Shuttle's Earth-Science Mission Makes Strong School Connection

By Peter West

Chris Lazardi, who teaches chemistry, and three of his students spent several days in Death Valley, Calif., earlier this year doing their part to prepare for this month's flight of the space shuttle Endeavour.

Mr. Lazardi, who teaches at South Gate High School in Los Angeles, said he and his students helped set up mirrors in the desert to allow Endeavour's crew to calibrate components of the space-radar laboratory, a sophisticated, international equipment package the crew is using to create detailed maps of Earth's surface and atmosphere.

Mr. Lazardi is one of a nationwide team of amateur researchers, about 2,000 in all, who helped the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the ground-based...