Our NASA Team in Alaska

Summer School Kids Make Contact

Our NASA Wallops Team studying noctilucent clouds in Chatanika, Alaska, is only a keystroke away. Title 1 and Tuition Free Summer School students have contacted the payload team via e-mail and are enjoying their incoming mail. These excited students come to the computer lab each day, read their messages and then always have more really great questions to ask our local scientists at the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska. They ask about the sounding rockets and Indians on whose land the rockets return. Bobbi and Eric are browsing through the Poker Flat Web pages in the picture above.

The kids were quite surprised to find out that a fourteen year old Wicomico High School student, Kate McCarthy, is also with the team. Kate sends replies to each student and gives them wonderful descriptions of noctilucent clouds and sounding rockets. Thanks Kate!

NASA Team member, Bill Miasek, Kate's stepdad, wrote to tell us about delays in the launch of the sounding rockets. In his message, Bill describes the counting for the launch. On the day of the launch Bill sent us the good news and the disappointing news. Kathe and Kate explained to the students what had happened.

Nine year old Felicia points to Alaska on the screen in the Poker Flat homepage. She loves to see the images on the computer screen and wants to know more and more about Alaska. She gathers all her e-mail to take home and show her mom. Bill Miasek told the kids that he will be going to Australia in a few months and would like to communicate with them via computer while he is there. Felicia likes this idea too!

For more information about this project contact Kathe Rich

krich@gi.alaska.edu

Photos processed courtesy of David Blosveren and CPI Photo Finish in Salisbury.

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