S’COOL Project By NASA
A CERES—Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System—satellite is a scientific instrument designed and launched by NASA to collect data in the hopes of discovering how clouds may affect the Earth’s climate. In order to assist scientists in validating the information collected by the satellite, NASA has designed the Students’ Cloud Observations On-Line (S’COOL) project where children record daily ground data for comparison. Registration is simple and students will have a blast with this project! To get the most out of this activity, NASA suggests your students be at least ten years old. If other teachers on your floor wish to be a part of the fun, registration encompasses the entire school, so more than one class and age group can participate in the project. Ground measurements including the type, amount, and features of clouds in the sky need to be take at the exact time the CERES satellite passes over your location, so use the resources found on NASA’s website or ask a project expert to determine at what time this occurs each day.
This is a great opportunity for students to practice collecting real data, learn about space, and learn about the Earth’s weather patterns. As the project continues, NASA has kindly provided a non-exhaustive list of educational applications just in case you run out of ideas!
NEA - To Space and Back The CERES S'COOL Project
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