Physics is a blast [off] in Houston.

In May, 1,500 juniors and seniors from the Houston Independent School District explored the world of physics with NASA astronauts and rocket scientists. The event, called the BP Physics Challenge, was a partnership between HISD, British Petroleum and Space Center Houston.

The students spent two days with mentors from BR Boeing and Lockheed Martin, learning to apply physics to real-world problems. Among the activities, students determined the mass of the Earth, learned about acceleration of G-forces and calculated the trajectory of the model rockets they built.

The goals were to let students have fun using physics and see its applications. "We hope students will make the connection that it's worth going through tough courses because you can do cool stuff with what you learn," says Patricia Tribe, director of education for Space Center Houston.

A key to the project's success was the teacher and mentor training conducted by Canadian astronaut Bjarni Tryggvason. In addition, Tryggvason created a workbook.

In addition to the experiments, Shirley Neeley, the Texas commissioner of education, spoke to the students, encouraging them to pursue science careers. "We wanted the kids to see that experiments are fun and can lead to great careers," says Puls. "We wanted them to realize that they can do this and it is exciting."