I See Icy Worlds: Titan & Europa Essay Contest

For students in the United States in grades 5-12, NASA will soon be holding an essay contest about Saturn's moon Titan & Jupiter's moon Europa. The contest deadline will be February 28, 2013. The contest website is here: http://icyworlds.jpl.nasa.gov/contest/. Questions about the Titan & Europa essay contest can be sent to: titaneuropa@jpl.nasa.gov

The topic of the Titan & Europa essay is either a mission to Saturn's moon Titan or to Jupiter's moon Europa. Both of these missions would study a world that is exciting for astrobiologists(*).

Your assignment is to decide which of the proposed missions would be more interesting to you, and why. Be creative, be original, and ask good questions that you hope the mission would answer.

The Titan mission would include a Titan orbiter and a Titan balloon. The Europa mission would include a Europa orbiter and a Europa lander. The orbiters, balloon, and lander would each have science instruments to study either Titan or Europa.

In your essay, you can include information about what science instruments you would put on the orbiter and balloon or lander, if you wish, based on what you hope to find on Titan or Europa.

Winning essays will be posted on a NASA website, and winners and their classes will be invited to participate in a videoconference or teleconference with NASA scientists.

Contest videos about Astrobiology, Titan, and Europa can be found here:
http://icyworlds.jpl.nasa.gov/contest/videos/

(*) Astrobiologists are scientists who study the origins, evolution, future and distribution of life in the universe. The main question astrobiologists are trying to answer is: "Is there life beyond Earth?"

Announcing NASA's Cassini Scientist for a Day 2012 Essay Contest for Grade 5-12 Students

Announcing NASA's 2012 Edition of the Cassini Scientist for a Day Essay Contest

The Cassini spacecraft launched in October 1997 and has been orbiting Saturn since 2004.

The essay contest is open to students in grades 5-12.  Essays must be under 500 words.  

There are three essay topics to choose from: 

1.  Saturn's small shepherd moon, Pan

2.  Saturn's F Ring

3.  Saturn

Students choose one of these topics and write an essay about why they think this image should be taken by the Cassini spacecraft.  What questions do they hope will be answered by taking this picture?

The essay contest meets U.S. National Science and Language Arts Standards.

For contest rules, videos about each essay topic, a downloadable contest flyer, frequently asked questions, and more information, visit:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/scientistforaday/

The contest deadline is Wednesday, October 24, 2012.  All essays must be submitted by the student's teacher.  If the essay contest is used as a class assignment, please send the top 3 essays from each class, along with a list of other students who wrote essays for the contest.

All students who write essays will receive a certificate of participation.  Winners and their classes will be invited to participate in a teleconference with Cassini scientists.  Winning essays will be posted on the Cassini website.

For questions about the contest, e-mail scientistforaday@jpl.nasa.gov

Good luck!

Best wishes,

The Cassini Outreach Team

scientistforaday@jpl.nasa.go

Cassini Scientist for a Day Essay Contest - Entries Due Oct. 27, 2010

NASA JPL is sponsoring the 9th Cassini Scientist for a Day essay contest. The Cassini Scientist for a Day contest challenges students to become NASA scientists studying Saturn. Participants examine three target images taken by the Cassini spacecraft and choose the one they think will yield the best results. This choice must be supported in a 500-word essay.

The Cassini spacecraft will take pictures of Saturn and its rings and moons on Oct. 18-22, 2010.

The contest is open to all students in the U.S. in grades 5-12, working alone or in groups of up to four students. The essays will be divided into three groups: grades 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12. All submissions must be students’ original work. Each student can submit only one entry. Teaming up is encouraged. Winners will participate in a teleconference with Cassini scientists from NASA/JPL.

For more information, visit the contest homepage: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/scientistforaday9thedition/

The contest deadline for 2010 is October 27, 2010 at 3 PM Eastern Time.

Here is also a video about the contest:

Lord of the Rings

Seminole Ridge student is first ever to twice win NASA essay contest to explore Saturn.
Anthony Bass, Class of 2010
A Seminole Ridge student is once again the winner of NASA‘s annual "Cassini Scientist for a Day" essay contest. And—once again—it‘s the same student! NASA‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory delivered the out-of-this-world congratulations to Hawk senior Anthony Bass, the first-ever essayist to win their contest twice.

"Cassini Scientist for a Day" challenges students to 'become NASA scientists' studying the planet Saturn through the robotic spacecraft Cassini. Participants examine three target images taken by Cassini and choose the one they think will yield the best science, supporting their choice in a 500-word essay.

