Hosting Organization: Girl Scouts of Central & Southern NJ – Service Unit 303
County: Camden
Girl Scouts of Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, and Merchantville hosted a STEM event for Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador (middle- and high school-aged) Girl Scouts. At this event, older Girl Scouts had the opportunity to learn about Christina Koch, a former Girl Scout and NASA astronaut who served as a mission specialist on the Artemis II mission, which launched on April 1. The event was held in March, during New Jersey STEM Month and Women’s History Month.
Middle and high school Girl Scouts watched a NASA introduction video about Christina Koch before designing lunar landers using everyday materials. The Girl Scouts worked in teams to design a structure that would protect a mini astronaut figure when dropped from a ladder.
After testing their lunar landers, the group was joined by Amy Barraclough, Director of the Edelman Planetarium at Rowan University. She presented the “Roving With Perseverance” program, which uses a set of materials to tell the story of the Perseverance rover and its mission to discover signs of ancient life on Mars. Through this hands-on experience, the Girl Scouts learned about the science and engineering behind planetary exploration. Barraclough also shared materials used on NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover and asked open-ended questions to encourage deeper thinking and engagement with the processes involved in Mars exploration.
Through hands-on interaction with Girl Scouts from multiple troops and Barraclough’s presentation, attendees gained a greater understanding of space science and exploration ahead of the upcoming Artemis II launch. Participants also commemorated their experience with a special Artemis II patch for their uniforms.