PHET
Gravity And Orbits
Have you ever wanted to turn off gravity? This simulation allows learners to do just that in addition to altering other variables. Scholars can move the sun, Earth, moon, and space station to see how distance affects gravitational pull....
Teach Engineering
The Great Gravity Escape
Groups simulate an orbit using a piece of string and a water balloon. Individuals spin in a circular path and calculate the balloon's velocity when the clothes pin can no longer hold onto the balloon.
Curated OER
The Solar System and Beyond
Survey the solar system by viewing this PowerPoint. Amateur astronomers discover that gravity is responsible for Earth's orbit around the sun and the moon's orbit around Earth. They explore the moon's phases and Earth's seasons. This...
CK-12 Foundation
Satellites, Shuttles, and Space Stations: Satellites in Orbit
Blast off! How do satellites, space shuttles, and space stations escape Earth's gravity and achieve orbit? Young astronauts study rocket science (literally) with an interactive lesson. They discover the four main uses for satellites, how...
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Gravity Launch
Getting a ship into orbit isn't rocket science. Oh, wait...that's exactly what it is! Learn the basics of the concepts of thrust, launch angle, and gravitational pull in this fun and progressively challenging game.
Curated OER
Universal Gravity and Kelper's Laws Worksheet
High school physicists apply their knowledge of planetary motion. Using Kepler's three laws, Newton's law of universal gravitation, and the provided properties of the moon, sun, and Earth, they proceed to solve 23 problems. An...
Messenger Education
Give Me a Boost—How Gravity Assists Aid Space Exploration
The propellant needed for space explorations runs in the thousands, while paying to get the craft into orbit costs millions! In the second installment of three, two activities explore laws of conservation of energy and momentum. Using...
Voyage Solar System
Round and Round We Go — Exploring Orbits in the Solar System
Math and science come together in this cross-curricular astronomy lesson plan on planetary motion. Starting off with a hands-on activity that engages the class in exploring the geometry of circles and ellipses, this lesson...
PHET
My Solar System
Orbit diagrams appear to be a work of mathematical art. The simulation helps scholars build their own systems of planets, stars, moons, etc., to observe their orbits. By altering their positions, velocities, and masses, a variety of...
Curated OER
Gravity and the Planets
In this gravity worksheet, students read about the solar system and the effects of the gravity of the sun, the planets and the moon on the orbits of the planets. They answer three critical thinking questions about gravity.
K12 Reader
Why Does the Moon Orbit Earth?
Have you ever looked up at the moon and wondered why it looks different every night? Learn about the moon's orbit and the lunar cycle with a reading comprehension exercise. Using context clues, kids find the definitions of unfamiliar...
Vosonos
Interactive Minds: Solar System
Travel through space as you learn about the galaxy, solar system, planets, and much more. An extensive resource for studying astronomy in upper-elementary and middle school classrooms.
Curated OER
Exploring the Solar System: All About Spacecraft/Spaceflight
Rarely do you find resources that reach high school astronomy learners. Here is something at their level! The physics of flyby missions is explained via several examples. Landing, penetrating, and roving spacecraft are examined. Diagrams...
Curated OER
Space Science: Adventure is Waiting
These full-color handouts feature two activities. The first is a reading on comets, meteors, and meteoroids. Your space science learners will examine ten phrases and determine which of the three each characterizes. The second activity...
Curated OER
Gravity Gets You Down
Students investigate the force of gravity and how it effects different objects that are put into acceleration when applied the experiment of free falling. They drop different objects that have a variety of masses and some that cause air...
Curated OER
Break the Code: Astronomy
Here is a quick puzzle-style worksheet for your aspiring astronomers. A code is printed at the top of the page and learners use it to fill in the blanks describing different phenomena or objects in outer space. The material does not even...
Glynn County School System
Light, History, Gravity, Distance, Relativity, and Space-Time
Let the star's color be the guide! The color of a star indicates its temperature and its mass and distance affect the gravitational force. The lesson presentations address these concepts as well as how the theory of special relativity...
NASA
Christa's Lost Lesson: Effervescence
How are chemical reactions affected by gravity? Learners explore the phenomenon of effervescence as part of the Christa's Lost Lessons series. They compare findings in an experiment on effervescence to a video of a similar experiment in...
Curated OER
Ellipses and Kepler's First Law
The class examines graphs in the form r = F(¿¿) in polar coordinates (r, ¿¿), in particular with the circle, ellipse and other conic sections. They determine the nature of an ellipse by studying the role of the semimajor axis and...
Curated OER
Orbits Worksheet #2
Brief, but beneficial, this resource draws space scientists into the orbit of a moon around its planet. Assignees answer five multiple choice style questions using a diagram of the planet, the moon's orbit, its focal points, and the...
Curated OER
The Solar System and Beyond
What an inspiring PowerPoint! The color scheme and pictures all contribute to the scientific style of this PowerPoint and will keep the attention of your junior high kids. The diagrams help illustrate the positioning of the moon, sun and...
Glynn County School System
Solar System Formation and Extra-Solar Planets
Has the solar system always been like it is today? A lesson presentation begins with a discussion of the formation of our solar system. It continues with a compare and contrast of the inner and outer planets.
Curated OER
Orbital Mechanics
Twelfth graders examine the misconceptions of Newton's laws of motion. In this motion and gravity lesson students interpret data and see the effects of gravity.