Boonshoft Museum to participate in Iglo satellite project

The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery will join 21 other science centers all over the world by hosting local students to take part in the Albedo Experiment, a project developed in partnership with IGLO (International action on GLObal warming)
and NASA. On May 20, students from Lamendola Elementary School in Huber Heights led by the Boonshoft Museum’s educators will create a large ‘white spot’ at the Boonshoft Museum’s sister-site, SunWatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park.

At 12:07 p.m. and 12:34 p.m., the NASA satellites will pass over SunWatch and measure the amount of light reflected from the 50’ x 50’ white spot created by the students. “The ‘white spots’ replicate the poles, and are large enough to be seen from space,” said Robyn Sweet, Earth/Life Sciences Coordinator at the Boonshoft Museum. “The experiment is
designed to help students understand the role of the polar ice caps in regulating the earth’s temperature by reflecting the sun’s rays.”

The images collected by the NASA satellites will be compared to images of those same locations taken earlier without the ‘white spot’ . The results will be unveiled in Toronto, Canada at the 5th Science Centre World Congress from June 16–20, an event is hosted by the Ontario Science Center, Toronto. Materials for the ‘white spot’ created by the Boonshoft Museum were generously provided by Prime Time Party Rental and Holiday Inn Dayton-North.