Check out the following NASA opportunities for the education community. Full descriptions are listed below.

DEADLINE TOMORROW: GRAIL Spacecraft Naming Contest
Audience: K-12 Students
Entry Deadline: Nov. 11, 2011

NASA’s DEVELOP Program -- 2012 Spring and Summer Sessions
Audience: 9-12 and Higher Education Educators and Students
Spring Session Deadline: Nov. 14, 2011
Summer Session Deadline: Jan. 30, 2012

2012 National Community College Aerospace Scholars Program
Audience: Higher Education Students
Application Deadline: Nov. 15, 2011

Electromagnetic Spectrum: Remote Sensing Ices on Mars Web Seminar
Audience: 8-12 and Informal Educators
Event Date: Nov. 15, 2011

SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassador Program
Audience: 5-12 Educators
Application Deadline: Nov. 15, 2012

Educator Resource Showcase Webcast -- RealWorld-InWorld NASA Engineering Design Challenge
Audience: 7-12 Educators
Event Date: Nov. 16, 2011

Algebraic Equations: Transit Tracks -- Finding Habitable Planets Web Seminar
Audience: Algebra Teachers and Informal Educators
Event Date: Nov. 17, 2011

Registration Open for the 19th Annual NASA Great Moonbuggy Race
Audience: 9-12 & Higher Education Educators and Students
Registration Deadline for International Teams: Jan. 9, 2012
Registration Deadline for U.S. Teams: Feb. 10, 2012

What's New at NASA's Space Place Website
Audience: K-6 Educators

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GRAIL Spacecraft Naming Contest

Launched on Sept. 10, 2011, the Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory mission, also known as GRAIL, will allow scientists to study the moon like never before. Using two twin spacecraft orbiting the moon at very precise distances, the GRAIL mission is designed to create a gravity map of the moon. This map will enable scientists to learn about the moon's internal structure and composition, and give scientists a better understanding of the moon's origin. Accurate knowledge of the moon's gravity could also be used to help choose future landing sites on the moon.

Now that they're on their way to the moon, the two robotic spacecraft, currently dubbed GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B, need real names -- ones that capture the spirit and excitement of lunar exploration. And NASA is looking for students to help with the naming duties.

U. S. students in grades K-12 are eligible. Entries should include the chosen names for the spacecraft, along with an explanation of why those names should be selected. Justification can be any length, from a short paragraph to a 500-word essay.

Entries are due Nov. 11, 2011. All entries must be submitted by teachers.

For more information about the GRAIL mission and to submit entries via the online entry form, visit http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/grail/namingcontest.cfm.

If you have questions about the GRAIL Naming Contest, please email grailcontest@jpl.nasa.gov.

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NASA’s DEVELOP Program -- 2012 Spring and Summer Sessions

DEVELOP is a NASA Science Mission Directorate Applied Sciences-sponsored internship that fosters the training and development of students in the atmospheric and earth sciences. The DEVELOP Program extends the application of NASA earth science research and technology to meet societal needs.

Students conduct projects that focus on the practical application of NASA’s earth science research and demonstrate how results can benefit partner organizations and local communities. Advisors and mentors, from NASA and partner institutions, provide guidance and support for the program. Students gain experience using NASA science and technology in a professional setting.

Students from high school through doctoral levels are selected through a competitive application process. Students chosen by DEVELOP work on teams onsite at 10 locations nationwide. Activities are conducted during three 10-week terms per year: spring, summer and fall. To apply to a DEVELOP center at a NASA location, applicants must be a citizen of the U.S. However, international students currently registered at an accredited school in the U.S. are eligible to apply to DEVELOP regional locations. International applicants must already have a visa that permits them to work in the U.S.

Applications for the spring 2012 session are due Nov. 14, 2011. Summer 2012 applications are due Jan. 30, 2012.

For more information about this unique internship opportunity, please visit the DEVELOP website at http://develop.larc.nasa.gov.

Questions about the DEVELOP Program should be directed by email to NASA-DL-DEVELOP@mail.nasa.gov or by telephone to 757-864-3761.

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2012 National Community College Aerospace Scholars Program

National Community College Aerospace Scholars is an interactive, online learning experience featuring engineering career possibilities. It is highlighted by an on-site experience where selected students are encouraged to study mathematics, science, engineering or computer science by interacting with engineers at NASA.

