Quarantine, while new to many of us, is not new to astronauts. In fact, upon returning from the moon, the Apollo 11 Crew had to stay in an Airstream Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF) for three weeks. This was due to the concern of unknown pathogens that could have been picked up on the moon. The Apollo 12 and 14 crews were also quarantined. After this, it was determined that lunar "germs" were not a threat. Our quarantine experience differs from astronauts in a few ways. Many of us are sharing a space with others that is larger that the MQF or even the Orion capsule that will be transporting four crew members to Mars. Unlike astronauts in a capsule or living and working on the International Space Station, we are able to go outside. For the majority, we can experience fresh air, the sound of birds chirping (or dogs barking) and the warmth of sunshine of our face. Sorry Canadians, I know it's more of a cold and snowy experience. We also don't generally have to rehydrate our food and have easier access to fresh fruit. A huge difference between your crew and astronauts is that you got to pick your crew members. Although, I've heard from some that they want to go back to drafting their quarantine crew. Regardless of whether we chose our crew or not, all of us have to collaborate. Our mission requires us to be able to work together. In this time of social distancing and working or learning from home, we also have experienced isolation. Take it from the AstronautsScott Kelly, retired NASA astronaut, who spent a year in space has some firsthand advice on dealing with isolation. He is the author of both children's and adult books that I would recommend and will discuss in more detail later in this post. Chris Hadfield, CSA astronaut and former ISS Commander has a video guide. I would highly recommend his book, An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination and Being Prepared for Anything. He also wrote an awesome picture book called The Darkest Dark. So, How Can I use this in my Class?It all started with a movie...that line is starting to sound very familiar coming from me. I saw the PBS Documentary titled A Year in Space and was extremely interested. After watching, I passed it along to colleagues who shared it with their classes and told me how much they enjoyed it. A version of this is available to stream in episodes on Netflix, but I prefer the PBS documentary. It is a great way to show what life in space is like and helps answers questions about living and working in space that our curious kiddos have. Then, I found out Scott Kelly had written Endurance: My Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery, a book about his experiences. It is an informative and enjoyable read. In addition to wanting to learn more, I also wanted to share more with students. I'm sure you can imagine my excitement when I found out there was a Young Readers Edition! Here's a brief article recap of his talk. When I started diving into Scott's book, Endurance: My Year in Space and How I Got There (Young Readers Edition) I knew it was going to become my next big project. The lessons, life experiences, overcoming obstacles and of course space exploration is a great fit for many ages. Whether you're looking for reading, writing, science, social studies or life lessons in general, this book will be a great addition to your curriculum. Click the button to download the FREE Unit Overview. It includes chapter by chapter resources (video clips, articles, etc) to help support student understanding of some of the topics in the book. I am working on finishing up the activities and lessons mentioned in the Unit Overview. They will be available on my TPT store, CAPCOM Conrad's Creations. Last week, I enjoyed the presentation: Zoom through (digital) space with Scott Kelly, Mike Massimino and John Rocco co-hosted by Penguin Random House and The Intrepid Museum. In case you missed it, you can watch the recorded discussion below. I just ordered Spaceman (Adapted for Young Readers) The True Story of a Young Boy's Journey to Becoming an Astronaut by: Mike Massimino. I'm looking forward to the October release of John's book, How We Got to the Moon: The People, Technology and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity's Great Adventure. Think about your quarantine experience. What is ONE word that you would use to describe it? I'm sure endurance - the term that Scott Kelly chose to represent his experience - is somewhat relatable. Peace, love and space exploration,
CAPCOM Conrad
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AuthorApollo 13 fan. Educator. Lifelong Learner. Third generation Boilermaker. Space Exploration Enthusiast. Collaborator. Click Subscribe to stay updated!Archives
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