Tips and Resources for the Space Explorer at Home
Image: Caroline Juang (catblip)
By Caroline Juang, Kayleigh Dobson, Emma Louden, and Julia Di, 2017 and 2018 Brooke Owens Fellows
It’s been a few weeks since the start of the CDC’s recommendations for physically distancing ourselves, sending employees, interns, and students home to help slow the spread of COVID-19. In this time of global pandemic, we’re all learning together how to adjust our schedules to continue being productive while staying mentally and physically well.
A few Brookie alumnae put together this list of space-themed resources and tips to make your day a little easier, whether you’re getting through a tough workday or practicing for the next astronaut isolation training.
Learning about Space in Your Living Space
In the Forbes article mentioned, former NASA astronaut Dr. John Grunsfeld says it’s important to keep your mind and your body active when isolated. If you are an aspiring and isolating astronaut looking for new ways to learn, we have some space-themed resources for you.
Learning through live chats and lessons
If you’re looking for ways to be productive with your computer, there are plenty of opportunities to learn during this time. To make up for school and museum closures, many organizations are now conducting livestreams where you can meet and talk to experts.
2018 Brooke Owens Fellow Anna Voelker, who is the Astronomy Outreach Coordinator at The Ohio State University, is leading an astronomy webinar showcasing the work and voices of underrepresented scientists and students in the astrophysics community. Join her for public Q&A sessions and live astronomy interviews Thursdays at 3 p.m. Eastern Time starting April 2, 2020 on Zoom at https://osu.zoom.us/j/770313187.
The Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum is hosting a weekly Air and Space Live Chat every Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Facebook Live on their STEMin30 Facebook page. Their last chat featured a question-and-answer session with Dr. Ellen Stofan, the Director of the National Air & Space Museum.
You can continue your learning with online university resources. If you’re a student in grades K-12, you can participate in projects curated by The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s Full STEAM Ahead program. One of their cool projects challenges students to design a lunar habitat or village, open until April 18, 2020. If you are of any age looking to learn, the same website directs lifetime learners to their freely-available courses.
For those with smaller children, you can try some of the cool science demos done by The Space Gal Emily Calandrelli, one of our Brooke Owens Fellowship Mentors. She uses household ingredients (so you don’t have to go out and buy new things) for her experiments, like making slime. You can also hear her Ada Lace books being read by an astronaut on the International Space Station with Storytime from Space.
NASA has also launched the page NASA Science At Home so the public can keep in touch and to compile the wealth of the agency’s online educational materials and resources into a single place. Think of it as a website of websites of NASA materials, organized so you can find things for different age groups, hands-on or on the computer, and by science field.
Volunteer your skills from home
Looking to make a difference by bringing your STEM skills to the test? You can support some ongoing research from the comfort of your computer through citizen science. We recommend one of NASA’s citizen science projects, Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 to get started, an easy-to-start computer project where you can sift through images to see if you spot transiting exoplanets. There’s also a host of a lot of other great citizen science projects out there for all kinds of scientists as well, which you can find on SciStarter or on NASA’s citizen science page.
In addition, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) put out a Call to Action with astronomy-themed ways you can use your skills to make a difference from home.
Relaxing in space
Are you spending some downtime doing chores, exercising, or doing some art? You can listen in on some fun podcasts. We recommend:
Houston We Have a Podcast: NASA talks with its researchers and engineers about the ISS, living and working in space, and the history and the future of space exploration.
The Habitat: A journalist follows the experience of the sixth Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) mission, a research simulation of what life would be like on Mars for six “analog astronauts”.
Planetary Radio: Host Mat Kaplan interviews a different person each week about new discoveries, books, and other space related topics. For those interested in space policy, there is a monthly space policy edition of the show.
One of our Brooke Owens Fellowship Mentors, Laura Forczyk of Astralytical, recently blogged her list of her favorite podcasts for even more great space listening.
Are podcasts not your thing, but still want to listen? You can consider listening to an audiobook version of a book you have been wanting to read! Some public libraries allow you to rent audiobooks through their downloadable mobile applications, so check with your local library.
Need even more activities? 2017 Brooke Owens Fellow Morgan Irons has compiled a longer list of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) activities in this massive online spreadsheet that is updated daily. You will find a lot of activities and craft ideas, open access libraries, scavenger hunts, space and STEAM material, live story times, puppetry shows, education YouTube Channel suggestions, virtual tours from around the world, live sessions with scientists, free online courses, etc.
Our Tips on Working from Home
Many of us Brookies are still responsible for work and volunteer activities in addition to new home responsibilities, so we are trying new ways to stay productive throughout the day. We compiled some bullet points of our tips that may help you, too.
Time to go to work
Try to keep the same hours as if you were going into work, and use the extra time to go for a walk, cook breakfast, get dressed- do whatever makes you feel productive and ready for your day! It’s so easy to roll out of bed and onto the computer in your PJs and let the work day slip on indefinitely, and I’ve found that it makes me feel much less productive. Set hours for yourself and mark each end of the day with an activity, like a walk, to symbolize that you’re transitioning from work mode to home mode and vice versa.
Start the day with a plan and block out the time for each task on your calendar. That way, you don’t have to spend time thinking in-between tasks on what to do next.
Make sure you put on real clothes as if you were going into work. It’s tempting to stay in pajamas while at home, but that makes it easy to be too comfortable.
Set up a workstation that makes you happy! Whether it’s a set of monitors at a desk or a card table by a window- take the time to reconfigure your space in a way that makes you feel happy and productive.
Schedule out hour by hour for projects and tasks. There are lots of daily planner templates that are helpful. Doing this for a few days in advance can help keep you on track during the day when it is easier to get distracted.
Keep yourself accountable with others
Communicate with your team/manager more than usual! Ask your manager if you can send them daily or weekly status emails on your tasks and goals for the week and how much you got accomplished. It holds you accountable to getting your work done, and gives your manager and team some insight into your work!
If you easily get sidetracked and don’t have someone around to keep you accountable, consider making an online video chat with friends that runs in the background as you work, which can help keep you accountable. There’s also a company called Focusmate that will match you to someone online for working.
Call your friends! Lean on each other to keep accountable with work projects, exercise plans, anything that you can do together!
Give yourself a break
Cut yourself (and your team members) some slack if productivity slips. This is a very difficult and scary situation, and we’re all adjusting to this new lifestyle in different ways. It’s okay to not get it right!
Go outside! If at all possible, a ten minute walk outside with fresh air can do wonders for helping lower stress levels and allowing you to refocus.
Get a little bit of exercise a day, indoors or outdoors. Even if that means 5 minutes of jump roping, it’s better than nothing.
It’s okay if you simply don’t feel up to working. This situation is scary and has caused a lot of uncertainty and change for a lot of people. Taking some time to breathe and adjust is perfectly acceptable.
If you feel lonely and stressed, reach out to friends and family.
I like to set up routine or scheduled calls with friends. I found it’s easy to get lost in stress and feel alone when you can’t see people in-person, so it’s good to reach out and support each other since we’re all in this together.
Also, check out this Forbes article or this NY Times Opinion piece on how astronauts cope with social distancing and isolation on missions.
We wish you all to stay healthy, happy, and full of creativity!