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Mercury Project

National History Day 2022-23&#8211;Frontiers In History:  People, Places, Ideas

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<h3 style="text-align: center;">Have Students Looking for Resources as They Participate in National History Day?</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Educate.Today is Here to Help with Hundreds of Videos Related to This Year&#8217;s Theme: Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.</h3>
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<li><a href="https://cdn.educate.today/2022/09/12171458/History-Day-2022-23-Topics-and-Keyword-Links-2.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Downloadable list of possible topics with links to ET videos on each subject</a></li>
<li><a href="/vid_page/sample-oral-history-and-expert-interviews" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Videos to use as examples and inspiration for obtaining oral histories or interviewing an expert</a></li>
<li><a href="/vid_page/sample-documentary-and-performance-videos" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Videos to use as examples and inspiration for creating a documentary or performance</a></li>
<li>Videos organized by topics that you can access via the thumbnails in the &#8220;Related Column&#8221; on this page</li>
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A certain percentage of the video collection is available for free in front of the membership wall, but full access to all videos on the website, including the videos available for download, and all other membership benefits is provided through a paid membership. Membership can occur in either of two ways:
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Not Familiar with National History Day and Want to Learn More? 
National History Day provides the following age groups and categories for student participation: 
Age Groups: 
Junior Division Grades 6-8 
Senior Division Grades 9-12 
Categories for BOTH Junior and Senior Divisions: 
Individual: Paper, Performance, Documentary, Exhibit, Website 
Group: Performance, Documentary, Exhibit, Website
To learn more, visit their website at <a href="https://www.nhd.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.nhd.org/</a>.

Check out our resources for National History Day 2022-23!

Firsthand History 20th Century:  America Goes to Space

SubArea Description: Experience America&#8217;s adventures in space exploration with astronauts, engineers, and scientists who worked on the missions accompanied by primary source images and video.
To view a video, just click on its thumbnail in the “Related” column to the right.

Experience America's adventures in space exploration with astronauts, engineers, and scientists who worked on the missions accompanied by primary source images and video.

America Enters the Space Race | Launching Project Mercury

Join us as we delve into the fascinating history of the Mercury missions with three pioneering engineers: Earl Robb, Wilber Dean Purdy, and Norman Beckel. In this exclusive interview, they share their incredible experiences and insights into the early days of space exploration. They begin by discussing the immense challenge of making calculations by hand and using analogue computers, a far cry from the digital tools available today. The engineers reflect on the uncertainty that surrounded space travel before the success of the Mercury Capsule, highlighting the tense atmosphere of the space race against the Soviets.
The conversation takes a closer look at the hazardous conditions of the pure oxygen environment inside the capsule, where a single spark could cause a catastrophic explosion. They reveal the meticulous handcrafting process of the capsule, with each rivet, screw, and terminal expertly assembled. The engineers also recount the innovative and cautious approach of training chimps to test the survivability of space travel for humans. With no satellites available, they had to maintain communication with astronauts via ground telecommunications, requiring stations spread worldwide.
The interview concludes with actual footage of an astronaut and engineers communicating during launch and orbit, providing a vivid glimpse into the past. The engineers share personal reflections on how the Mercury program impacted their lives, offering a unique and heartfelt perspective on this monumental chapter in space exploration. 
 
Quick Ideas for Using the Video with Students: 
Activity Ideas: 
1. Provide the video to students doing independent projects on the space race, space exploration, or related topics. 
2. Use the video as part of your study of American life in the 1950s and/or 60s and/or the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Go back in time to the beginning of America's space programs with engineers who worked on the Mercury project.  See how they designed and built a spacecraft from scratch.

History in the First Person | The Mercury Project

Join us as we delve into the fascinating history of the Mercury missions with three pioneering engineers: Earl Robb, Wilber Dean Purdy, and Norman Beckel. In this exclusive interview, they share their incredible experiences and insights into the early days of space exploration. They begin by discussing the immense challenge of making calculations by hand and using analogue computers, a far cry from the digital tools available today. The engineers reflect on the uncertainty that surrounded space travel before the success of the Mercury Capsule, highlighting the tense atmosphere of the space race against the Soviets.
The conversation takes a closer look at the hazardous conditions of the pure oxygen environment inside the capsule, where a single spark could cause a catastrophic explosion. They reveal the meticulous handcrafting process of the capsule, with each rivet, screw, and terminal expertly assembled. The engineers also recount the innovative and cautious approach of training chimps to test the survivability of space travel for humans. With no satellites available, they had to maintain communication with astronauts via ground telecommunications, requiring stations spread worldwide.
The interview concludes with actual footage of an astronaut and engineers communicating during launch and orbit, providing a vivid glimpse into the past. The engineers share personal reflections on how the Mercury program impacted their lives, offering a unique and heartfelt perspective on this monumental chapter in space exploration. 
Quick Ideas for Using the Video with Students: 
1. Provide the video to students doing independent projects on the space race, space exploration, or related topics. 
2. Use the video as part of your study of American life in the 1950s and/or 60s and/or the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Learn from the pioneers of America’s space race, the engineers who designed and built the Mercury capsule and the space systems that made it work.

How the Mercury Capsule Was Designed

New August 2022! Learn directly from engineers with NASA&#8217;s Mercury program and see NASA footage of the time as they describe the design, features, and building process for the Mercury space capsule.

New August 2022! Learn directly from engineers with NASA's Mercury program and see NASA footage of the time as they describe the design, features, and building process for the Mercury space capsule.

Talking About History:  The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom

Biographer George Leopold describe Gus Grissom&#8217;s rise from a small town in Indiana to his career as an astronaut for NASA.

Biographer George Leopold describe Gus Grissom's rise from a small town in Indiana to his career as an astronaut for NASA.

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Zugunruhe Experience: Leave the Nest, Spread Your Wings, Soar the World
The word Zugunruhe is a term derived from the German language that is best used to describe anxious behavior found within migratory birds seeking to take flight. Many of us have felt this same feeling at some point in our lives when things feel stagnant and a change needs to happen. At Zugunruhe Experience, we are the change that students have been seeking.
Zugunruhe Experience does not just offer student travel programs for some students, we offer student travel programs for every student.

Zugunruhe

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The Classroom Matters podcast aims to share the good, the bad and the ugly of our education system. Join Kristy Houle, former teacher, principal and current Outreach Coordinator for Educate.Today, as she talks with a wide variety of fascinating people on important and interesting educational topics.

Classroom Matters

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I Remember

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