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- Space Educators' Handbook
- Jerry Woodfill (IA12)
- NASA JSC
- Houston, TX 77058
- 713-244-8357
-
- The "Space Educators' Handbook" is a user/friendly Macintosh
- Hypercard 2.1 space encyclopedia consisting of 37 individual
- Hypercard software computer files which include many popular
- space education resources of the NASA wide teacher resource
- centers. Additionally, the software includes pictures and
- biographical information on every astronaut from the inception of
- NASA to present as well as all manned missions. Other files include
- an astronomy stack with images of the planets, their moons, and
- descriptive information regarding NASA planetary discoveries. A
- dozen advanced manned space studies are included on approaches to
- returning to the moon and journeying to Mars along with a program
- on use of in situ resources of the moon and artificial gravity
- concepts.
-
- For primary level students, a coloring book and three comics books
- provide educational science resources using space and aerospace
- themes. A space calendar including 365 days of aviation and space
- firsts with interactive documentation is included from NASA's
- public domain publications.
-
- Especially popular among students and users is the Science Fiction /
- Space Technology file which compares NASA Space Shuttle
- technology to Sci-Fi concepts in light of science and physical laws
- stated by Newton and Kepler.
-
- Using the "Space Educators' Handbook"
-
- The "Handbook" has 37 files called HyperCard Stacks that may be
- downloaded and used independently. However, one HOME CARD
- connects all the stacks into an integrated group of stacks. Also,
- individual stacks have buttons which link to other stacks. For
- example, Astronaut Stack cards have mission buttons beneath each
- astronaut's photo. Clicking on a mission button links to a mission
- card in either the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, or Shuttle Mission stacks.
- If the "linked to" stack is not present, Hypercard displays the
- message "Where is the (missing stack)?" Simply click "Cancel" and
- continue.
-
- All the stacks are public domain and may be freely
- copied/distributed without prior permission though they are not to
- be sold commercially. The stacks are locked and can not be altered
- except for the Calendar Planner stack which links to the three "Days
- of Air and Space" stacks. Here is a list of all the "Space Educators'
- Handbook" stacks along with a brief summary of each stack's
- contents:
-
- "Space Educators' Handbook" HyperCard Stacks
-
- 1. Air/Space Flight History - Features NASA histories of aviation
- and space flight operated from a stack home card, clicking on a
- date-time-line opens to area of historic interest
- 2. Apollo 13 Hyper-Comic - Three comics accessed from the stack
- home card: The Apollo Thirteen Rescue, The Wright Brothers, and The
- Story of Charles Lindbergh
- 3. Apollo Missions Stack - Features Apollo and Soyuz Missions with
- mission patches and other mission data...interactive with the
- Astronauts/Stack
- 4. Astronauts/Stack - Contains picture of every American astronaut
- since the inception of the American space program with pop-up
- fields containing their official NASA public affairs biographies...also
- lists beneath each astronaut picture missions flown...which link to
- mission stacks by clicking on the mission names
- 5. Brief-Responses - More than two hundred short paragraphs
- concerning space exploration and its various facets...good materials
- for anecdotes, quotes, speeches, etc.
- 6. Cartoons/Graphs/Sketches - Space Clip Art which can be cut and
- pasted into other Macintosh programs
- 7. Coloring Book - A HyperCard adaptation of the NASA Space
- Coloring Book with hidden narrative fields opened by clicking on
- each picture's explanation button
- 8. Days of Air & Space 1 - This stack and the two which follow
- comprise a huge space history data base. Each card depicts aviation
- and astronautics history with photos and sketches. Multiple hidden
- fields throughout the three stacks relate narratives of "firsts" in air
- and space... altogether the three stacks comprising the interactive
- calendar comprise nearly 2.4 megabytes after expanding..the first
- stack of the three contains the first four months of the year and the
- Days of Air and Space home card, a card displaying the year's 365
- days organized in monthly columns with each day of the month a
- button linking to a "day card" in one of the three stacks
- 9. Days of Air & Space 2 - Same as above but containing middle four
- months of the year.
