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"Each generation," someone has said, "stands on the shoulders of those who led the
generation before." This generation of high school students stands even taller
today. In science, particularly, the high school students of today tower over
those who began their studies in science 25 or 30 years ago.
[voice of Dr. William R. Lucas]: 35 years ago, when I
was a student in high school, things were much different than they are today.
My high school science laboratory, although it contained many of the basic
items of equipment still in use today, was different, in that the amount of
information available to us, was much less than that available to students
today. Also, the avenues for the application of newly acquired knowledge
were not so obvious. Today the fundamentals of science are being
applied in more and more diversified fields. America's space program and
Skylab in particular, have helped to broaden the vistas of today's science
student. The doors of the high school science lab now opened into a new and
exciting world, even into the new frontier of space.
[male narrator]: Skylab's three missions opened the walls of man's earthbound laboratories as never before.
Skylab not only extended man's vision and his goals into the expanse of space, the
Skylab program extended man's ability to work in space, for long periods of time,
and to conduct in space a series of scientific experiments ranging from the
nature of the universe, to studies of earth, and even down to studies of the
structure of a single human cell.
Skylab made a unique contribution to science, demands understanding of himself,
his planet Earth, the Sun from which the Earth receives its energy, the solar
system, and space phenomena. 30 years ago, the results of a major scientific
investigation of this kind might have taken decades to filter down into the
science curricula of high schools. Today, this happens in a matter of months. For
within months of the end of the Skylab program, high school science students
throughout America were observing science demonstrations televised from
Skylab and designed especially for classroom use.
[voice of Skylab astronaut]: "What I am going to do is to balance it
with these two long pieces of wire that I have.
Okay let's give it a rap on both sides. " [male narrator ]: From a demonstration of a Skylab
experiment in fluid mechanics, to another Skylab demonstration of an experiment
with a gypsy moth in space.
Science students in high schools today can watch actual experiments performed
in space, presented on their level of understanding in science demonstrations
prepared by NASA, and circulated to schools. These brief demonstration films
cover a variety of subjects and various scientific disciplines there was an
experiment with magnets in zero gravity,
[voice of Skylab astronaut] "They end up producing a flat spin. And the explanation for that is something I'm
not aware of, and it was a puzzle to me when I first saw it here the other
day, and that perhaps you can talk that over in your science classes and figure
out a good explanation." [male narrator]: Another experiment deals with the behavior of
liquid films in space. Astronaut Owen Garriott investigates the behavior of
minnow born in the zero gravity of space compared with those born on Earth.
Astronaut Alan Bean demonstrates the behavior of darts in a weightless
environment. Astronaut Edward Gibson on liquid floating zones. Skylab science
demonstrations on other subjects included fluid mechanics, human body
momentum, Rochelle salt growth, and the gyroscope, operating in zero gravity.
[voice of Skylab astronaut]" The spacecrafts systems- the Apollo system uses a little gyro like this-a set of them, and it uses these gyros to remember its orientation. Well, what we do, is we, and before we spin up the gyro..."
[male narrator] : Skylab. Man in space exploring for high school
students today, phenomena that cannot be observed on Earth. Skylab is also sure to
be noted as the first major scientific undertaking in which experiments
designed and supervised by high school student investigators, were carried out.
For these young scientists, Skylab opened onto space, their classroom walls, erasing
the limits with which students so young have always studied until now,
accelerating the process of learning at this age. [voice of student]: "Hello, I'm Kirk Sherhart from
Berkeley, Michigan. My experiment, Powder Flow in Zero Gravity,
ED 73, is part of the Student Skylab Project.
[voice of student]: "I'm Kent Brandt from Grand Blanc, Michigan, Student Investigator for this project. "
[voice of student]: "Hello, I'm Alison Hopfield from Princeton New Jersey, where I'm a Junior at Princeton Day School. I'm a
Student Experimenter on ED 21, Photography of Libration Clouds. "
[voice of student]: "I'm Vince Converse from Harlem High School in Rockford, Illinois. My Skylab Student Experiment
is Zero Gravity Mass Measurement. "
[voice of student]: "I'm Robert Staehle of the Harley School, in Rochester, New York."
[voice of student]: "Hi, I'm Joel Wordekemper from West Point, Nebraska, the Student Investigator for this experiment. On Earth, roots grow
towards gravity, or exhibit geotropism, while the stems grow towards light or
exhibit phototropism."
[voice of student]: "I'm Donald Slack, and I'm from Downey High School, in Downey, California. I'm one of the Skylab Student Experimenters."
[voice of student]: "Hi, I'm Cheryl Pelt and I'm the Student Investigator for the Skylab Student
Experiment ED 63. It's entitled "Cytoplasmic Streaming in Zero Gravity."
[voice of student]: "I'm Judy Miles. I'm from Lexington Massachusetts, and I'm the Student
Investigator for ED 52 "Web Formation and Zero Gravity."
[male narrator]: Over 3,400 students from high schools throughout the country submitted experiments for review by the
National Science Teachers Association. The experiments of 25 students were
selected for inclusion on Skylab.
[voice of student]: "Hi , I'm Todd Meister, the Student Investigator for Skylab experiment ED 32 "In-vitro Immunology."
[male narrator] : All 25 students either had their experiments flown on board, or were associated with NASA scientists on other
Skylab projects. All these students thus remained involved in the Skylab program.
a learning experience all of them enjoyed. Wouldn't you?
[voice of student]: "Hi, I'm Kathy Jackson. I'm from Clear Creek High School in Lake City, Texas, which is near Houston, Texas.
This is my experiment-ED 41, and it's
called, "A Quantitative Measure of Motor Sensory Performance in Prolonged Inflight, Zero G."
[sounds of pen hitting metal]
[voice of Skylab astronaut]: "Hey, another 45 seconds can't beat that. Well Kathy, I hope you learned something. It's been fun."
[male narrator]: Kathy learned something. So did her fellow Student Investigators, as they
followed up their experiments after Skylab returned its experimental data to
Earth. And so a new experience in secondary education began. An experience
spreading throughout America's schools today, where students not only benefit
from the impact of Skylab research, in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.
They also benefit from the fact, that for these students, Skylab opened the doors,
opened the walls of their schools, to a limitless expanse. And opened their
minds to unlimited speculation, and unlimited dreams. [voice of male student: "Teachers were limited
to a textbook, and what was printed in that textbook, where now they they can expand
it to live television programs, and visual aids. I mean it stands to
reason that somewhere out there floating in space, there has to be something just
other than space." [voice of female student]: " And we thought, well maybe you know, maybe in the future we say that some of us want to be
doctors or something. You know we say, well we're going to be like our parents."
[male student]: "We got much more response to the entire program itself,
which I don't think we would have. The experiment that I would do, probably, I
think would turn my attention toward the Sun. "
[male narrator]: Skylab was only the beginning .We are
on the verge of an era when man will launch a whole new generation of manned
space laboratories, regularly served by shuttles, to carry scientists, technicians,
experiments, and supplies, between Earth and space. As this new era of space
exploration begins, along with it will grow a new and continuously enriched
educational experience for students in America's schools.
An experience that will have an immeasurable impact on science and on
man, in the years that lie beyond tomorrow.
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