The Harrier made its final flight with the British RAF last week, marking one end to the jet famous for being able to take off and land vertically. The jet's recently declassified flight manual shows just how extraordinary it is. The original Hawker Harrier Jet was designed by the British in the 1960s and utilized a "vectored thrust turbofan engine" that allowed thrust generated by the engines to be pointed downward. The first planes were launched using ramps that curved upward like a ski jump on the flight deck.

the spacesuits that kept the astronauts alive beyond Earth. Most of the National Air and Space Museum's collection of about 300 spacesuits in a climate-controlled room.

Animated Videos Fun and free services for creating short animated videos. Screencasting Use these services to create demonstration videos on your computer. Useful for teachers and students. Documentary Video In this section we'll look at some free services for creating documentary- style slideshow- based videos.

The Super Book of Web Tools for Educators There are many teachers who want to start using technology in their classrooms, but just aren't sure where to start. That's why I got together ten prominent ed tech bloggers, teachers, and school administrators to create The Super Book of Web Tools for Educators. In this book there introductions to more than six dozen web tools for K-12 teachers. Additionally, you will find sections devoted to using Skype with students, ESL/ELL, blogging in elementary schools, social media for educators, teaching online, and using technology in alternative education settings."

The Vibro-Wind Research Group, led by Frank Moon, the Joseph Ford Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, is working on an efficient, low-cost method of converting vibrations from wind energy to electricity. Much the way solar panels now grace many rooftops, the researchers envision buildings outfitted with vibro-wind panels, which would store the energy they convert from even the gentlest of breezes.

This team building exercise was inspired by the Marshmallow Challange, as seen on TED 2010 (www.marshmallowchallenge.com/Welcome.html). The game is designed to have kids quickly work together to model and prototype ideas, evaluate scoring strategies, determine design limitations, etc... It was intentionally designed to force students (and mentors, too!) to evaluate priorities and assumptions.

On September 22, 2010, with the departure of the Expedition 23 crew, Colonel Douglas H. Wheelock assumed command of the International Space Station and the Expedition 25 crew. He is also known as @Astro_Wheels on twitter, where he has been tweeting pictures to his followers since he arrived at the space station.

Hooper Bay Indoor Flight Competition - Students build, and learn how to fly, indoor free-flight rubber band powered airplanes. Hooper Bay invited Chevak and Nunam Iqua aviation students to the competition. Spring 2009.

Rockets and Your Classroom -- Jan. 26, 2011, 9 p.m. EST Review the Rocketry activity, explore the NASA connections, share tips and tricks for implementing this lesson in the classroom, watch videos of students engaged in the lesson, and discuss possible modifications or extensions.

This series of curricular units focus on themes that NASA engineers and scientists -- as well as future generations of explorers -- must consider when planning future human explorations into space. This includes such themes as Energy and Power, Transportation and Lunar Plant Growth Chambers (the STS-118 Design Challenges).

Audience: Educators Grades: 9-11 WISH wants female high school juniors to participate in a pilot project. Beginning with an online collaboration in fall 2010, selected applicants will compete to participate in a summer 2011 workshop at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. There they will work alongside female NASA engineers and interns and collaborate in hands-on activities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The WISH Flier explains how to apply.

Registration is open for the 18th Annual NASA Great Moonbuggy Race. High school and college students are challenged to design and build a vehicle that addresses a series of engineering problems similar to those faced by the original lunar-roving vehicle team. The race will take place April 1-2, 2011, in Huntsville, Ala., at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

source of free science projects and experiments for parents, teachers, and children of all ages.

home laboratories have tools like infrared thermometers Many of these tools work closely with home computers and come with software that enhances their power. Others mix low-cost computers into the hardware to deliver more precise control. Some people who set up home laboratories are serious hobbyists in search of better tools; others are home-schooling parents equipping their children; and others are just curious.

The technique is called high dynamic range and involves blending up to nine different exposures of the subject. This wide range of exposures allows the final image to come closer to the extreme range between light and dark that the human eye can see.

Pilots at Renton Municipal Airport in Washington state took 170 women and girls on introductory flights Dec. 5, and the airport is now recognized by the Centennial of Licensed Women Pilots for introducing the most girls and women to flying in one day.

"The general idea is like a workshop," said Luke. "We've gotten rid of tutorials and the labs and now students have a two-hour practical session every week." Each of the new spaces has nine work tables called pods that bring students together in groups of four. The pods have the apparatus students require to perform experiments, including a computer with a wall-mounted monitor; whiteboard or tempered glass for working out equations; and a webcam. "

Reichert became the first person to fulfil the vision Leonardo DaVinci set down in his notebooks in 1485 - of flying a human-powered vehicle through the air like a bird. "This is the original aeronautical dream," Reichert says. "Humans have always wanted to fly like birds.

apply for available EAA scholarships online.

"EAA's Women Soar You Soar for high school girls Now in its sixth year, the unique program introduces more than 100 girls and 35 women, from engineers to fighter pilots, working in a variety of aviation and aerospace fields. It's a three-day event filled with career exploration, discover, inspiration, and fun.