The only cost to participants is a $30 registration fee. NASA covers travel, food and lodging. NCAS is open to community college students throughout United States. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and have access to the internet.

Applications are due Nov. 15, 2011.

For more information and to apply online, visit http://ncas.aerospacescholars.org/

Questions about this opportunity should be directed to jsc-ncas@mail.nasa.gov.

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Electromagnetic Spectrum: Remote Sensing Ices on Mars Web Seminar

As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences, the NASA Explorer Schools project and the National Science Teachers Association are hosting a 90-minute web seminar on Nov. 15, 2011, at 6:30 p.m. EST. Learn how to use authentic NASA mission data to investigate the composition and distribution of ices in the high latitude regions of Mars through analysis of visible light, infrared light and gamma rays. The seminar includes information about a unique student extension activity, where students access a free computer simulation illustrating how gamma rays are used to determine the chemical composition of Mars.

For more information and to register online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES2/webseminar1.aspx.

To learn more about the NASA Explorer Schools project, visit http://explorerschools.nasa.gov.

Email any questions about this opportunity to NASA-Explorer-Schools@mail.nasa.gov.

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SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassador Program

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, is a 747 aircraft carrying a 2.5 meter-diameter telescope. The SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors Program is seeking middle- and high-school educators in teams of two to participate in an upcoming SOFIA flight. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal residents teaching in a U.S. school.

Applications are due Nov. 15, 2011.

For more information and to apply online, visit http://www.seti.org/epo/SOFIA.

Questions about this opportunity should be directed to Pamela Harman at pharman@seti.org.

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Educator Resource Showcase Webcast -- RealWorld-InWorld NASA Engineering Design Challenge

Join host Renee Elias from the Central Operation of Resources for Educators and special guest Sharon Bowers from the National Institute for Aerospace for an hourlong, free webcast on Nov. 16, 2011, at 3 p.m. EST. This webcast will focus on the RealWorld-InWorld NASA Engineering Design Challenge.

The RealWorld-InWorld NASA Engineering Design Challenge invites students in grades 7-12 to work cooperatively as engineers and scientists to solve NASA-related problems. This challenge helps students to see themselves as explorers and engineers by solving real-world problems. Students may choose design solutions related to either the James Webb Space Telescope or Robonaut2. Register for online resources prior to the Web Seminar by visiting www.nasarealworldinworld.org.

For more information and to view the webcast, visit http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/dln/index.html.

If you have any questions about the webcast, please email them to Renee Elias at RElias@lcjvs.net.

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Algebraic Equations: Transit Tracks -- Finding Habitable Planets Web Seminar

As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences for educators, the NASA Explorer Schools and Learning Environments and Research Network, or LEARN, projects are hosting a 60-minute live professional development Web seminar for educators on Nov. 17, 2011, at 7 p.m. EST. Discover how an algebra activity called “Finding Habitable Planets” will help you teach students to use their skills to analyze NASA data. Students learn about the possibility of discovering planets in habitable zones of solar systems.

For more information and to register online, visit https://digitalmedia.wufoo.com/forms/nes-webinar-registration-algebraic-equations/.

To learn more about the NASA Explorer Schools project, visit http://explorerschools.nasa.gov.

Email any questions about this opportunity to the NES Help Desk at NASA.Explorer.Schools@mail.nasa.gov.

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Registration Open for the 19th Annual NASA Great Moonbuggy Race

Registration is open for the 19th Annual NASA Great Moonbuggy Race. High school and college students are challenged to design and build a vehicle that addresses a series of engineering problems similar to those faced by the original lunar-roving vehicle team. Each school may enter up to two teams. International teams are limited to 10 teams per country. The race will take place April 13-14, 2012, in Huntsville, Ala., at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

International teams must register by Jan. 9, 2012.
U.S. teams must register by Feb. 10, 2012.

For more information about the competition and to register online, visit http://moonbuggy.msfc.nasa.gov/index.html.

International teams with questions about this event and registration should email Marilyn Lewis at Marilyn.H.Lewis@nasa.gov. U.S. teams with questions should contact Diedra Williams at Diedra.A.Williams@nasa.gov.

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What's New at NASA's Space Place Website

Space is not always about, um, space. Often it′s about Earth, our home and about us, how we are changing Earth. Getting into orbit above it all gives us a whole different perspective on our beautiful and precious planet. What new things can we learn about Earth -- from space?

