The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is giving U.S. students the chance to see what it's like to be a NASA scientist.
The space agency said students in the 5th to 12th grades can enter a competition in which they must conduct research on Saturn and then write an essay suggesting what targets would be the most valuable to the Cassini spacecraft, which will take images of three designated Saturn targets June 10.
Students must write a 500-word essay on why the images they choose would be the most scientifically rich. Essays will be judged by a panel of Cassini scientists, mission planners and by the NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory education and outreach team. Winners will be invited to discuss their essays with JPL Cassini scientists via a teleconference.
Entries are divided into three groups: grades five through six, seven through eight and high school. One winner will be chosen from each group. The deadline for entries is noon PDT May 8. All participants with valid entries will receive a certificate of participation.
More information about the competition is available at
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/scientist/
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
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