Nearly 400 students nationwide entered the contest, but NASA researchers were impressed most—for the second year in a row—with Bass‘ entry. Here‘s an excerpt: "If we could analyze the composition of the impurities and isotopes of Saturn‘s rings, they could provide us with clues as to where they came from. When we look for clues in the composition of the main rings and compare this data to the composition of Saturn‘s other moons, is it really possible that these rings started as a moon?" This view of Saturn, its rings and the moon Tethys represents "Target 1" in the fall 2009 edition of the Cassini Scientist for a Day contest online at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/imagedetails/index.cfm?imageId=3704

Target 1

Mr. Landstrom uses the NASA contest as teaching opportunity for his students to practice their FCAT Writes persuasive essay skills, and encourage excellence in FCAT Science. Seminole Ridge students learned about possible images that the cameras on Cassini could take on October 11, 2009. Students needed to weigh all the factors and choose one of the targets. What do we already know about Saturn, its rings, and its moons? What do we hope to learn from the image selected? The decision is based on which image would yield the most scientific results, but the artistic value of the image can be an added bonus. The cameras on NASA Cassini-Huygens Mission have been taking stunning images of Saturn for the past five years. These images have helped planetary scientists learn more about this amazing planet.

The award certificate is to be mailed to the school. “A copy of the certificate and his essay hang in my classroom” said Mr. Landstrom, Seminole Ridge High School science teacher. Anthony is applying for admission to the Air Force Academy so that he may pursue a career in the field of aerospace/aeronautical engineering.

Great job, Anthony! Winning a national essay contest for an interplanetary mission is impressive. Winning that contest twice in a row is simply amazing!

-----

UPDATE: Anthony receiving plaque during the March 10, 2010 school board meeting of the School District of Palm Beach County
In the picture, to Anthony's right is his principal Dr. Lynne McGee and board member Dr. Monroe Benaim, and to his left his physics teacher Erich Landstrom and board member Dr. Debra Robinson. The School District of Palm Beach County is the eleventh largest public school district in the United States, and the fifth largest school district in Florida.

Cassini Scientist for a Day: Live Webcast from NASA/JPL

Students across the United States will get to ask scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., questions about the rings of Saturn, and the moons Titan and Tethys -- all targets for the students who participated in the Cassini Scientist for a Day essay contest.

The questions will be answered during a live event that will air on the "NASAJPL" channel available on Ustream TV at:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasajpl on Tuesday, Oct. 20, beginning at 3 p.m. EDT. This program will also be archived for later viewing.

More information about the Cassini Scientist for a Day essay contest is at: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/scientistforaday8thedition/ .
With data collection for the bi-annual Scientist for a Day outreach activity, the spacecraft obtained images of three possible targets, Saturn and the rings, Tethys with Saturn's rings, and Titan. The data will be returned to Earth on the next downlink. After reviewing essays submitted by participating students, winners will be selected and the results presented at a live teleconference on Oct. 20.
More information on the Cassini mission is available at: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and http://www.nasa.gov/cassini .

Cassini Scientist for a Day, 8th edition update

The final numbers for the U.S. edition of the Fall 2009 Cassini Scientist for a Day essay contest are in:
U.S. entries: 330 essays
Number of U.S. students: 372
Number of teachers: 41
Number of U.S. states: 19 plus Puerto Rico -- including Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming for the first time
Number of homeschooled students: 8

Most international deadlines are in late October, so in a month or so Outreach will have a sense of how many students participated internationally.

Cassini Scientist for a Day Essay Contest, 8th ed. Fall 2009

Cassini Scientist for a Day, Fall 2009: Introduction


Cassini Scientist for a Day, Fall 2009: Target 1 - Saturn & Rings


Cassini Scientist for a Day, Fall 2009: Target 2 - Tethys & Rings


Cassini Scientist for a Day, Fall 2009: Target 3 - Titan

Cassini Scientist for a Day - International Edition

Cassini Scientist for a Day is an essay contest designed to give students a taste of life as a scientist.

Students study three possible targets that the Cassini spacecraft can image during a given time set aside for education. They are to choose the one image they think will yield the best science results and explain their reasons in an essay.

The next opportunity reserved for this educational activity is Oct. 11, 2009. The spacecraft will image all three targets.

To celebrate the International Year of Astronomy, this 8th edition of the contest is open to all nations and educational organizations. Each country and/or educational organization is encouraged to run the contest either following our guidelines or customizing them to fit their needs.

These organizations are tasked to collect and judge the essays, and to send the winning entries to the Cassini Outreach Team. Winners and their classmates will be invited to participate in a web-based videoconference with Cassini scientists.

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/scientistforaday8thedition/

From Seminole Ridge High to Saturn 2: CSfaD Spring 2009 Essay Contest Winners

Cassini Outreach has released the names of the Cassini Scientist for a Day Spring 2009 Essay Contest winners. And the winners are:.

Grade 9-12 Category Winners:

Katherine McCarthy, a 12th grade student at Seminole Ridge Community High School in Loxahatchee, FL, for her essay on Dione.
Chelsea Kraynak, a 10th grade student at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD, for her essay on Prometheus and Saturn¹s Rings.
Anthony Bass, an 11th grade student at Seminole Ridge Community High School in Loxahatchee, FL, for his essay on Janus and Epimetheus.

