Curated OER
Lost in Space
Here is a case study for high school or college-level learners about space exploration equipment that has failed. The class reads about the Mars Climate Orbiter that was destroyed in 1999 and discusses the costs and benefits of space...
Curated OER
Discovering Saturn, The Real "Lord of the Rings"
Reading, writing, and rings! A lesson from NASA combines space science with authentic reading and writing tasks. Included in this lesson are pre-reading activities, four mini informational booklets on Saturn, a structured note-taking...
National Woman's History Museum
The Women of NASA
Human computers? Although it may sound like science fiction, the term was used to describe the women who made the NASA calculations before the advent of electronic computers. A 21-slide presentation introduces viewers to the women who...
Mr. E. Science
Manned Spaced Exploration: From Start to Gemini
Seven percent of Americans believe the moon landing was staged. The presentation covers manned space exploration from the beginning of the space race through the Gemini missions. The lesson is the 23rd in a set of 26.
CommonCoreSheets.com
The Space Race
From the USSR's launch of Sputnik in 1957 to Neil Armstrong's mission to the moon in 1969, review major events in the timeline of the space race during the mid-twentieth century.
BioEd Online
Butterflies in Space
How does gravity affect the life cycle of a butterfly? Learn first-hand what types of investigations astronauts perform in space by following along with one of NASA's experiments. Create butterfly habitats in the classroom with specific...
Messenger Education
Can You Hear Me Now?—Communicating with Spacecraft
Radio signals transmitted to Pluto take five hours to reach their destination! In these two activities, young scientists explore data communication in space. In activity one, pupils learn how data is gathered and sent back to Earth....
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...
NASA
Radiation Shielding on Spacecraft
Here is a terrific science instructional activity for your elementary schoolers. In it, learners analyze different materials to simulate space radiation shielding on spacecraft, then select the best material to use to build one. This is...
NASA
Space Shuttle Glider
Your charges will enjoy putting together this model of the space shuttle and completing the three challenge activities described in the lesson. The worksheets embedded in the plan that pupils use to cut out their gliders are beautifully...
Curated OER
Functions and Statistics: International Space Station: Up to Us
Students explore how the International Space Station was built and how it provides first-hand experiences with the space program. They view the NASA engineers discussing the major components of the International Space Station, their...
Curated OER
Space: NASA's Frontier
Young scholars research the history and accomplishments of the American space program and ponder its role in the future. They gather research on NASA and make small group presentations to the class on their findings and assessments.
Curated OER
Designing a Space Station
Learners view pictures of the space station and discuss their feelings about living in a space station. They discuss the materials needed to build a space station and its various needs for operation. They read the NASA contest rules...
Curated OER
The International Space Station
In this International Space Station instructional activity, students are given the altitude changes in the space station on a graph from 2000-2004. Students answer 5 questions about the trends in the graph, the changes in altitude, the...
Curated OER
Washington D.C. from Space
In this Washington D.C. from space worksheet, students use a picture generated by the International Space Station and they find the scale of the image. They determine the actual size of features in the image, they find the distances...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
America in Space: German Voices from Huntsville, Alabama
Project Paperclip, the Redstone Arsenal, and the Huntsville Space Center are all featured in a resource that investigates the contributions of Dr. Werner von Brawn and other German scientists to the US space program. Working individually...
NASA
Missed Messages
Learners investigate the challenges of space communication with a kinesthetic modeling activity. Group members In space must communicate one word to other members on Earth while overcoming barriers such as distance, gravity, and physical...
Curated OER
Get a Leg Up
Traveling through space is an amazing experience, but it definitely takes a toll on the body. After reading an article and watching a brief video, learners perform an experiment that simulates the effects of zero gravity on the human body.
Curated OER
Food for Spaceflight
When astronauts get hungry in outer space, they can't just call and have a pizza delivered. In order to gain an appreciation for the challenges associated with space travel, young learners are given the task of selecting, testing, and...
Curated OER
Return to the Moon
Students react to statements about space exploration, then read a news article about plans to resume manned flights to the moon. In this space science and current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and...
Curated OER
Modeling the Solar System
Students build a scaled model of the solar system. In this space science instructional activity, students arrange them according to their distances from the sun. They analyze each planet's unique features such as density and relative...
Curated OER
Deep Impact's Comet on a Stick!
Students create a model of a comet. In this space science lesson, students compare their model to the characteristics of a real comet. They evaluate and make necessary modifications to their original design.
Curated OER
Technology for Studying Comets
Students design an Aerogel model to capture clay particles. In this space science instructional activity, students discover what happens to comets as they hit a surface. They explain how the Aerogel technology would help scientists study...
Curated OER
Solar Proton Events
On this worksheet, space scientists use a data table to answer questions about the relationship between the brightness of solar flares and the intensity of the solar proton events. They apply what they learned from the data to address...