Star Gazing
Time to look up to the sky once again, but this time at NIGHT! According to the Farmer’s Almanac there will be a meteor shower later this week! This Thursday and Friday, July 28-29th, the Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower will be taking place! So, in order to prepare, we will be learning about Hall of Fame General Thomas P. Stafford and all about outer space. General Stafford, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1952, went on to join the United States Air Force. However, he was quickly selected by the National Aeronautical and Space Administration to become an astronaut! He flew four missions and six rendezvous in space while on the Gemini and Apollo programs. We went on to lead a very successful career with the Air Force and retired as a lieutenant general in 1979. He even has his very own museum: the Thomas P. Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma. Are you ready to blast off!?
Supplies!
- Baking Sheet Pan
- 1lb of Flour
- Cocoa powder
- Rocks of various sizes
- Make a Constellation Template PDF
- Black Craft Foam (or Black Construction Paper)
- Block of Foam (or Cardboard or something to prevent damage to the tabletop)
- Thumbtack (or something that can poke through paper uniformly)
- Tape
- White Crayon
Watch This! There is a limitless amount of unanswered questions about the night sky! However, it is important to understand the basics before getting lost among the stars. Watch these videos to better understand what is up above.
Storytime! Believe it or not, sometimes history and history books are not always 100% accurate. Sometimes people and their stories are left out and almost forgotten. However, the truth will always find a way, read along and learn about some hidden figures in space explorations who were almost forgotten. Don’t forget you can also look for these books at your closest public library!
Test It Out! Want to create your own craters as well as sharpen your scientist skills? Grab a few rocks of different sizes and some basic baking essentials and you are all set! Watch along as we test out different sizes of rocks falling at different heights! This experiment mirrors what actually happens in space as they different size meteors enter the orbits of planets or even the moon!
Field Trip! If possible why not take some field trip to some very museums here in Oklahoma City or General Stafford’s own museum in Weatherford! Firstly, the Oklahoma History Center has an amazing exhibit entirely dedicated to Oklahomans’ direct influence and advancement on space exploration! Secondly, Science Museum Oklahoma has one of the best planetariums in the STATE! You travel across the universe from your chair! Lastly, why not go to the Stafford Air and Space Museum!
Keep learning more of Oklahoma’s Story! We hope you enjoyed learning about General Thomas Stafford and meteor showers, the moon, stars and the rest of Solar System, We also hope you enjoyed creating your own constellations and lunar phase chart! Just goes to show how impactful Oklahomans can be! Be sure to come back next week to learn more about great Oklahomans.
Want to show us your artwork? We love to share here at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame! Please share pictures of your arts & crafts with us at pics@oklahomahof.com. We hope you have a lot of fun and hope to see back here next week!