USD
A Skype session with an astronaut for the school, library or science center of your choice. Be the hero that brings an astronaut to school!
1 claimed

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