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Bad Space Science in Waco

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
January 8, 2006

Waco teachers take ‘trip of a lifetime’ to NASA, Waco Tribune-Herald

“Touring NASA facilities, inspecting flight and anti-gravity simulators and talking with some of the world’s top engineers was a bit overwhelming, said Gwen Butler, Tennyson Middle School technology teacher.”

Editor’s note: I’m confused. Was this the (totally nonexistent) NASA device that simulates anti-gravity or was it the other (totally nonexistent) simulator that uses anti-gravity to train astronauts?

Reader comment:“What you have to understand is this teacher (and others like her) just simply are not up to speed with the space age. I’m sure she was overwhelmed. Most of the text books they use in schools here in Waco might have one or two pictures of the Mars Pathefinder mission and a picture of the ISS with two or three modules.

I’ll even bet that the Waco ISD science teachers don’t even know that the Falcon rocket engine tests were done at McGregor, TX which is 15 miles west-southwest of Waco at the old Hercules plant. I have actually heard the rocket test motor during the last year and I live nine miles to the east of the tripod test stand. Also, to my knowledge, the local paper has never made mention of the rocket tests that take place southwest of McGregor, TX.

It is also obvious that the David Doerr is not very educatedor he would haveask for clarification of her quote. In short, he made the teacher look like a fool. I think blame came be laid more at the newspaper’s feet than at the school teacher.

What is revealed here isNASA not connecting more to distant schools that are 50 miles or more away from each center more often. I think we have had one astronaut visit Midway ISD in the last seven years.

The other problem is interest in the subject. I have spoken to a couple of science teachers while my kids were attending a nearby school about space and the teachers just don’t seem interested in talking about the subject. I own a C-8 Celestron telescope.I volunteered to help host a school star party. I never received a call from the school.”

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.