June 2020
At 3:22 EDT May 30, the world watched as history was made. For the first time ever, NASA astronauts launched from American soil in a commercially built and operated American crew spacecraft. Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley lifted off on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft (pictured right in this NASA photo). This marked the first flight into orbit of American astronauts on U.S. rockets from U.S. soil since 2011. The next day they docked on the International Space Station. What an exciting time to be serving in Civil Air Patrol's Aerospace Education mission -- promoting aerospace-related STEM careers!

Extensive NASA STEM engagement resources and other virtual learning tools are linked from our website's Aerospace/STEM Resources for Remote Education page. For those groups still meeting remotely, this page offers extensive learning links.

Even as more and more areas are reopening, CAP asks all of its members to stay safe and continue to take proactive steps in reducing the risk of contracting and spreading the virus.

For organization-wide communications, please visit CAP's COVID-19 Information Center, a webpage for c entralized location of essential information about COVID-19-related issues specific to Civil Air Patrol.

Be well, and be safe.

THIS MONTH : Member stories - Program updates
Curriculum - Important things to know
PROGRAM UPDATES
Teacher Orientation Program (TOP) Flights
TOP Flights: Teacher Orientation Program (TOP) Flights. will be resumed in each state (Wing) as soon as each Wing has lifted restrictions on CAP orientation flights. When your state has opened from COVID-19 closures, and the CAP Wing leadership has approved orientation flights, the flight coordination process can begin by educators contacting the state’s Wing Director of AE (contact list found HERE ). For educators, it is more fun to fly with a friend, so invite a fellow educator member to fly with you!   
CAP's K-6 Aerospace Connections
in Education (ACE) Program
ACE End of Year Completion: ACE teachers, even though you may not have been able to complete all the ACE lessons intended this year due to school closings, don’t forget to fill out your 2019-2020 ACE Completion Form. You can find the report at the link below, left.  Fillable student and teacher certificates for the 2019-2020  ACE  Program can be found at the link below, right.
AFA's Award for Outstanding CAP Squadron Cadets
July 1 deadline approaches: Has your squadron made a presentation of the AFA’s CAP Outstanding Squadron Cadet award for 2020? (Current list of 2020 awards ordered is HERE . )
  • If not, your squadron can request an award package until July 1.
  • Find award package request and presentation info HERE. 
  • Coordinate with squadron commander.  
Aerospace Education Excellence (AEX) Program
AEX Award completion : Has your squadron applied for the AEX Award Program in eServices? Completing the required activities may look a little different, and creativity will be needed in order to complete the required six AEX lessons and two-hour extension activity. S uggested activities and resources are available on the AE website: Lessons and Activity Videos and Aerospace/STEM Resources (right column is region submissions). Several squadrons are doing “virtual museum tours” for the two-hour extension activity. If you have suggestions or ideas you wish to share, please send to aex@capnhq.gov .