New at spaceplace.nasa.gov
One type of Earth-observing spacecraft is the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, also known as GOES, built by NASA and operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The GOES are workhorse satellites doing everyday tasks; they watch and warn of developing severe weather, monitor events such as floods and fires, and monitor solar storms that can have damaging effects on Earth.

The next generation of the GOES, series “R,” will produce much more data, and of higher resolution, than the current GOES, that meteorologists and other scientists on the ground who receive and depend on the GOES data are building new computer systems to handle the huge influx that will be coming from GOES-R.

A fun, colorful -- dare we say addictive -- new game on The Space Place has you hopping around like mad to keep up with this incoming wealth of information. The game is called “Satellite Insight.” Its game “pieces” represent data from the kinds of observations the satellite’s advanced instruments will be making, in order to reinforce the power and importance of studying Earth’s -- and the sun’s -- dynamic processes from space. Check it out at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/satellite-insight.

We have also created an iPhone version of the game. It is NOAA’s first iPhone app and only NASA’s second iPhone game. Search for “Satellite Insight” at the Apple iTunes App Store.

Space Place en español
Earth from space isn’t all business, however. “Spuzzled” has interactive puzzles that showcase Earth as art” The astonishing, natural color images are from LandSat 7. They show unique views of Earth from all over the world. With short captions and a big locator star on a world map,  the puzzle sneaks in a little bit of geography with the art and fun. To give Spuzzled a try, visit http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/sp/spuzzled.

Focus on tsunami from space!
Another way to look at Earth from space is at an angle, or, better yet, from nine angles all at once. “Getting the right angle on the story” describes and shows how a special instrument on the Terra satellite can spot a tsunami from space. Although satellites might not be able to warn people on endangered coastlines in time, the information is being used to study how tsunamis behave when they hit a coastline. This understanding, along with the ocean-based tsunami warning system, will improve tsunami evacuation plans and, hopefully, save many lives. To learn more about tsunamis, visit http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/tsunami.

For the classroom
Katrina will, for a long time (we hope), be considered the “mother of all hurricanes” of the century. Our Katrina poster, which you can download to print, shows the monster hurricane from space as it bore down on the Gulf states. The poster explains how the GOES satellite tracked the storm, evaluated its severity and predicted its track. On the back of the poster (which you can easily print as individual pages) is an easy-to-understand explanation of how hurricanes form and a student activity comparing the predicted and actual storm tracks. Download the Katrina poster at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/posters/#katrina.

For out of school time
For the younger set, we have the GOES and GOES-R fun activity books to download and print. Each booklet has 14 pages of simple word, picture and coloring activities for early readers. The theme? Weather. Weather is an adventure! To download the booklets, visit http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/posters/#funpad.

Special Days
Month of November: Aviation History Month
Find out from Dr. Marc how airplanes ever got off the ground in the first place. http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/dr-marc-technology

Nov. 5: Gunpowder Day
This is an explosive subject, but historically and scientifically important, nonetheless. See how you can use it to explain how orbits work at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/how-orbits-work.

Nov. 8, 1895: X-rays discovered by W. C. Roentgen.
Find out where X-rays fit into the electromagnetic spectrum by taking a stroll through the “Land of the Magic Windows,” http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/magic-windows.

Nov. 27, 1571: Birthday of Johannes Kepler
Kepler is considered the founder of modern astronomy. Find out why from Dr. Marc at http://tinyurl.com/dr-marc-kepler.

Dec. 6, 1945: Percy Spencer invented the microwave oven.
Another opportunity to check out the electromagnetic spectrum. See where microwaves fit in as you play “Photon Pile-up” at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/photon-pileup.

Dec. 11, 1719: The aurora borealis was first recorded in New England.
Find out about space weather, the cause of this beautiful light show, at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/spaceweather.

Dec. 14: Geminids Meteor Shower
Moonlight makes viewing not so great this year. But, you can still learn about meteor showers and prepare for the next good, moonless meteor shower, the Lyrids, on April 21 and 22, 2012. http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower

Last words . . .
We’ve given you just a sample of the earth-science related resources on The Space Place. We encourage you to explore our Earth menu for yourself and see what else there is to explore, do and play.

iPhone and iTunes are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.

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Don't miss out on education-related opportunities available from NASA. For a full list of Current Opportunities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/current-opps-index.html.

Visit NASA Education on the Web:
For Educators: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html
For Students: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html
NASA Kids’ Club: http://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub