NASA, Honeywell launch science concert

WASHINGTON, March 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency and Honeywell Inc. say they are launching the 2009 tour of their award-winning hip-hop science education program "FMA Live!"

The traveling science concert will reach more than 17,000 middle-school students during its 10-week, 20 city U.S. tour, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said.

Named for Sir Isaac Newton's second law of motion -- force = mass times acceleration -- FMA Live! uses professional actors, original songs, music videos and interactive science demonstrations to teach middle school students Newton's three laws of motion and universal law of gravity.

The tour is a collaboration of NASA and Honeywell International Inc. of Morristown, N.J., and is said to be the only nationally touring, multi-media, science-education production of its kind.

"During each FMA Live! performance, students, teachers and school administrators interact with three professional actors in front of a live audience to experience Newton's laws firsthand," NASA said. "A giant sticky wall is used to demonstrate inertia; go-carts driven across the stage illustrate action and reaction; and 'extreme' wrestling and a huge soccer ball show that force is determined by mass multiplied by acceleration."

More information about the program and the list of touring dates and locations are available at http://www.fmalive.com/news/.