8th Grade Field Trip to Christa McAuliffe Center

On May 12, the entire 8^th grade class traveled to the Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University to participate in two astronomy-related activities. In the Challenger Learning Center. students took on the roles of astronauts, scientists, and engineers with a single common purpose – the success of the mission. Teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills were put to the test in the process of successfully landing a manned vehicle onto the surface of Mars and gathering weather and geological data from its surface. In the Planetarium, students learned about the various observatories and telescopes in Chile, the new James Webb telescope (the most powerful telescope ever launched into space), and the discovery and nature of exoplanets. Students broke into small groups, researched exoplanets of their choice, and gave a brief presentation highlight a particular exoplanet of interest to them.