To learn more about the AEX Program, click the link below.
Squadron AE Achievement Award recognizes squadrons for AE mission accomplishments
Awards and recognition : Last year NHQ AE initiated the Squadron AE Achievement Award. This award identifies squadrons that successfully perform certain criteria listed in CAPR 50-1. Recipients of this award demonstrate the importance they place on accomplishing the AE mission. We hope many squadrons will strive to achieve this award and receive the certificate that accompanies it. Attachment 5 of CAPR 50-1 lists the criteria for receiving this award.
AEO STORY
Great Lakes Region's Lt. Col. Frank Roldan
brings CAP's variety of AE programs to youth
Meet Lt. Col. Frank Roldan, the Great Lakes Region Deputy Chief of Staff/Aerospace Education. He also is a member of the National AE staff as STEM coordinator. He became a member of Civil Air Patrol in 1993 at the suggestion of his instructor pilot, who helped Roldan obtain his Private Pilot Certificate. A retired telecommunications professional who also has an interest in astronomy, Roldan believes the wide variety of STEM topics covered in CAP's AE programs helps cadets find that special area that inspires them. We asked him some questions on being an AE officer at many levels in his career, which also has spanned three different wings. He is pictured (right) receiving the 2017 GLR mission award from then-GLR Region Commander and now National Vice Commander Brig. Gen. Edward Phelka. Follow the link below to read his story.
" CAP’s AE program does that. It brings it all together to find that one area that will inspire our cadets. "
-- Lt. Col. Frank Roldan
AEM STORY
Michigan AEM uses CAP Sphero STEM Kits
with her fifth-graders and Girls Who Code Club
Meet Eureka McCormick, a fifth-grade teacher from Michigan. She has been an AEM for less than two years, but she has used the CAP Aerospace Education materials to help her lead her fifth-graders, to help guide a Girls Who Code group and to recruit other teachers in other schools to be AEMs. With her nomination, two of her Swartz Creek, Michigan, students, Brooklynn Shortt and Isabel Kaul, recently were named ACE Students of the Year for 2019-2020. " In our fifth-grade class, we focus on helping each other," she says. "We believe in providing a caring environment where our differences are our strengths!" Michigan Wing Director of Aerospace Education Maj. Mike Seiloff calls her a "Michigan Wing AEM Superstar." Follow the link below to read her story.
"I n our fifth-grade class, we focus on helping each other. We believe in providing a caring environment where our differences are our strengths!"
-- Eureka McCormick, Michigan AEM
CURRICULUM
Fighting the Force (of Gravity)
In this lesson, students will learn about the physics of helicopter flight. They will conduct test flights of a paper copter. Those flights will illustrate the effects an aircraft's weight, rotor speed and blade angle have on flight. Find "Fighting the Force (of Gravity)" as Lesson 11 in CAP's AEX for Middle School Physical Science booklet.
Each month, this space features important highlights or answers to frequently asked questions. Here are four things you need to know now as an AEM or AEO.

CONNECT - LEARN - CELEBRATE
CAP's first virtual National Conference will be held Aug. 14-15
The annual National Conference is undeniably the premier Civil Air Patrol event of the year. It is FREE for all CAP members (including Aerospace Education Members) to attend. Whether you joined CAP 50 years ago when you were in your 20s or just joined 50 days ago in 2020, you owe it to yourself to attend the conference. And this year, for the first time, the conference is completely virtual and free. All the barriers have been removed—no travel, no lodging, no fees, and no reason to miss the year’s conference.
Have a suggested topic? Click the button to email your conference idea or suggestion.
Will you attend CAP's first National Conference offered free online?
Wow! This is exciting. I will definitely attend.
Interesting, I would like to learn more and might attend.
I wish I could attend, but those dates do not work for me.
Thanks, but I am not interested in this type of learning event.

Conference schedule and registration details are coming soon. So all you need to do now is mark your calendar for Aug. 14-15.
There is a discussion board for CAP educators in eServices
Through the current Learning Management System in eServices, you may have noticed a new button labeled "Go To AXIS." In AXIS, you can find all the STEM kit resources such as pre- and post tests, safety procedures, certificates and many other resources. There is also a discussion board where you can ask questions, provide your experiences and look through others' suggestions.  

Here are the steps to get you into AXIS:
  1. In eServices, navigate to Learning Management System. Click the "Go To AXIS" button at the top of the page. This will take you to our new LMS portal. (If you have not logged in before-there may be some prompts/tutorials to complete.)
  2. Once in the new LMS portal, you should have tiles or "courses" to choose from. If you do not, search the catalog and enroll in the following three courses:
  1. Click on "Start" under the STEM Kits-Resources category your STEM Kit falls under.
  2. This will open up a new page similar to the one below:
You now have access to all the resources mentioned previously related to your kit. The same discussion boards will be available through each of he STEM Kit-Resource Courses. To visit the Learning Management System, visit the link below.
AEMs: Is it time to renew your membership?
All Aerospace Education Members (AEMs) are offered an annual FREE “in-kind renewal." The online renewal email is sent 60 days prior to the membership expiration date. A renewal banner appears at the top of the eServices sign-in page 90 days prior to expiring. (You can’t renew earlier than 90 days.) Find additional information at the link below.
AEOs: Reach out to AEMs whose memberships expire soon
AEOs, this is the perfect time to reach out to your AEMs whose memberships expire within 60 days or whose memberships have expired. For more guidance, see Recruiting and Retention of AEMs on the AEO Resources page link below.

Please note : CAP has several categories of membership, but each member can only be assigned one category of membership. Any adult uniformed member, who is an educator, may access all the resources available to an AEM.