from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Take your students along for the ride as NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory embarks on one of its busiest years of launches and mission events yet! We’ve made it easy with our 2011 Classroom Launch Pad ( http://1.usa.gov/o178jH ), a handy list of classroom activities and resources directly tied in to key mission and science concepts and aligned with national science and math standards.

Study the ocean’s role in climate change with NASA’s Aquarius mission; follow the Juno mission on its journey to peer beneath the clouds of Jupiter; take a closer look at the moon’s interior with GRAIL; join the Dawn mission’s investigation of the giant asteroid Vesta; and prepare for launch with the next Mars rover, Curiosity.

The 2011 Classroom Launch Pad also features links to educational online and mobile apps, games and additional resources from NASA/JPL, including the Space Images app, Eyes on the Solar System, the Build a Space Mission game and JPL’s Educator Resource Center.

Keep your class engaged in space and science all year long with our newest feature: One Smart Thing, fun factoids from real JPL scientists, engineers, tour guides and other in-the-know personalities. Look for one of these interesting tidbits each Wednesday on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/NASAJPLStudents ) and Twitter ( http://twitter.com/#!/NASAJPL_Edu ). Or sign up to receive them automatically by text message. Simply text JPLSMART to 67463 to subscribe. (Message and data rates may apply. Must be 18 or older to subscribe.)

Want to hear from other teachers? Jessica Potter, who participated in this summer’s CSU STAR program, which gives aspiring teachers an opportunity to gain hands-on research experience, shares her story and tips at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/index.cfm?page=290#juno . Read more about the STAR program and find out how you can get involved, here: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/index.cfm?page=291 .