Aircraft vs. Spacecraft

Set the stage for groups of rocket scientists to explore the change in mass of the space shuttle during ascent. Teams work together to graph actual launch data in order to determine the rate of propellent burn.

How long did it take to get to that altitude? Using a Google Earth file, groups explore a space shuttle launch. Using a calculator, groups determine the function that models the altitude/time data from an actual launch. With the model in...

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...

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...

One slide details the features of Space Shuttle Discovery in graphic form. Another shows a faulty hydrogen fuel sensor. The final slide is a picture of the explosion of Space Shuttle Challenger and the ill-fated crew. If you wanted to...

It keeps going, and going, and going ... how does the Juno space probe have enough power to travel to Jupiter? Junior astronauts use a THNKR "Why with Nye!" video to discover solar-powered science with the one and only Bill Nye. Topics...

Does space have its own gravity? And, if so, why do astronauts just float around in the space station? Science sleuths examine the forces acting upon astronauts in the International Space Station with help from the narrator. He...

Students simulate life in space aboard the space shuttle. In this space exploration lesson, students work in small groups to model life aboard the space shuttle. Each student is given a job, conducts Internet research on space, and...

Say goodbye to giant rocket ships and hello to micro-spacecraft. Taking a look at the future of space exploration, this video explores the development of tiny, expendable space probes that can investigate the far reaches of space and...

It's the law—every action requires a reaction, no matter how small. Pupils experience two demonstrations of Newton's third law of motion as it relates to thrust in the 10th segment of a 22-part unit on flight. Using their mathematical...