Our most recent NASA videoconference during the 2011-2012 school year was held on May 11 as part of Space Camp Türkiye's Partner Schools Science Program.

Long Beach, California-based Lindsey Secondary School and Izmir, Türkiye-based SEV Elementary School connected to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, simultaneously, and students from each school learned about different characteristics of the solar system from scientist Scott Anderson. Students closely followed Mr. Anderson's class on the solar system and planets.

Mr. Anderson explained that the surface temperature of planet Mercury is too high due to its proximity to the Sun and the absence of an atmosphere. Anderson noted, “The length of Mercury’s rotation around its own axis is twice as long as its rotation around the sun. That is, if you were to go there for a few days of vacation, you would actually have a holiday for years.”

The videoconference ended after the students exchanged information about their projects and shared them with Mr. Anderson.