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Year One of the Space Exploration program may use the following free and/or open source software.  You can download current versions for any computer you have at home at no cost.  (This software should already be installed on your computers at school):

• Concept mapping tool: Cmap (Windows, Mac, Linux) 
• Office Suite: OpenOffice.org (Windows, Mac, Linux) 
• Image editor: GIMP (Windows, Mac, Linux)
• Web-based slide show creator: JAlbum (Windows, Mac, Linux) 
• Image analyser: ImageJ (Windows, Mac, Linux) 
• Earth map: GoogleEarth (Windows, Mac, Linux) 
• Orbit and other simulators: PhET (Windows, Mac, Linux) 
• Mathematical modeling and plotting software: MathTrax (Windows, Mac, Linux) 

We have also created a short instruction manual for these programs that can be downloaded as a pdf file here:

• Software manual

The Space Exploration program makes use of concept maps and presentations you will create and share with various audiences.  The following links take you to short courses on concept mapping, presentation skills, and finding reliable information from various sources.

• Concept Mapping
• Creating Dynamic Presentations
• The Right Stuff: How to Find Good Information

The following list of online resources may prove valuable for Year One of the Space Exploration program (From the Earth to the Moon):

• Mission Patches  
• Dryden Education - Making Mission Patches  This Dryden Resources for Educators page contains mission patch information
• In the Shadow of the Moon
• GRIN Great Images in NASA
•  Agência Espacial Brasileira - AEB
• The Open Video Project :: Video Results
• Challenger Center for Space Science Education  Challenger Center uses students' natural enthusiasm for space to create innovative learning experiences for imaginative young minds. By transforming the way teachers teach and students learn, Challenger Center is creating a new generation of explorers.
• NASA Robotics - Education : Matrix
• Windows to the Universe
• NASA - International Space Station: National Laboratory Education Concept Development Report
• Flawless launch for Europe's automated space freighter | Science | The Guardian
• ESA - ATV
• Earth As Art - Index of Images
• NASA STI Program Home Page  NASA's Scientific and Technical Information (STI) website helps you locate, obtain, and publish NASA aerospace information and find national and international information pertinent to your research and mission. The results of 20th century aeronautics and aerospace research and development have been captured, organized, and stored by the NASA STI Program. New information is continually announced and made available as it is acquired, making this a dynamic and historical collection of value to business, industry, academia, federal institutions, and the general public. The STI Program offers products and tools that allow efficient access to the wealth of information derived from global research and development efforts.
• Space Explorers  Space Explorers, A product of TLRI, a non-profit educational organziation focused on: Literacy Education, Cooperative Learning, Space Shuttle Simulators and Team-based Education.
• NASA - NASA-International Space Station
• Beginner's Guide to Aerodynamics Problem Sets
• NASA - NASA EDGE
• NASA: TERRA (EOS AM-1)  TERRA Mission Public Outreach Portal
• Visible Earth: Home  NASA's Visible Earth catalog of NASA images and animations of our home planet
• 2 Liter Soda Pop Bottle Rocket
• RocketModeler II 2.1f beta
• Interactive Program Downloads
• NASA - Education Materials
• Geosynchronous orbit derivation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Circular orbit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Welcome to the NSSDC!  National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) Home Page
• Lagrangian point - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation
• Enter the Firing Room S0007 Simulation - Instruction Page
• NASA Robotics - Robotics Alliance Project
• NASA/MSU-Bozeman CERES Project Educational Activities
• NASA Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio
• Space Exploration: Timeline
• Timeline of space exploration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Tsiolkovsky rocket equation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• NASA - NASA-International Space Station
• NASA - IMAGE Education and Public Outreach
• Space Studies Institute  Space Studies Institute a nonprofit educational and research organization. Founded in 1977 by Dr. Gerard K. O'Neill, Gerard O'Neill, Princeton University professor and author of The High Frontier, SSI sponsored and conducted research into areas such as solar power satellites, lunar bases, space colonies, asteroid mining, and mass drivers.
• NASA LIMA: Faces of Antarctica  The mission of the NASA LIMA Faces of Antarctica Website is to familiarize the public with Antarctica, its vast ice sheet, and why what happens there matters to us all.
• Landsat Image Mosaic Of Antarctica (LIMA)
• LIMA Quest Challenge
• Sputnik Mania A Film By David Hoffman
• The Fever of '57  The Fever of '57 film and companion educational website in conjunction with the 50th anniversary celebration of Sputnik, Man's Evolution into Space, Explorer 1, and NASA (2007-2008).
