Exploring the Moon and Solar System Through One's Senses
Abstract
For the sighted, events like the recent 2017 and 2019 eclipses are experienced through a combination of multiple senses, not just sight. For people who are visually impaired or Blind, the experience is different. While they may sense changes in the intensity of the sunlight, temperature, and animal noises, they are unable to "see" what is happening. To bring this remarkable experience to life for them two education/public engagement teams from NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) - Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science (CLASS) and SSERVI Evolution and Environment Of Exploration Destinations (SEEED) developed two tactile books. Getting a Feel for Eclipses and Abre Tus Sentidos a los Eclipses - Sudamérica , provide users who are Blind or visually impaired a means to see and experience a total solar eclipse through their fingertips. Similarly, the new tactile book, Getting a Feel for Lunar Craters: Apollo 50th Commemorative Edition brings the lunar surface to life with background information and graphics on how the surface formed and evolved and a bit about the Apollo program and future exploration. Exploring Small Bodies in the Solar System provides a look at several moons, comets and asteroids in our solar system. The unique, hand-made, tactile graphics are created from various textured materials such that each feature is readily identified. A QR code associated with each book provides access to digital content describing each tactile and associated background information. Through this delivery mechanism, sighted and unsighted may access the content with any smart device.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMED54C..03R
- Keywords:
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- 0815 Informal education;
- EDUCATION;
- 0855 Diversity;
- EDUCATION