NASA Tank for high schoolers

[johnhuntga]

So,

I'm a NAUI instructor and I've been kicking around the idea of building a science class for High School age kids. With basic scuba equipment and a semester of training students would eventually construct a "space station" component (PVC tubing) in a pool. Thoughts. It's that or I'm trading my scuba gear for a small sailboat.

John

[WorldWide Diver]

John,

I think it is a great idea. i wish I had something like this when i was in school...might have sparked my science interest a lot earlier. Let me know if you need any help.

[didmac0]

Yes, I also like this idea. Thanks for sharing. NASA released an insanely beautiful video of the Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft exploding over the Australian Outback. Turns out the video was planned and shot by a couple of [Brookline, MA] high schoolers from a NASA DC-8 aircraft.

[FireInMyBones]

I did something like this in high school for a summer science camp. It was great. We had a lot of fun a learned a lot about space travel and physics.

[Hashime]

As a recent high school grad I can say I would have loved such a thing in school. I can also think of hundreds of possible connections to the curriculum (in Ontario at least). My only concerns would be cost and liability. If you could get a government grant to offset the cost of purchasing / renting equipment it would help, and school boards hate liability, so some legal advice would be needed. This might also be perfect for "high risk" students, that is students without motivation to go to school.
If you need an opinion or input I would be happy to help. (If I can find time, Nanotechnology engineering is very "intensive")

[mike_s]

at the US Space Camp, they've got a 20 or 25' deep "neutral buoyancy simulator" tank that they let campers/students dive in.

It's got some PVC racks made with an air hose on them. a PVC pipe (2' from rack) points upwards and has a valve on it. They put a slightly "larger" PVC pipe that's been made into a rocket on top of it.

turn the valve on, fill with water, and watch the "rocket" lift off. it shows idea of principles of propulsion sorta.... because they see the bubbles come out of the bottom of it. (in reality it's the positive buoyancy that sends it upwards of course).

The've got some other tools on equipment also so they can experience working like astronauts would. like large wrenches and assemblies with large nuts/bolts that they do and undo.

other stuff like that.

hope that's some good ideas.