• Map: Space Junk | Solar System | DISCOVER Magazine Garbage zipping through space could shatter a spececraft or crash into Earth. Visit Discover Magazine to read this article and other exclusive science and technology news stories.
• NASA - Artificial Satellites
• Sputnik
• The Coalition for Space Exploration  NASA space advocacy group presenting vision for space exploration and benefits of the space industry related to new technologies
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics - Home Page  AIAA is the shaping, dynamic force in aerospace - The forum for innovation, excellence and global leadership.
• Lockheed Martin Space Day - Lockheed Martin Space Day (Home)
• National Space Society
• NASA - NASA and Afterschool Programs: Connecting to the Future
• SPACE.com -- Space Debris a Growing Problem, NASA Report Says
• Earth Observatory: News
• Earth Observatory: Missions
• NASA CORE - DVD/Field Trip to the Moon DVD
• NASA Science - Science Mission Directorate
• International Year of Astronomy 2009
• SpaceTrips.com - Aim for the Stars  Spacetrips.com is your one stop destination to learn anything you ever wanted to know about Space Travel and Tourism. Stop by and browse our forums and join in the excitement of the final frontier - Space Tourism!
• NASA - Innovative Tools for an Out-of-This-World Job
• Rocket Aerodynamics
• Escape velocity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• NASA Science - Science Mission Directorate
• NASA Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio  
• FoilSim and CurveBall Download
• NASA - NASA Podcasting
• Spudis Lunar Resources - SLR
• Rocketry, film and fiction: the road to Sputnik
• history.nasa.gov
• NASA - Why We Explore
• The Mystery of Gravity : The Astronomy Cafe : Dr. Sten Odenwald
• Educational Outreach
• Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
• Moon Fountains
• Powers of Ten
• EarthPulse, Maps, Global Trends, Human Impact - National Geographic Discover our changing world through interactive maps, diagrams, satellite imagery, and more.
• The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth hosts the best and most complete online collection of astronaut photographs of the Earth.
• Paper Airplane Designs Paper airplane designs (video and diagrams) on Alex's paper airplanes. LEARN TO FLY...
• Exploratorium Magazine: Paper: Airplanes
• Project 3D-VIEW - Overview
• Academy of Model Aeronautics - Priceless Fun - by Paul Billings
• NASA - Engineering Design Challenges: Spacecraft Structures Educator Guide
• NASA - Engineering Design Challenges: Thermal Protection Systems Educator Guide
• NASA - NASA Education Communication Strategy Brochure
• NASA - North America: A Geographer's View From Space
• Tulips On The Moon PhysOrg news: Tulips On The Moon
• NASA Space Science Education Resource Directory
• National Air and Space Museum Educational Programs
• A Matter of Scale
• NASA Quest > Webcasts  NASA Quest is dedicated to bringing NASA people and science to classrooms through the internet. Space Team Online, Aerospace Team Online, Solar System Online, and Deep Space Online. NASA Quest is the ultimate resource for educators and kids interested in meeting and learning about NASA people and space science.
• NASA - Cleaning Water Activity
• NASA - 21st Century Explorer
• Google Lunar X PRIZE
• NASA - NASA 50th Anniversary Website
• CSERD: Space Ship Pilot Model
• NASA Spinoff homepage
• NASA Home and City : When We Left Earth : Discovery Channel  See how technology developed by NASA for space exploration has found wide application in your home and everyday life.
• Reduced Gravity Home
• The Drop Tower Microgravity Demonstrator
• Brazing in Space: Enabling the Next Frontier 200510025
• Index for 2005 Welding Journal
• Lost in space: the killer screwdriver | Science | The Guardian  Astronomers working for the European Space Agency (ESA) warned yesterday that space is so full of rubbish that it has become a danger to the people and satellites in it.
• Home Made Biospheres
• Academy of Model Aeronautics - Educator's Packet
• Scaled Composites - Tier One / SpaceShipOne Home Page
• Howstuffworks "Spaceports of Today and Tomorrow"  The spaceports of today usually don't launch people into space -- they launch satellites. Find out more about the spaceports of today and tomorrow.
• Virgin Galactic
• NASA - Constellation Main
• Course: Stellar Evolution: Star Structure and Function
• Science NetLinks: Science is a Breeze: Using Wind Tunnels
• NASA Orbital Debris Program Office  The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office is located at the Johnson Space Center and is the lead NASA center for orbital debris research. It is recognized world-wide for its leadership in addressing orbital debris issues.
• Basics of Space Flight Section I. The Environment of Space  Participants will identify the range of concepts associated with robotic interplanetary space flight and grasp how they relate to one another.
• NASA - Propulsion Systems of the Future
• Ad Astra Rocket Company homepage  Plasma Rocket Propulsion Company.
• Centauri Dreams
• Duct Tape and NASA
• NASA - Moondust and Duct Tape
• NASA - Terra
• NASA - Aqua
• The New York Times on AOL: Sputnik
• NASA - Exploration Systems Mission Directorate
• NASA - NASA Glenn Home
• NASA Anatomy: How Space Technology Improves Human Health