Schools

U.S. Astronaut Coming to Parkway School, Meets Winning Students

Fifth-grade students designed winning game and super video entry—a must-see (included here.)

U.S. Astronaut Linda Godwin is joining a NASA team Monday when they come to to congratulate students who won a nationwide contest for designing a game for International Space Station use. 

Godwin, whose hometown is Jackson, MO, will meet with fifth grade students in an "exceptionally gifted" program named at Pierremont. Godwin is a professor currently at University of Missouri.

Parkway's fifth-graders were competing nationwide against students in grades 5-8. Second and third places went to middle school students in New Jersey and Massachuesetts.

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The contest was called “Spaced Out Sports Design Challenge.” Parkway's 15 students were tasked with designing a game for astronauts in space to use for physical exercise.

With NASA limiting the items available for the game to those which astronauts might realistically have on hand in space stations, the kids devised a floating web (using dental floss) that astronauts fight their way through to grab "stars" made of paper and duct tape.

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Then, players have to shoot the captured "stars" through a "black hole" cut from paper, for points. They call it "Starfield."

The visit from NASA May 7 will include some educational presentations, and an award ceremony in the school library for students, staff and parents.

 

 



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