What Do You Think?
Join our Kids Off The Couch community to share your family’s favorite activities and to talk about how media impacts all of our kids’ lives.
View BlogExpress Yourself
Visit our new blog to discuss parenting Hot Topics and share your favorite KOTC adventures.
Rocket Science
Apollo 13 + Jet Propulsion Laboratories
Apollo 13 scores an A+ for transforming the story of NASA's near-disastrous 1970 moon mission into a riveting family film about American heroism. When the space capsule is damaged orbiting Earth, mission commander Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) utters the now-famous words "Houston, we have a problem." Americans stood by as the crisis unfolded on national television: three astronauts, on the verge of death, follow instructions from the ground crew to jerry-rig a device which, incredibly, saves their lives. When the capsule tears back through our atmosphere, we leapt from the couch with the same thrill that our nation felt thirty-five years ago.
Rocket science was looking like a pretty cool pursuit. Our kids made the equation that math and science had some thrilling applications, so it was easy to lure them to Cal Tech's Jet Propulsion Laboratories in Pasadena. We'd made reservations for a group tour months in advance. You can also visit the JPL's Open House this weekend during a popular, annual family event. On our behind-the-scenes visit we saw a sterile warehouse filled with real Mars and Moon discovery vehicles. We felt like we were in the movie when we sat in the viewing room of the Space Flight Operations Facility, the JPL's version of Mission Control that monitors satellites as they circle the Earth. Our favorite moment was listening to music, from Beethoven to the Beatles, that Caltech scientists chose to broadcast from far-flung satellites to any aliens who might be listening.
Want to know what we learned from watching this film with our family? Here are our buttery bits of wisdom:
- Apollo 13 is one of our favorite family films, a great choice for a Friday night screening party with another family. Kids over the age of seven will get an injection of history, enjoy a first-rate cast and stay glued to the screen to be sure Tom Hanks and his crew get home safely. From the incredibly realistic Cape Canaveral launch to the exhilarating splash down, the tension of this story doesn't stop. Parents, even if they've seen this film a few times, will find themselves reeled in by a satisfying and sophisticated film.
- There is mild profanity and a few references to one character's active sex life.
- Although just fifteen years old, this film rates as a classic because it potrays an important chapter in American history with historical accuracy. The filmmakers' production of the era and mission is flawless.
- Ron Howard began as a child actor on the Andy Griffith Show and is beloved for his work in Happy Days and American Grafitti. Today, he is one of Hollywood's most accomplished directors. This film, which won two Oscars (editing and sound) established Howard as a fine interpreter of American stories. He also directed Parenthood, Cocoon, A Beautiful Mind and this summer's sure-to-be-a-monster-hit The DaVinci Code.
Want to know how to talk to your kids about this movie? Here are some conversation starters:
- "Houston, we have a problem." Parents can point out how some lines become so popular that they enter the popular lexicon. Can they name other famous lines from films? Remind them of two of Dorothy's oft-repeated lines from The Wizard of Oz: "There's no place like home," and "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!"
- Televised launches from Cape Canaveral and splash-downs in the Pacific were moments that families gathered around the television to watch together in the 60s and 70s. A well made film often captures history better than a documentary or news program, but is it really history? When the kids ask if it is a true story, help them separate facts (names of astronauts, events on the spacecraft) from fiction (some of the dialogue).
- COOL FACT: Do you know what Triskaidekaphobia means?
A day at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories
4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena
Hours: Annual Open House: May 20-21, 2006. 9 am -5 pm.
Call to reserve space in a group tour (year round)
Contact: 818-354-4321 or www.jpl.nasa.gov
Time Allotment: 3.5 hours
Want to know what we learned by taking this adventure with our kids? Here are our buttery bits of wisdom:
- The JPL holds an Open House once a year, usually in May. Mark your calendars for an activity-filled family day and learn the latest about the Mars Rover and Cassini mission. Admission is free, but call for information: 818-354-0112. This event gets very crowded, so best advice is to arrive early on Sunday morning. Parking is free.
- To participate in a regular public tour, you must make a reservation several months in advance by calling 818-354-9314. The tour takes 2 1/2 hours, but is great for kids over eight, especially if they are interested in space. There are still spots available for the summer.
- It wouldn't be a government facility without a security screening. When making your reservation, the JPL will ask for each person's name in your group. No last minute substitutions allowed and a photo I.D. is required.
- Families can sign up for the JPL newsletter. Choose from a variety of subjects, including upcoming events and specific mission updates.
- Our favorite part of the tour was the mission control room where scientists monitor international satellites as they orbit the Earth. The kids thought it was cool that, even with all this sophisticated equipment, a satellite is 100% out-of-touch when it is on the other side of the earth.
Want to help your kids know their city? Here are some tidbits to help them learn more:
- JPL began as one big science experiment. In 1936, a group of Caltech rocket nerds called the "Suicide Squad" would blow things up in the desert. Their backyard experiments became rocket engines. The JPL has received funding from NASA since the late 1950s and is now the largest employer in the San Gabriel Valley. JPL is our country's most important space exploration facility, and is still run through Caltech.
- Orbiting satellites from the JPL monitor the Earth and send back important information about climate fluctuations.
- COOL FACT: The Mars Rovers landed on the red planet during the summer of 2003 but weren't supposed to survive the rough atmosphere for long. Years later they're still sending valuable information back to earth.
Want help motivating your family to get off the couch? Here's a project to do before you take your adventure.
- Log onto JPL's Planetary Photojournal and see the latest views from robotic explorers on Mars and other planets.
- During the JPL Open House, food and drinks are available for purchase on campus. On regular tour days, you'll want to pack a picnic lunch.
- For a sense of what is in the nightsky this month, log onto: www.stardate.org/nightsky/almanac
For more on outer space adventures click here and visit the Kids Off the Couch store at Amazon.com.
Click here for your iPod download:
- Apollo 13 by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
- Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra. Fill your life with song;
- Space Oddity by David Bowie. "Ground control to Major Tom.....";
- Space by Julian Lennon. Here comes the son
- Higher Ground by Delta Moon. Swamp blues rockers from Atlanta;
- Tang by Duke Ellington. A legend quenches your thirst for jazz; by Duke Ellington. A legend quenches your thirst for jazz;
- 2000 Light Years from Home by the Rolling Stones. Ethereal science fiction from the master rockers;
- Rocket Man (I Think it's Going to be a Long Long Time) by Elton John. You'd think we were totally spaced out if we didn't include this one.
Here are some interesting websites for further exploration:
- http://www.imax.com/magnificentdesolation/ A site from IMAX about their film Magnificent Obsession: Walking on the Moon. Take some time and play around on this cool site. We love the questionaire that quizzes kids about whether they have what it takes to be an astronaut (education guide, pages 14-15).
- http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/ The Zoom site has plenty of at-home science projects. Look under Engineering, and Forces for propulsion ideas.
- http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/ The joint NASA/JPL website runs a kids page called "The Space Place" with interesting, educational games. Click around to Cool Facts and Amazing Subjects for clear-cut explanations of basic science subjects; in Projects you'll find easy-to-make home projects.
- http://teachspacescience.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/searchkey.plex A handy NASA search engine helps students search for subject matter by grade level. Good for science homework help.