It all started with Tom Hanks, as I'm sure many things do. As a kid, I watched Apollo 13 so many times...on VHS, of course! I was recently reminded of this fact and purchased my very own copy on DVD. As a curious and creative girl, I think my interest was initially sparked by my Dad. As an engineer who had worked in failure analysis, this was his thing. We still comment about what a great movie it is and I loved sharing all about my trip to the Space Center with him. Luckily, Houston did not have a problem! I didn't get to see the real landing on the moon, but man I was intrigued by it. My grandpa, Papa Andy, also fostered a love for space. After he retired as a pharmacist, he became an astronomer. He was extremely passionate about sharing space with others. Whenever we would see him, he would show us the NASA Picture of the Day from the Hubble Telescope and let us see his telescope. He would frequently say, "I'm going to blow your mind! Look up. That light traveled billions of light years." Another love of his was Purdue, school of the astronauts! Even though I didn't see the moon landing, I did step in Neil Armstrong's footsteps. Full disclosure: it was on Earth. In front of the Armstrong Hall of Engineering to be exact. A minor detail in the grand scheme of things. I'm proud to say that both of my parents attended and my brother is a current senior. Boiler Up! Fast forward a few years, I'm a proud Purdue alumnus and educator. Last year, I started co-teaching a space unit and it quickly became my favorite. Tom Hanks entered the picture again, with his HBO Mini-series From the Earth to the Moon. It is a wonderful resource that helped us inform our students of the history of space exploration in a more exciting way. As part of my year in space, I want to expand my current space unit and share NASA's resources with other educators. My next project is created a Hidden Figures unit that aligns with the Young Readers Edition. Stay tuned space fans!
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AuthorApollo 13 fan. Educator. Lifelong Learner. Third generation Boilermaker. Space Exploration Enthusiast. Collaborator. Click Subscribe to stay updated!Archives
July 2022
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