Can you avoid the boulder field and land safely, just before your …
Can you avoid the boulder field and land safely, just before your fuel runs out, as Neil Armstrong did in 1969? Our version of this classic video game accurately simulates the real motion of the lunar lander with the correct mass, thrust, fuel consumption rate, and lunar gravity. The real lunar lander is very hard to control.
Why does the Moon not always look the same to us? Sometimes …
Why does the Moon not always look the same to us? Sometimes it is a big, bright, circle, but, other times, it is only a tiny sliver, if we can see it at all. The different shapes and sizes of the slivers of the Moon are referred to as its phases, and they change periodically over the course of a lunar month, which is twenty-eight days long. The phases are caused by the relative positions of the Earth, Sun, and Moon at different times during the month.
Students work in teams of two to discover the relative positions of …
Students work in teams of two to discover the relative positions of the Earth, Sun and Moon that produce the different phases of the Moon. Groups are each given a Styrofoam ball that they attach to a pencil so that it looks like a lollipop. In this acting-out model exercise, this ball on a stick represents the Moon, the students represent the Earth and a hanging lightbulb serves as the Sun. Students move the "Moon" around them to discover the different phases. They fill in the position of the Moon and its corresponding phase in a worksheet.
Students learn about the unique challenges astronauts face while eating in outer …
Students learn about the unique challenges astronauts face while eating in outer space. They explore different food choices and food packaging. Students learn about the engineering design process, and then, as NASA engineering teams, they design and build original model devices to help astronauts eat in a microgravity environment --- their own creative devices for food storage and meal preparation.
Students explore Mars and Jupiter, the fourth and fifth planets from the …
Students explore Mars and Jupiter, the fourth and fifth planets from the Sun. They learn some of the unique characteristics of these planets. They also learn how engineers help us learn about these planets with the design and development of telescopes, deep space antennas, spacecraft and planetary rovers.
Students explore Mercury and Venus, the first and second planets nearest the …
Students explore Mercury and Venus, the first and second planets nearest the Sun. They learn about the planets' characteristics, including their differences from Earth. Students also learn how engineers are involved in the study of planets by designing equipment and spacecraft to go where it is too dangerous for humans.
Wisconsin's Meteorites dataset collection of all of the known locations of meteorites, …
Wisconsin's Meteorites dataset collection of all of the known locations of meteorites, plus known craters formed from larger meteorites, including the Rock Elm Disturbance found in West Central Wisconsin.
Measure and Map Our Galaxy: The Milky Way Project needs your help …
Measure and Map Our Galaxy: The Milky Way Project needs your help looking through tens of thousands of images from the Spitzer Space Telescope. By telling us what you see in this infrared data, we can better understand how stars form. The scale of this project necessitates group participation. We need the help of the public to classify the thousands of images we have on file. If all 900,000 Zooniverse members classified a few images, this project would be done in no time!
Hands-on, project based learning for Grades 4 to 8. Students use design …
Hands-on, project based learning for Grades 4 to 8. Students use design thinking processes to solve engineering challenges. These space engineering themed lessons will engage students as they apply creative problem-solving skills. Resource includes a full downloadable guidebook. The guidebook includes a description of the design process, 5 design challenges, student handouts, and rubrics. It also includes links to other valuable resources and connection to standards (i.e. Next Generation Science, National Standards).
Applications of physics (Newtonian, statistical, and quantum mechanics) to fundamental processes that …
Applications of physics (Newtonian, statistical, and quantum mechanics) to fundamental processes that occur in celestial objects. Includes main-sequence stars, collapsed stars (white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes), pulsars, supernovae, the interstellar medium, galaxies, and as time permits, active galaxies, quasars, and cosmology. Observational data discussed. No prior knowledge of astronomy is required.
This activity is an observation opportunity for students to view the phases …
This activity is an observation opportunity for students to view the phases of the moon and learn that the juxtoposition of the Earth and moon dictates the appearance of the moon in the sky.
Students learn about the Earth's only natural satellite, the Moon. They discuss …
Students learn about the Earth's only natural satellite, the Moon. They discuss the Moon's surface features and human exploration. They also learn about how engineers develop technologies to study and explore the Moon, which also helps us learn more about the Earth.
The goal of the Moon Zoo website is "to provide detailed crater …
The goal of the Moon Zoo website is "to provide detailed crater counts for as much of the Moon's surface as possible." On the website, interested parties can help out with this effort by examining images of the moon's surface and providing feedback to be used by the team of researchers in charge of the Moon Zoo project. First-time visitors should click on the "How To Take Part" for a tutorial that will help determine which project they might be best suited for. Visitors who wish to take part in the project will need to register on the website, and that process only takes a few minutes. Moving on, the website has an online forum where users can trade information as well as a blog.
This activity helps students learn about the three different types of muscles …
This activity helps students learn about the three different types of muscles and how outer space affects astronauts' muscles. They will discover how important it is for astronauts to get adequate exercise both on Earth and in outer space. Also, through the design of their own microgravity exercise machine, students learn about the exercise machines that engineers design specifically for astronaut use.
Students are introduced to the futuristic concept of the moon as a …
Students are introduced to the futuristic concept of the moon as a place people can inhabit. They brainstorm what people would need to live on the moon and then design a fantastic Moon colony and decide how to power it. Students use the engineering design process, which includes researching various types of energy sources and evaluating which would be best for their moon colonies.
Build your own system of heavenly bodies and watch the gravitational ballet. …
Build your own system of heavenly bodies and watch the gravitational ballet. With this orbit simulator, you can set initial positions, velocities, and masses of 2, 3, or 4 bodies, and then see them orbit each other.
Build your own system of heavenly bodies and watch the gravitational ballet. …
Build your own system of heavenly bodies and watch the gravitational ballet. With this orbit simulator, you can set initial positions, velocities, and masses of 2, 3, or 4 bodies, and then see them orbit each other.
No restrictions on your remixing, redistributing, or making derivative works. Give credit to the author, as required.
Your remixing, redistributing, or making derivatives works comes with some restrictions, including how it is shared.
Your redistributing comes with some restrictions. Do not remix or make derivative works.
Most restrictive license type. Prohibits most uses, sharing, and any changes.
Copyrighted materials, available under Fair Use and the TEACH Act for US-based educators, or other custom arrangements. Go to the resource provider to see their individual restrictions.
