BY DAVE CHOATE
Most of the year, Mark Kibler teaches physics and earth and space sciences at Weare Middle School. In late June of this year, he had the chance to add another title to his resume: astronaut-in-training.
“It was fantastic. We were there for eight days and learned all the basics of astronaut training, from soup to nuts,” Kibler said.
Kibler was the only New Hampshire teacher selected for the Honeywell Educators At Space Academy program, which the company has been running at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala, since 2004. Honeywell Hometown Solutions coordinator Lisa Mata said that over 685 teachers were invited from 48 states and 35 countries
Once at Marshall, educators participated in activities from dawn to dusk. Those included a simulated space walk in a zero gravity environment, a helicopter evacuation simulation, and a mock space repair which featured radio communication between astronauts, shuttle members and ground control.
“We were in a full-sized laboratory that was built up to do a space walk. It was amazing how realistic it was and how big the whole facility was,” Kibler said.
He said what he learned will give him plenty of new ideas to teach his students in the fall. As an example he spoke about using a spectrometer, a tool which his students will be able to use in order to figure out a rock’s composition by looking at how light waves hit it.
The same technique was used by NASA in order to see what kind of substances the surfaces of the moon and Mars were composed of, Kibler said.
With NASA planning a mission to the moon in 2010 to attempt to colonize the planetary body, Kibler thinks experiences like his are even more valuable to teachers.
“Today’s teachers are the front line for tomorrow’s astronauts,” he said. “Our students will be the engineers and flight crews for missions like (the moon flight).”
Kibler said the program provided excellent inspiration for his next classroom full of future astronauts, as it gave him new insights into space programs and some professional contacts from NASA. He said he is hoping Weare Middle School will attempt to sign up for the “Explorer School” program, where NASA sets up talks and educational materials for students over the course of three years.
Kibler applied for the teachers’ program in November 2006 and became the only applicant from the state accepted this past February.
A few weeks before he attended camp, Kibler and some his students were in Huntsville launching a rocket 4,933 feet in the air as part of the Weare school’s rocketry team.
In addition to his space training, Kibler had a chance to room with a pair of teachers from Hanover, Germany. He also counted teachers from India, France, Australia and others among his flight crew.
That international experience is behind him now, but Kibler knows he will use what he learned – and enjoyed – to teach new skills to his students far into the future. He wants to see more teachers from New Hampshire get a shot next year.
“I would encourage math and science teachers to seek this program out and apply for it. I think the odds are good that we can send more teachers, and this program can really augment what we do in the classroom,” he said.