Space Month in Genius Numbers: Learn About Astronaut Sally Ride and Build Your Own Spaceship at Home
Genius content refreshes every month! This month, journey with Osmo into the far-out world of space and the Geniuses who’ve helped us understand it. We’ve put together special game updates, real-life genius stories, and real-world activities to assist you.
Share this week’s interactive, printable Space Month content with your child by clicking the button below, and scroll down for a preview!
Game Update
Check out Osmo Numbers for a limited-time “trip” to the Gulf of Mexico (only available this month!). Astronauts train nearby at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston!
Genius Spotlight: Sally Ride
Who knows space better than an astronaut? These adventurers spend years training in areas like parachute jumping, radio communications, and weightlessness to qualify for the opportunity to work onboard a space shuttle. From there, directors at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) pick crews for specific space missions. NASA has been launching space shuttles with humans on board for 60 years.
Sally Ride was getting her Ph.D. in Physics when she applied to be an astronaut. Her application outshone 8000 other applicants’, and she began working for NASA the next year. In 1983, Sally became the United States’ first woman, and the youngest person, to enter space. She was a mission specialist on board the STS-7. Her journey lasted for 6 days, and Sally said it was “the most fun I’ll ever have in my life.”
Sally is also the first known LGBTQ+ astronaut. She formed a non-profit with her partner called “Sally Ride Science,” to motivate young girls and minorities to follow their passion for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). After her death, Sally was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom, featured on a postage stamp, and made into a Barbie doll. Clearly, her braveness and quest for discovery left its mark on the world!
Real-World Activity: Space Shuttle of Your Dreams
Try this educator-approved activity at home. This week’s printable has instructions with photos!
Imagine you’re going on your first space expedition as a NASA astronaut like Sally. What would you want your space shuttle to look like? Using cardboard boxes, empty food containers, bottle caps, tissue paper, and whatever else inspires you from around the house to create the space shuttle of your dreams. Blast off!
