Dear Astronauts…
A few months ago, an unexpected visitor dropped by our San Francisco office. As the STEM teacher for Presidio Knolls School, located just around the corner from us, she had previously passed by our office many times on her way to school. Intrigued by the work we do at Planet, she wondered if it could translate to an interesting science lesson for her students.
It didn’t take long for us to realize the numerous possibilities of bringing Planet into the classroom. With everything from optics, radios, and rocket science to coding and software, all in the context of space and satellites, it’s easy to see how Planet can grab young students’ attention. So how could we develop lessons to inspire future innovators and leaders?
Our partnership began by incorporating examples of satellites and imagery into their STEM lessons. The school uses a progressive, project-based learning model, and there was a natural fit with upcoming units focused on “Earth” and “Energy”. So in the Spring, we started by speaking with the students about the Earth, pointing to examples of deforestation, coral reef bleaching, and conservation. But we also got into energy, discussing rocket launches and solar panels. After seeing the students’ excitement about all manner of space technology, we decided to bring the third and fourth graders into our office for a special field trip.
In our “Mothership”, we set up a Science Fair, designed to teach Planet’s agile approach to aerospace: manufacturing, launching, and controlling satellites in space. We divided the students into teams, and they rotated through five different stations, each one focusing on a specific aspect of the work we do at Planet.
I’ve never experienced our office so full of energy and life. The students were engaged, curious, and so excited by science. (It is worth mentioning they were pretty revved up about their upcoming summer break!) The excitement was contagious — Planeteers that were not directly involved in the lessons began to congregate around the mothership walls. The roles of teacher and student became one and the same.
Starting with the design process, the students got a behind the scenes look at our Dove Lab, where our satellites are manufactured and tested. Next was rocket science 101: basic combustion. Shooting a water-bottle rocket across the room inspired shrieks of delight, including from more than one of Planet’s corporate officers.
From here, the students learned how to maneuver a satellite in space, working as a team to overcome challenges in Mission Control. Last, students explored artwork on Planet’s Dove satellites, in the form of the largest art gallery in space. Diving into the creative process and the relationship between art and technology, the students were brought together to design their own art for satellite panels. Pieces by two lucky students were chosen to fly to space on our next launch!
It was incredible to see these young students inspired by science. I found myself listening in on their breakout sessions and surprised by the insightful questions they were asking, many of which I myself had never thought to ask. I could see their minds turning as they challenged themselves to understand how and why we take pictures of our planet from space. Drawn into the thrill of rockets, spacecraft and art, it was easy to image them entering careers in engineering and aerospace — but also climate change and cancer biology.
As we continue to develop our Education and Research Program, Planet is committed to engaging our future scientists, engineers, and artists. We are actively changing the way we view the Earth, and this begins with the way we educate our youth. We see this as the first step in establishing Planet as a valuable education tool, and we hope that our work can help to develop the next generation of curious, compassionate, and creative global citizens.
Presenting our Satellite Art winners, Anthea Chan & Sydney Liu:
4th Grade: Anthea Chan
“Though Anthea’s piece displays beautiful designs of swirls and flowers, it was selected for the message she chose to send: ‘Think Big Do Big’. Imaging the whole Earth, every day, was thinking big, and we want to inspire our youth to do the same. But it doesn’t stop there. Thinking big is important, but we also must act. As Anthea puts it, ‘Do Big’!”
3rd Grade: Sydney Liu
Syndey’s piece reads: “Dear Astronauts, how are you doing and how much longer are you going to be in space? — Best Luck, Sydney
“We loved Sydney’s piece for her display of curiosity and empathy. Her design of a black hole with the subtle inclusion of the infinity sign represents the vastness of space and what has yet to be explored, while her questions for the astronauts speaks to the accomplishments of exploration we have already made. At Planet, we are not only striving to help fix the problems we already face, but we are also looking forward to what may be possible in the future — and Sydney’s work reflects this.”
