If a one-liter bottle of water costs $20,000, what would you do? That may sound like a silly question but it's a real problem. Transporting supplies, including water, to the International Space Station (ISS) costs about $20,000 per kilogram!

NASA wants us to help prepare for a future Moon base by designing a simulated system to recycle and reuse water on the Moon. The Waste Limitation Management and Recycling Design Challenge (WLMR DC) is a great opportunity for middle school level teams (grades 5-8) to participate in real science and engineering projects. The winning team will receive an all-expense paid trip to the NASA Kennedy Space Center and more.

The Challenge:

• Design, construct, and test a simulated water recycling system suitable for use on the Moon.
• Following a designated formula, prepare 5 liters of simulated wastewater.
• Process the wastewater with your system, measure the water quantity output, and test it for cleanliness using designated testing procedures.
• Submit the contest entry that will consist of details about the designed system, water quantity output, and test results.

There will be a series of free weekly classes starting on December 23, 2010 and ending by February 28, 2011, when the initial project design will be submitted.

Seminars will be held at 101 Chestnut Street, Dumont, NJ 07628. The dates and times will be defined on class-to-class basis to fit the busy schedules of all participants. For more detail visit the NASA website.

Dr. Fradkov is a former university professor and NASA scientist and a member of the homeschooling community. For more information about Dr. Fradkov please visit http://edu.fradkov.com/Valery.phtml. To learn about Dr. Fradkov’s education philosophy please visit http://edu.fradkov.com/Manifesto.phtml.

For more information about the classes and to register please e-mail Dr. Fradkov at edu@fradkov.com or call 201-497-0289.