Everything You Need to Know About Girl Scouts’ Great Space Challenge

Girl Scouts are always aiming for the stars—literally!

Whether you’ve searched for shooting stars or found shapes in the clouds, you’ve probably already spent some time looking up at the sky. Now’s your chance to see it in a new way—like a space scientist does!

Follow these simple steps to participate in Girl Scouts’ Great Space Challenge.

• The challenge launches on July 10 and ends on August 31, 2020. Can’t leave your home? No problem! You can view the night sky in the great outdoors or from the comfort of your own home. Telescopes and other scientific equipment aren’t necessary—just curiosity and creativity!
• Based on your grade level, complete the required number of activities. Visit Girl Scouts at Home to get all the details for takeoff. From staying up late to watch a meteor shower to touring the sky through an app or Stellarium, there’s so much to experience!
• Once you complete the activities for your grade level, you’ll unlock the new, limited-edition Discover Space patch available for purchase in the Girl Scout Shop. But wait! There’s more. We’ve hand-picked awesome space and STEM-related activities that are waiting for you here—be sure to check them out!

• Connect with other Girl Scouts by taking to social media. Show us how you’re exploring space and completing your activities by tagging @girlscouts and using #GirlScoutsAtHome.
• Hungry for more? We’ve got you. Earn Girl Scouts’ Space Science badges by venturing through the Solar System and beyond. Space is even bigger than you thought!

Girl Scouts Reach for the Stars

Pacific Coast News reports that the Guam Girl Scouts are launching an Astronomy Club. The new Girl Scout program is designed to encourage girls’ interest in science, technology, engineering & math. It is open to all girls and adults and there is no fee. The Guam Girl Scout “Space Team” members all trained at the Goddard Space Center in Maryland in July. The new program is supported through funding from Girl Scouts of the USA and NASA.

The Peninsula News Leader reports that The Girl Scouts of North East Ohio are expanding their astronomy program with the opening of a new observatory at Camp Ledgewood in Peninsula. The facility, which was inaugurated, Nov. 5, features a Celestron 11-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain deep field reflecting telescope with a computerized mount that can locate any object visible in the night sky. The telescope was purchased and the observatory was constructed with the help of a $15,000 grant from the Hershey Foundation. The observatory in Ohio has been in use since 2008 and nearly 2,000 girls and adults have viewed the night sky through the telescope there. Permanently mounted to a cement pad inside an observatory, the telescope is used nearly every week.

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Loosely related, one of my all time favorite songs and videos - Air's "Kelly Watch the Stars". Enjoy! Do you know any girls that enjoy astronomy?

Observatory Opens in Ohio

In Akron, OH, West Side Leader reports that Girl Scouts of North East Ohio Program Specialist Suzie Dills has been involved in facilitating Girl Scout astronomy programs and expanding them. Recently, her contributions helped secure a grant from the Hershey Foundation for $15,000 to build a new observatory at Camp Ledgewood, according to Girl Scouts of North East Ohio officials. About 40,000 Girl Scouts from across 18 counties in Northeast Ohio will have access to the new observatory.

The Girl Scouts of North East Ohio will celebrate the grand-opening of the new observatory tomorrow, November 5 - Congrats! Do you know any Girl Scouts that are interested in astronomy?

California Girl Scouts Witness Endeavour Launch

NASA has a fantastic feature on their website detailing the experience of a group of California Girl Scouts who got to witness a night launch of the space shuttle Endeavour from the viewing area at Kennedy Space Center's Apollo/Saturn V Center. Girl Scout Maddie Atkinson described standing on the bleachers with hundreds of other people and at the end of the countdown seeing a big flash of light. Atkinson says:

"A couple of seconds after it was off the ground, you got this huge wave of sound that shook everything. It was like this cracking sound. It was really
cool."

Sounds totally cool to me! Definitely read the entire article.

What Did You Do Today?

Here is another awesome ad out of our new campaign! Do you like it?

Follow This Blog: "GS Endeavour 2010"

"GS Endeavour 2010" is a Blog following six high school girls from Girl Scouts of Northern California who were chosen to attend the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour. Each of these girls has a special interest in science and technology. Follow the girls as they spend 8 days exploring Florida's Space Coast.

Girls Go For Science!

Head on over to Live Science, one of my favorites, and check out an awesome video report on Universe Quest - a summer program to get girls excited about science. Follow a group of Girl Scouts who get to look through a telescope, go out to the beach to measure tides, design online games, and more. The program is run by Carl Pennypacker at The University of California, Berkeley.

Weekend Run-Down

In this week's Weekend Run-Down, check out stories ranging from the Phoenix Astronomical Society to Scouts trekking through Costa Rica.

• The Rockford Register Star in Illinois has a fantastic profile of Ruth Little, CEO of the Girl Scouts Rock River Valley Council.



• In Gloucester, NJ, The Gloucester County Times is reporting on a young Girl Scout who has been lobbying her local council to install crosswalks at a dangerous intersection.



• Marianne Elizabeth Cook of Chapel Hill, NC, has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for building an outdoor art shelter. Read more about that in The Chapel Hill News and Observer.



• The New York Examiner has a great story about The Phoenix Astronomical Society, which hosts major events for Girl Scouts.



• In a story that will surely inspire jealousy, Inside Costa Rica is reporting about a 15-day Girl Scout trip trekking through the clouds and rain forests of Costa Rica.

Do you have a story to share?