Congratulations to all of the contest winners, as well as to the finalists and to all of the students who took the time and effort to research and write about Saturn¹s moons for this contest.

From Seminole Ridge High to Saturn: Student Semi-Finalists in NASA Contests

Seminole Ridge High School Science teacher Erich Landstrom received out-of-this-world congratulations in May. NASA emailed to say that his physics students in a national contest for an interplanetary mission were semi-finalists. At least one of his students’ essays passed the first round of selection in the Cassini Scientist for a Day essay contest, and they were invited in June to teleconference with scientists studying the planet Saturn remotely by robotic spacecraft.

The Cassini Scientist for a Day contest challenges students to become NASA scientists studying the planet Saturn. Participants examine three target images taken by Cassini and choose the one they think will yield the best science. This choice must then be supported in a 500-word essay.

Mr. Landstrom used it as teaching opportunity for his students to practice their FCAT Writes persuasive essay skills, and encourage excellence in FCAT Science. Juniors Anthony Bass, Alex Cohen, Kris Hansen, and Jessie Twigger are now invited to teleconference with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Using the Distance Learning Classroom in Seminole Ridge’s Biotechology Academy, they can participate in a scientific debate by deciding which imaging target brings the most scientifically interesting results.

Jessie Twigger in his essay wrote in part, “Not every satellite we launch or every telescope we point towards the sky is searching for another Earth but if the chance to learn more about Earth-like planets presents itself, why not seize this opportunity? That is the reason we should be photographing Dione. No – that that is the reason we should be exploring space. Dione is worth all its scientific merit just for the smallest chance that we will discover something that we never even dreamed possible, just for the shear enjoyment of discovering that a distant moon is similar to Earth, and most importantly just for the challenge it presents in understanding such a mystery.”

All semi-finalists’ essays are now being judged to determine the overall contest winners. Winners will be announced in mid June, after the end of the school year for Seminole Ridge. Please visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov to see the winners list online when it becomes available

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The cameras on NASA Cassini-Huygens Mission have been taking stunning images of Saturn and its rings and moons for the past five years. These images have helped planetary scientists learn more about this amazing planet Saturn. For most of its tour, Cassini has a chance to point its cameras at various targets, but only one image can be taken at a time. Before each imaging opportunity, Cassini scientists have to decide which image they think would yield the best science. They make a case for specific images, and debate why one image would be better than another. Finally, they agree on which image will be taken. The command to take the image is uplinked to the spacecraft. The image is downlinked to Earth, a billion kilometers away.

In the Cassini Scientist for a Day contest, students get to be the scientists. Seminole Ridge High School physics students learned about possible images that the cameras on Cassini could take on May 25, 2009. Students needed to weigh all the factors and choose one of the targets. What do we already know about Saturn, its rings, and its moons? What do we hope to learn from the image selected? The decision is based on which image would yield the most scientific results, but the artistic value of the image can be an added bonus.

From Seminole Ridge to Saturn

Congratulations to Kris Hansen, a Seminole SECME Hawk. He may be a semi-finalists from Seminole Ridge Community High School in an national competition for an interplanetary mission. We received an e-mail because at least one of the Seminole Ridge students’ essays passed the first round of selection in the Cassini Scientist for a Day essay contest!

Kris Hansen, seen here working on a mousetrap vehicle for Seminole SECME, will teleconference across the country to take a picture across the solar system.

The Cassini Scientist for a Day contest challenges students to become NASA scientists studying Saturn. Participants examine three target images taken by Cassini and choose the one they think will yield the best scientific results of the Saturn system. This choice must then be supported in a 500-word essay.

The cameras on the NASA Cassini-Huygens Mission have been taking stunning images of Saturn and its rings and moons. These images have helped planetary scientists learn more about this amazing planet. Picking out just where the Cassini spacecraft points its cameras as it tours the Saturn system is one of the most challenging and exciting parts of the science team's job. For most of its tour, Cassini has a chance to point its cameras at various targets, but only one image can be taken at a time. Before each imaging opportunity, Cassini scientists have to decide which image they think would yield the best science. They make a case for specific images, and debate why one image would be better than another. Finally, they agree on which image will be taken, and the command to take the image is uplinked to the spacecraft, a billion kilometers from Earth.

In Cassini's "Scientist for a Day" contest, the students get to be the scientists. Students from the school with the winning essay participate in a Cassini mission staff meeting via teleconference or videoconference. Participating schools offered the chance to debate their choices with Cassini scientists. All semi-finalists’ essays are now being judged to determine the overall contest winners. Kris and the other semi-finalists will participate in a teleconference with Cassini scientists at calTech in the first week of June. The can ask questions live Winners will be announced in mid June, or shortly thereafter (after the end of the school year). Please visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov to see the winners list online when it becomes available.