- 10. Days of Air & Space 3 - Same as above but containing the last
- four months of the year
- 11. Education Stack - Many topics from the NASA Teacher Resource
- Centers adapted to the HyperCard format...included is "How a Rocket
- Works," "Space Biology," "Toys in Space," and others...also contains a
- stack home card which accesses space education topics
- 12. Gemini Mission Stack - Like the Apollo Mission Stack only
- features Gemini Program
- 13. HOME CARD - The home card of the entire "Space Educators'
- Handbook" which connects all stacks into an integrated interactive
- program...it is different from the HyperCard Application home stack
- which is titled "Home" by the HyperCard Application
- 14. Hubble Space Telescope - A stack which summarizes the Hubble
- Space Telescope for educators...contains graphics
- 15. Hyper-Space Mathematics - A HyperCard adaptation of the
- popular NASA text: SPACE MATHEMATICS which features example
- problems used by the space program in math disciplines such as
- Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, and others
- 16. Hyper-Spinoff 1992 - A HyperCard adaptation of the most recent
- copy of the popular annual NASA publication "Spinoff" which
- features beneficial products and technologies indirectly resulting
- from funds spent on NASA research...benefits are described in
- medical technology and other disciplines
- 17. Instruction Stack - A stack describing features of the "Space
- Educators' Handbook" and a "button flow diagram" schematically
- portraying the organization of the program's links and stacks with
- operating buttons to explore interactively how the "Handbook" is
- organized
- 18. Manned Planetary Spacecraft - Originally planned as a reference
- of types of advanced manned spacecraft, the stack evolved into a
- collection of studies done for NASA over the past thirty years on
- manned exploration of the solar system including return to the Moon,
- landing on Mars, flying by Venus and Mars...among the studies is a
- paper with graphics on using the Moon's resources in situ for space
- exploration...among the twelve studies is the informative "90 Day
- Study" which initiated the recent Space Exploration Initiative of
- NASA...many sketches and images of advanced space vehicles and
- structures are included in the studies
- 19. Mercury Mission Stack - Same as Apollo Missions Stack only
- featuring the Mercury Program
- 20. Mission Home Card - A home card connecting the various manned
- mission stacks
- 21. NASA Pocket Statistics Stack - A HyperCard adaptation of NASA
- document listing thousands of statistics about space exploration in
- summary fashion
- 22. Note Book Date 1993 1 - A planner stack linked to the cards of
- the Days of Air and Space stacks...a button on each Days of Air and
- Space card links to a corresponding planner day card in 1993...the
- stack is open so information can be entered via the keyboard for use
- as a computer pocket planner
- 23. Quotes - A stack containing more than 60 quotes about space
- exploration by famous historic people
- 24. Reference Stack - A general bibliography of the "Space
- Educators' Handbook"...individual stacks have additional
- bibliographies of resources used to author the individual stacks
- 25. Skylab Mission Stack - Like the Apollo Missions Stack only
- featuring Skylab missions
- 26. Solar System - A stack showing images of the planets their
- satellites and other solar system feature... works interactively with
- each planet having its own home card with "How Discovered,"
- "Facts," and "Satellite" buttons...stack includes considerable
- narrative regarding the imaged bodies...a stack home card links all
- the images and information...among the most popular of the thirty-
- seven stacks
- 27. Space Knowledge - A stack featuring the world's space hardware,
- launchers, programs, and systems...information about the basics of
- space technology...a topic icon card links to subjects which include
- mass property determination calculations, and other resource
- material useful to space system engineers...great for aerospace
- employees, high school, university, and other users
- 28. Space Museums/Exhibits - A stack which serves as a resource
- for the State/Stack...provides cards listing locations, phone, etc., of
- U.S. space exhibit facilities
- 29. Space Social Science - HyperCard adaptation of the NASA text
- which delved into the impact of the space program on various social
- science disciplines...economics, philosophy, sociology, international
- law, and many others...index to each topic has course study plans
- with recommended texts and projects...excellant for high school and
- university educators
- 30. Spacecraft in Sci-Fi (1) - Perhaps, the most popular stack of the
- "Handbook"...graphics of historic sci-fi images with discussion of
- technical oversights...great space technology teaching
- resource...enjoyed by grade school students and adults alike
- 31. State/Benefits/Stack - A map of the United States...each state is
- a button linking to a state card in the State/Stack...both
- State/Benefits/Stack and State/Stack should be used together
- 32. State/Inspiration/Response - A stack of state cards describing
- state history as related to space exploration...should be used with
- State/Benefits/Stack and State/Stack
- 33. State/Narrative/Response - Information regarding how space
- exploration benefited the respective state...should be used with
- State/Benefits/Stack and State/Stack
- 34. State/Stack - State cards which links to specific state
- information in other state stacks...state/stack cards have buttons
- linking to the state's astronauts, museums, and other state
- data...required for running the state related stacks
- 35. State/Statistical/Response - Data regarding impact of space
- exploration on respective state...use with other state stacks
- 36. STS Mission Stack - Same as the Apollo Missions stack only
- featuring STS missions
- 37. To Be Determined - A one card stack created to tell users that
- requested information is not yet in the "Space Educators' Handbook"
-
- Note from the Author/Creator
-
- "I appreciate your interest in the "Space Educators' Handbook." In the
- latter months of 1989, I began work on the program which took more
- than 4,000 hours to complete. My purpose was to create a no cost
- source of space exploration information which would be easy to use
- by people of all ages and levels of computer familiarity. For this
- reason, I chose HyperCard and granted users the freedom to copy any
- or all of the stacks without prior permission from myself or NASA."
-
- "Prior to April of 1993, the primary means of distributing the
- program was through replicating diskettes. At this time (April
- 1993), I have copied and distributed more than 950 sets (six 3.5"
- HD's each) to users. Because the program is public domain, these
- represent a small fraction of the total number in hard drives and
- diskettes around the United States . The only restriction is that the
- stacks not be commercially sold other than reimbursement for
- replication and diskette cost."
-
- "The program has been most popular among educators at all levels
- (grade school through graduate studies) though a good percentage of
- copies are provided to users in the aerospace industry (commercial
- and government). If you enjoy using the program and find it helpful,
- I would greatly appreciate comments in a letter or note sent to:
- Jerry Woodfill, IA12, NASA JSC, Houston, TX 77058 or you may send
- your comments via Internet to my Internet address which is
- WOODFILL@GIOTTO.JSC.NASA.GOV. This will help me to update,
- improve, and supply copies to users. Please mention how you have
- used or intend to use the program or of what benefit it has been to
- you. Thank you in advance for anything you do in this regard."
- Jerry Woodfill
-
- The "Space Educators' Handbook" is provided by NASA JSC, New
- Initiatives Office (IA12), Attn: Jerry Woodfill, Houston, TX 77058 at
- no cost to users who provide six high density 3.5" formatted
- diskettes with a cover letter requesting the software. The
- "Handbook's" official publication designation is OMB / NASA Report
- Number S677. It was created by Jerry Woodfill
- and has been formally reviewed and approved by NASA JSC
- documentation services as well as JSC educational services as a JSC
- publication. (Note: The program will not work on a PC but only on
- Apple Macintosh computers.)
-