Resources for Educators and Parents

NASASpaceflight provides engaging, interactive, and informative resources for teachers and parents to help get students excited about spaceflight. Combining a unique blend of technical detail, appropriate humor, and raw joy of spaceflight that keeps everyone interested. The family-friendly content, suitable for all ages, is available as live/interactive streams, on-demand video, and written format.

Here’s how you can get young spaceflight enthusiasts involved:

- Display in your classroom, cafeteria, or break room
- Include in educational resource lists and activities
- Watch at home with kids, parent, grandparents, and neighbors
- Send to your friends and share on social media

Guide to NSF Resources:

LIVE: Launch Livestreams

Join the NSF team for live, interactive commentary and Q&A sessions during rocket launches. Covering launches worldwide, usually with NSF team members on-location, the team takes moderated questions from YouTube chat. Submit questions for your classroom or family during the event.

A lunchtime treat! My students saw the time-lapse stacking video, and then got to see the de-stacking live. Thanks for the stream, @NASASpaceflight @BCCarCounters @KSpaceAcademy ! #StarshipAtSchool pic.twitter.com/dXtine1Arx

— Dr. Kathleen Holley (@DrHolley) February 14, 2022

Where: NSF Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/nasaspaceflightvideos

When: Typically 45-60 minutes before launch, allowing ample time for Q&A

Note: ”Scrubs” (canceled launches) can happen, due to weather, equipment, and launch area reasons. Remind your students: “You’d rather be on the ground wishing you were flying than flying wishing you were on the ground.”

Dr Holley STEM Resources:

Click on these worksheets to learn basic background information about crewed, cargo resupply, or satellite rocket launches.

They may be used during live or recorded launch streams on the NSF YouTube channel. The NSF website has news stories for launches that have the same information.

For helpful translation during streams, there’s a list of acronyms and initialisms that are frequently used.

If you’ve ever wanted to talk with an astronaut on the International Space Station via amateur radio, there’s information to help with that, too.

LIVE: Starbase LIVE

NSF’s 24/7 Livestream with multiple webcams covering rocket development and testing at SpaceX’s Starbase facility located near Brownsville, TX.

Watch workers build and test the massive stainless steel rockets Elon Musk hopes will take us back to the Moon and onward to Mars.

Where: http://nasaspaceflight.com/starbaselive

When: Available live 24/7.

Note: Activity can vary, from ice forming on tanks and rocket engines firing… to massive cranes lifting and fitting together the massive starship parts… to a quiet day with little visible activity.

LIVE: Fleetcam

Live from Port Canaveral, Florida 24×7, watch SpaceX’s marine assets recover and process orbital-class rocket boosters.

The “Automated Spaceport Drone Ship” portable landing pads can be seen entering the port with flown rocket boosters standing tall.

Specialized recovery ships Bob and Doug (named after the astronauts who flew early SpaceX Crew Dragon capsules) might be caught recovering payload fairings, practicing recovery ops with mock space capsules, or moving equipment with their huge cranes.

Where: http://nasaspaceflight.com/fleetcam

When: Available live 24×7.

Note: Activity can vary, but tends to pick up when a flown booster enters port. When one is there, you can’t miss it.

LIVE: NSF Live

NSF’s weekly spaceflight talk show, covering all things space from the previous week. Focused on live audience Q&A concerning timely space topics, with a rotating cast of hosts and special guests.

Where: NSF Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/nasaspaceflightvideos

When: Sundays at 3 PM ET (8 PM UTC).

LIVE: Virtual Astronomy Nights w/ Intrepid Museum

In partnership with the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in NYC (home of Space Shuttle Enterprise) this is NSF’s monthly show with special guests from all areas of space science and technology.

Each show covers a specific topic and includes live Q&A with Astronauts, Engineers, and Scientists from NASA and beyond.

Where: NSF Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/nasaspaceflightvideos

When: Third Sunday of each month at 3 PM ET (8 PM UTC).

Note: Find more information and sign up for event reminders at http://intrepidmuseum.org

On-Demand: Starship Update Videos

Weekly, bite-sized, narrated summaries of the SpaceX Starship development program, with a focus on Starbase and McGregor, Texas – through to SpaceX’s East Coast Starship development.

Where: NSF Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/nasaspaceflightvideos

When: Typically posted on Mondays after a period of high activity.

On-Demand: Starbase Daily Videos

NSF’s daily, visual update video of Starship development at SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas.

Non-narrated audio-visual experience that helps convey an appreciation for the work and people that make space exploration possible.

Where: NSF Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/nasaspaceflightvideos

When: Summary Video for previous day’s activity available each morning ET.

On-Demand: Kennedy Space Center Development Flyovers

Aerial footage, gathered via flights over NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and surrounding areas, narrated to explain new developments in rocket build, test, and launch facilities for providers such as SpaceX and Blue Origin.

With audio and graphical overviews to include views of what is being constructed on the Space Coast.

Where: NSF Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/nasaspaceflightvideos

When: Available every 1-2 weeks, depending on the previous week’s activity.

On-Demand: Special Event Videos

For special events, such as the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, NSF makes focused, narrated, deep-dive videos on a single topic.

NSF covers launches in person with our own cameras and production.

Where: NSF Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/nasaspaceflightvideos

When: 1-2 times per month subject to scheduling of events.

Written: News Articles

NSF’s expertly-written news articles cover the width and breadth of spaceflight activities and can be cited as sources for projects and research papers.