Electronic appearances

Ask the Space Scientist
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? Yes
This site has answered over 24,000 questions from students around the world since August 1995. Visit this site to find answers to questions like: Did ancient peoples really predict solar eclipses? and How are satellites prevented from crashing into each other? Or better yet, ask your own question!

Earth to Mars Chats
Grades: 4-12
Ongoing? No
Here's an example of how synchronous (real time) chat can be used in electronic appearances.  This site features the transcripts of five chats dealing with the Mars Pathfinder mission and other planetary events.  You will find that the students' questions are very specific, and the scientists' answers are  succinct.

Eyewitness
Grades: 4-12
Ongoing? Yes
"Eyewitness" accounts of fifty historical events will provide students with a deeper understanding of history. Enticing vignettes, with titles such as Battlefield Tragedy, The San Francisco Earthquake, and On Safari, will make wide-eyed students feel like they're really conversing with people from the past.

The Kidwriters Writing Studio
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? Yes
Students (and occasionally, professional authors) use real-time and asynchronous communication to discuss their writing.

The Secret Thoughts of Samuel Wimbush
Grades: 6 -12
Ongoing? Not sure
Here you'll find a series of whimsical short stories written by British author Tom Clipper.  Visitors are encouraged to e-mail the author with questions, thus classifying this site as an "electronic appearance."

The Shuttle/Mir Online Research Experience
Grades: 4 -12
Ongoing? No
NASA experts' biographies and field journals help "encourage students' interest in science and technology." Most of the discussions, activities, and resources focus on the Mir Space Station and U.S.-Russia relations.

Space Scientists Online
Grades: 4-12
Ongoing? Yes
Students will be thrilled to chat online with real scientists from NASA and top-rate universities about everything from exobiology to space rocks. The site also has archives of previous chats.

A Visit with Dr. Francis Crick
Grades:  9-12
Ongoing? No
This site features a transcript of an interview with the co-discoverer of the structure of the DNA molecule.  While this electronic appearance does not allow students to e-mail the Dr. Crick, they will get a chance to learn his thoughts on the discovery, in his own words.

Women of NASA
Grades:  4-12
Ongoing? Yes
Through profiles and weekly web chats, students get a glimpse of the integral role of women in America's space program.  Students will get a chance to "meet" women of a range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, in both English and Spanish.

Writer's Corner On-Line Chat with Zlata Filipovic
Grades:  4-12
Ongoing? No
This page contains a transcript of a synchronous (real time) chat between English-speaking students and Zlata Filipovic, a fourteen-year old Bosnian girl who, in her book Zlata's Diary, wrote of the war in her country.  The participants' bubbling warmth and compassion transformed this formal electronic appearance into a celebration of friendship.