Morehouse School of Medicine
National Space Biomedical Research Institute Education and Public Outreach Program

Neurolab Education Program

Partnerships for Excellence in Science Education and Scientific Literacy for the Nation

The Brain in Space: A Teacher’s Guide With Activities for Neuroscience is written for middle and high school science teachers and students. The guide contains information on the scientific method, space life science research, space neuroscience, the nervous system, lessons and activities on the investigations done aboard the Neurolab Spacelab mission, and a glossary of terms.

The lessons and activities focus on specific effects of weightlessness and other aspects of the space environment on developmental and cellular neurobiology, vestibular function, spatial orientation and visuo-motor performance, autonomic nervous system regulation, and sleep and circadian rhythms. The activities are compatible with the National Science and Mathematics Education Standards. They emphasize hands-on/minds-on involvement, prediction, data collection, and interpretation. The guide engages students in the excitement of space life sciences investigations and is a valuable teaching tool for reaching life sciences curriculum objectives.

Exploring Two Frontiers: The Neurolab Space Shuttle is a one-hour television documentary chronicling the sixteen-day life sciences Neurolab Spacelab mission. Through four personal stories, the film engages the audience in the potential clinical applications that some of the Neurolab experiments have for thousands of people on Earth. Viewers gain an understanding of the rigorous science and safety requirements of manned spaceflight, and come to appreciate the invaluable contributions the scientists, crew members, and behind-the-scenes professionals make to ensure a successful mission.

The film was done in partnership with the Atlanta Educational Telecommunications Collaborative, Inc., and Public Broadcasting Atlanta-TV 30. It was aired on PBA-TV-30 in Atlanta on December 29 and 31, 1998. The documentary will be syndicated throughout the nation in 1999.

The Neurolab Education Program is funded under NASA Cooperative Agreement No. NCC 2-936