A Model Of Planetary Exploration

Alyssa Howard, 13, and other students made models of extra-solar planets, which she and her father, Bret Howard, checked out at the unveiling June 5. (Courtesy Of Nasa Goddard Space Flight Center)

Seventh-grader Alyssa Howard of Greenbelt can truly say she has held the whole world -- make that worlds -- in her hands.

Alyssa, 13, is one of 90 students at St. Hugh of Grenoble School who took part in a pilot program called Worlds Beyond, created by NASA Goddard Space Flight Visitor Center and the National Space Society to expose students to a relatively new and growing field of astronomy studying extra-solar planets -- those outside Earth's solar system.

The program ended June 5 with the unveiling of an exhibit of model planets constructed by the students.

"Learning about these extra-solar planets was really cool because I was able to know about something most people have no idea about," Alyssa said. "I actually want to be a cosmologist and study stars."

NASA Goddard in Greenbelt developed the curriculum and provided the materials and support for the program, which began in the spring. For three months, St. Hugh's science teacher Margie Sparks worked with students during science classes for 45 minutes daily.

The class studied the planets in the solar system in January and February. In early March, the students divided into groups of five and began to research extra-solar planets. In addition to their classroom work, the students did research individually on computers at home and at school. Then they wrote a summary of each planet's elements of each planet -- size, diameter, distance from the sun and more.

Bowie resident Greg Rothgeb, 11, was amazed to learn that there are planets much larger than Jupiter, the largest planet in Earth's solar system. But the research was tough "because this is so new to not only us but astronomers," he said.

As a concluding project, the students, working in teams, painted models of 20 extra-solar planets. The models, in a variety of fluorescent colors representing their various properties such as gases or dust, were mounted on poles and placed around the grounds of the Goddard visitor center, where they will be displayed until fall.

Anita Krishnamurthi, of NASA's Astrophysics Science Division, said the program was successful and allowed students "to have fun and be creative."

Three schools in Columbia, Baltimore and Rockville also participated. Krishnamurthi expects the program to be available to more local schools next year.

"We definitely want to work with more Prince George's County schools," she said.

To learn more about the Worlds Beyond program, call program director Adam Esposito at 202-429-1600 or visit http://jwst.gsfc.nasa.gov/worldsbeyond.html.