Did you know that NASA has several projects going on that rely on help from people like you?  In fact, more than 500 "citizen scientists" have been named as co-authors in scientific publications due to their contributions to NASA's research!  There are currently 43 collaborative projects underway.  You can read about all of them and how to contribute here.  You should also follow @DoNASAScience on X and @DoNASAScience on Facebook.  Here is a sampling of some of the projects.

NeMO-Net
NeMO-Net is a single player iPad game where players help NASA classify coral reefs!  Anyone with a cell phone or laptop can do this project.

Mountain Rain or Snow
Did you know that most weather stations can't tell if it's raining or snowing?  The best observation method is still the human eye!  This project relies on reporting from eye witnesses to support better weather resources and forecasting.  Anyone with a smartphone can do this project.

Landslide Reporter
Landslides occur in all environments and can cause sudden and unexpected damage.  Report landslides to NASA and help their scientists develop a predictive model of where landslides are likely to occur.  Anyone with a laptop can do this project.

Happy Earth Day!  As you know, at the Douglas Space and Science Foundation, we absolutely love planets--especially this one!  In honor of Earth Day, here are some STEM activities that you can do that are all about this planet we call home.

Make recycled paper
Materials:

• scrap paper cut into strips
• blender
  
• sieve
  
• bowl
  
• dish towels

1. Rip your scrap paper into small pieces.
2. Put your strips in a bowl.  Cover with warm water and soak overnight.
3. Put the contents of your bowl in the blender.  Fill the blender half full with water.  Blend to make pulp.
4. Put the pulp in a mixing bowl and mixing with your hands.
5. Put the sieve in the bowl.  Allow the pulp to settle over it.  Gently lift it with a layer of pulp covering it and let the water drain.
6. Put the paper on top of a dish towel.  Place another towel on top and pat off any excess water, then peel the top towel off carefully.
7. Carefully remove the paper from the sieve.  Flip it onto another dish towel, and cover with another towel to dry.
8. Once it is dry, carefully remove the dish towels.  You made recycled paper!

Learn how color affects temperature
Materials:

• black, white, and gray construction paper
• scissors
• three cardboard boxes, all the same size
• rubber cement
• thermometer

1. Cut the white construction paper so that it can cover all side of one of the cardboard boxes.
2. Use the rubber cement to attach the paper to the box as smoothly as possible.  (Try to avoid air pockets between the paper and the box.)
3. Do the same thing using the black and gray construction paper and the other boxes.
4. Place the thermometer inside the white box.  Take it outside and leave it in a sunny spot for 30 minutes.  Record the temperature on the thermometer.
5. Place the thermometer in the shade somewhere near the box (still outside.)  When it has adjusted, record the shady temperature.
6. Repeat these steps with the black and grey boxes separately.
7.  Look at your findings.  Which box was the warmest?  Which was the coolest?  The black box will likely be the hottest and the white box the coolest!

Grow seeds in eggshells
Materials:

• 24 egg shells
• soil
  
• seeds (you can use a couple of different kinds of seeds so you can compare)
  
• water
  
• spoon or small scoop
  

1. Set up your eggshells in the egg cartons and fill with the soil. 
2. Push one seed gently into the soil of each eggshell, making sure the seed is covered with dirt.
3. Use a small spray bottle to dampen the soil. Be careful not to over water.
4. Give the seeds three days to begin to grow.
5. Each day after that, break open an egg shell to observe each stage of seed growth!

Have fun!  If you have another great science project you'd like to share, tell us about it!

Natural recyclers are animals, plants, and fungi that break down dead things and waste into air, water, and nutrients.  Without them, the world would quickly run out of these essential ingredients of survival!  There are two main kinds of natural recyclers: detritivores and decomposers.

Detritivores are animals that eat detritus.  They chew, grind, and tear once-living things into tiny pieces.  Bacteria in their bodies helps them take the nutrients they need out of their food and then they deposit the rest back out into the world.  Click through the slideshow to see some examples of detritivores!

Decomposers are not animals.  They are other living things like bacteria and fungi.  They turn big things like proteins and fats into little molecules that other living things can use.  Click through the slideshow to see some decomposers!

Whew, Spring Break wasn't long enough.  We're ready for a vacation.  The moon sounds fun!  Come along with us as we imagine our way there.

If someone offered you a trip to the moon, would you take it?  Why or why not?
If our trip was three days long, what would you put on the itinerary?  What sort of exploration would you do?
Aside from a camera, what would you bring with you?
What would be the coolest thing about a trip to the moon?  What would be the worst thing?
If you were a tour guide on the moon, what would your day be like?

If you're feeling inspired, write a story about your trip to the moon and share it with us!

Check out this activity if you need some ideas.

Wow your friends and family with these cool tricks!

Disappearing Juice
Cranberry juice
Clear glass
Eyedropper
Bleach
1. Pour about half a cup of cranberry juice into the glass.
2. Use the eyedropper to add a little bit of bleach to the glass.  Keep adding bleach until the juice turns completely yellow.
3. Slowly pour a steady stream of cranberry juice into the glass and watch the color completely disappear!

Rainbow Milk
Milk
Food coloring
Toothpicks
Liquid soap
1. Pour some milk into a shallow bowl.  (Higher fat milk works best.)
2. Add one drop of four different colors of food coloring.  Put them close together but not touching.
3. Dip a toothpick in liquid soap and place it in the middle of the container, not touching any of the colors.
4.  Hold the toothpick down and watch what happens!

Magic Candle
Small candle
Glass
Plate
Lighter or match
Water
1. Place a small candle in the center of the plate.
2. Light the candle.
3. Pour some water onto the plate.
4. Place the glass over the candle.
5. As the flame is extinguished, the water on the plate will get sucked into the glass.