International Collaboration: Building the New Frontier (STEM in 30 Season 10 Episode 4)

The Olympics, what is it? It's an international competition to foster friendship and competition across the planet, and I think that's exactly what the International Space Station is. - Astronaut Sunita Williams

Space is a mighty big place, and we can’t explore, live and work in space without international collaboration. It took five space agencies representing 15 countries to build the International Space Station. On the ISS the international partners have conducted more than 3,000 experiments which have provided insights that will allow us to explore even farther into the solar system. But no country can go it alone, in this episode we’ll look at how we create and foster international collaboration here on Earth and how it relates to space exploration.

Standards: Social Studies

Learning Standards

• D2.Civ.3.6-8. Examine the origins, purposes, and impact of constitutions, law treaties, and international agreements.
• D2.Geo.1.3-5. Construct maps and other graphic representations of both familiar and unfamiliar places.
• D2.Geo.4.6-8. Explain how cultural patterns and economic decisions influence environments and the daily lives of people in both nearby and distant places.
• D2.His.1.3-5. Create and use a chronological sequence of related events to compare developments that happened at the same time.
• D4.7.3-5. Explain different strategies and approaches students and others could take in working alone and together to address local, regional, and global problems, and predict possible results of their actions.

Teacher Tips

About STEM in 30

STEM in 30 is an Emmy-nominated program for middle school students produced by the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. These 30 minute episodes are great for classroom use. New episodes are released every month, featuring hands-on activities, explanations of aviation and space topics aligned with national standards, and interviews with experts from the Museum and beyond.

STEM in 30 is made possible by Boeing, Hexcel, and Safran.