The Best of Our Knowledge # 940

Albany, NY – ORIGINS OF LIFE - SCIENCE RESEARCH IN EDUCATION SERIES

LUNAR METEORITES AND WHAT WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT THE MOON FROM THEM -

While politicians may debate how education should be taught in schools, most educators seem unified in the belief that there needs to be more emphasis on science and math.

In a study just released by Stanford's School of Education, students who learned the basic concepts of science in everyday English before learning the scientific terms, fared much better on tests than did students taught the traditional way. This method is being called the Content-First Approach.

Dr. Randy Korotev is a Research Professor in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He's definitely able to explain his field of science to an audience in an interesting, entertaining, and informative style.

Dr. Korotev uses chemical composition of lunar material as a tool to understand lunar geology. He's mainly interested in the impact history of the Moon, how the Moon's surface has been affected by meteorite impact, and the nature of the early lunar crust.

Glenn Busby reports. (9:33)

The preceding material is supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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ANNIVERSARY: 50 YEARS IN SPACE - AN HISTORICAL RETROSPECTIVE OF THE SPACE INDUSTRY -

NASA and the Challenger Center for Space Science Education have just announced a cooperative Space Act Agreement to work together to encourage students to focus more on STEM, science, technology, engineering, and math studies and programs.

Using hands-on interactive educational activities, NASA and the Challenger Center will engage students, their teachers, their families, and the general public to help increase overall science and technology literacy.

Earlier this summer, the House Committee on Science and Technology held a hearing to celebrate NASA's 50th anniversary. That Science and Technology Committee was one of Congress's responses to the Soviet Union's successful launch of Sputnik in late 1957. Sputnik led to a national reexamination of America's educational system, scientific research infrastructure, and goals for space exploration.

The Russians have had an impressive track record when it comes to space flight. Not only was Sputnik the first satellite in space, Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space, and Salyut the first ever space station.

To make that happen, large quantities of specialized equipment have been needed over all of these years. The place where all that equipment is made is RSC Energia in Moscow.

The Russian space industry's activities used to be top secret, but over the last decade, things have gradually changed. Factories are opening their doors to foreign visitors, enabling us to get this rare inside view and compare it with other space programs from other countries, including the U.S.

Radio Netherlands, Liesbeth de Bakker reports. (8:42)