If you've read her book series that started with Across the Universe, 2nd was A Million Suns - which had a wicked cliffhanger that I am dying to get my hands on the last book to figure it out, and that 3rd book is Shades of Earth, you know she must be a fan of space and of course so it naturally follows, NASA.
I, too, have been a huge fan of NASA, and it has been ever since I was a little girl. I think my love of all things to do with space started with my maternal grandfather. He was really into Astronomy and had a really nice telescope. When we would go to his house to visit, he would talk about all that stuff, and I'm sure I hung on every word. I still have the magazines called Odyssey that I read as a kid. I even had a pen pal from the magazine for the longest time. And she actually moved to my town when I was probably a teenager, I remember having a sleepover, but then her moving away again. I think. That was a long time ago. I probably still have all my letters from back then too! The movie Space Camp was out when I was in middle or high school, and I remember Bubblicious Bubble Gum had one of those contests that you had to send in the wrappers and you would be entered to win a trip to the real Space Camp. I didn't win the trip, but in my first big contest win ever, I won some astronaut food packets! I probably have those somewhere still too. I'm a bit of a packrat, not only with books as I've mentioned before, but also with things that are sentimental to me.
Now as a science teacher I have an even greater respect for NASA. The amount of resources that they provide, completely FREE of charge, for me to use in my classroom is amazing. And when it seems that the budget keeps getting cut, not to mention how much I feel was taken away with losing the shuttle program. As I discuss with my students when we study space, NASA and the space program has been responsible for so many things that we take for granted today. I love having my students see how large the NASA budget is. But then, showing them the comparison of that to the total amount of money the US spends, they are often amazed at what a small percentage NASA really gets.
Space has always been one of my favorite topics. I am a science teacher, and love that space is part of my curriculum. In fact, with the rest of what I teach the year, it is my favorite subject! I love that with my Honors Class, I get to see some really creative projects with their assignments. And it is the one time of the year that I have trouble getting through with what my plans are for the day because students have so many questions they want to ask. And even though it may go away from the specific part of space we're talking about, they're always on topic and so interested!
Tell me, what do you think of NASA? Of space even? Would you be willing to go into space? I think of writing a novel about such a story, but can't ever get myself started. Maybe some day. If I can just finish the other novel I have gotten the farthest on, I can make myself move on and start that one. But for now, I'm going to just continue enjoying the wonderful stories told by Beth Revis and other awesome authors like her. And if you'd like to get in on the contest in the last few days of the month, follow this link: The Month of NASA with Beth Revis.
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