Excellent Good Satisfactory Needs Improvement ... · • Plan an expedition or other large engineering project. • Investigate options in many aspects of space flight. • Present

Asteroid Resources:The Stepping Stone to BeyondAbout This LessonIn teams, students will research and document some of therequirements for mounting an expedition to an asteroid.

ObjectivesStudents will:• Actively explore the potential resources available to space

travelers through research, assessment, team cooperation, andexploration simulations.

• Develop the background to make the connection betweenmeteorite research and potential planetary resources.

Exploration ProposalAbout This ActivityThis is a group-participation simulation based on the premise thatwater and other resources from the asteroid belt are required fordeep space exploration. The class will brainstorm or investigate toidentify useful resources, including water, that might be found onan asteroid. Teams of students are asked to take responsibility forplanning various aspects of an asteroid prospecting expedition,and to present the results of their planning.

The students should learn that a large project requires thecooperation of many different teams, considering many ideas andneeds. They could focus on the simplest aspects of vehicle design,hardware, and personnel, as well as more complicated issuessuch as financing for the mission, criteria for crew selection, Earthsupport teams, training, and maintenance, etc.

ObjectivesStudents will:• Plan an expedition or other large engineering project.• Investigate options in many aspects of space flight.• Present their options, reasoning, and recommendations to the

group.

ScenarioTime: Sometime in the next centuryPlace: Earth

Materials • Resource materials about: space travel, space resources,

asteroids, rockets, space shuttle, spacecraft• Personal log (journal)• Art supplies• Reproducibles 1–4

ProceduresAdvance Preparation1. Read background material.2. Assemble research materials or know where students may

find them.3. Copy and distribute Reproducibles as needed.

Classroom Procedure1. Present Reproducible 1, “Lesson Background,” so that students

may familiarize themselves with basic information.Reproducible 2, “Name Those Asteroids!” can be distributed toreinforce information on asteroids and other small bodies inspace.

2. Present Reproducible 3, “Lesson Scenario,” and then brainstormabout what facts about asteroids might be needed to preparefor a mission that would prospect for water, oxygen, or metals.

3. Brainstorm theimportantcomponents that must bedesigned or built to mount aprospecting expedition to an asteroid. Topics tobe addressed may include: propulsion (type of rocket),power, life support, communications, financing (includingvaluable things that could be mined on an asteroid andreturned to Earth), crew selection (including human vs. robotic),ground support, vehicle design, maintenance, prospecting tools,and training.

4. Each team selects a topic from those suggested—all membersof the team should reach consensus.

5. Teams will research and document their topics, keeping a log ofsources investigated, relevant data found, relevantconversations, meetings, etc. The research should include a“major points” outline, visual aids, references used, and list ofpossible problems to be resolved through research. Teamsshould also list “interfaces” with other aspects of the expeditiondesign (e.g., the electrical power team needs to know howlarge the crew is, how the life-support system runs, andwhether the prospecting tools require electricity).

6. Team results should include the basic questions or trade-offsfor their part of the prospecting expedition, advantages anddisadvantages for each option (e.g., power from solar cellsversus power from a nuclear reactor), and a recommendation ofwhich option is best for the expedition. Groups should presenttheir results to the class.

7. Once presentations are complete, distribute Reproducible 4,“Brainstorm,” to get students thinking about space exploration.

Teaching with the PosterThere are all kinds of objects that orbit the Earth, the Sun, andother planets. Could a house launch into orbit, as the posterdepicts? Could it travel through space? Show students the poster,and encourage them to come up with questions the image raises.(How much force is required to lift a house that far into space?How fast would the house need to be traveling, and in whatdirection? What would prevent the house from burning up in ouratmosphere?) While you discuss these questions, keep track of science topicsraised in the discussion. Keep a list on the board. Areas of interestmight include: acceleration, satellite, meteor, asteroid, orbit,gravity, jet propulsion, and velocity.Students can then visit www.nasa.gov to conduct research andexplore their questions.

Generously sponsored by

SPACE SCIENCEADVENTURE IS WAITINGA Cross-Curricular Science and Language Arts Program

Free Teaching Guide & Poster


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The children’s book Zathura, by Chris VanAllsburg, is published by

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GREAT PRIZES!Family Trip to

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ASSESSMENT RUBRICASSESSMENT RUBRICExcellent Good Satisfactory Needs Improvement

• Student demonstrates acomplete understanding ofbackground material throughappropriate class discussion andparticipation

• Student demonstrates acomplete understanding of theappropriate vocabulary to use forlesson

• Student demonstrates anunderstanding of backgroundmaterial through appropriateclass discussion and participation

• Student demonstrates anunderstanding of the appropriatevocabulary to use for lesson

• Student demonstrates a limitedunderstanding of backgroundmaterial through appropriateclass discussion and participation

• Student demonstrates a limitedunderstanding of the appropriatevocabulary to use for lessonmaterial through appropriateclass discussion and participation

• Student demonstrates a lack ofunderstanding of backgroundmaterial through appropriateclass discussion and participation

• Student demonstrates a lack ofunderstanding of the appropriatevocabulary to use for lesson

• Student remains completely ontask and finishes activities intimely manner

• Student completes activity withtotal accuracy and with fullsupporting, detailed information

• Student presents completescientific accuracy in supportingdetails in collaborative group

• Student uses appropriate skillsand strategies of the writingprocess completely

• Student remains on task, butfinishes activities with teacher'sencouragement

• Student completes activity withsome accuracy and somesupporting, detailed information

• Student presents some scientificaccuracy in supporting details incollaborative group

• Student uses most of theappropriate skills and strategiesof the writing process

• Student struggles to stay on task,and finishes with difficulty

• Student completes assignmentwith little accuracy and littlesupporting, detailed information

• Student presents little scientificaccuracy in supporting details incollaborative group

• Student uses little of theappropriate skills and strategiesof the writing process

• Student lacks focus on task anddoes not complete activity

• Student either does not completeassignment and/or lacksaccuracy and/or supporting,detailed information

• Student presents a lack ofscientific accuracy in supportingdetails in collaborative group

• Student uses a lack ofappropriate skills and strategiesof the writing process completely

LessonBackground(Reproducibles

1 and 2)

LessonActivities

(Reproducibles3 and 4)

NATIONAL STANDARDS AND BENCHMARKSLESSONS1 2 3 4

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NATIONAL STANDARDS

SCIENCEStrand A: Science as Inquiry

Has ability to do scientific inquiry

Has understandings about scientific inquiry

Strand B: Physical ScienceUnderstands the motion of objects in relation tothe forces applied on that object

Understands the concept of transfer of energy

Strand D: Earth and Space Science

Understands the Earth’s place in the Solar System

Understands that the history of the Earth hasbeen changing in life and form

Strand E: Science and TechnologyHas basic understandings about science andtechnology

Strand F: Science in Personal and SocialPerspectives

Understands the potentiality of natural hazardsto human society

Strand G: History and Nature of Science

Understands that science is a human endeavor

LANGUAGE ARTS1. Uses general skills and strategies

to acquire new information

4. Use of spoken, written language tocommunicate effectively with a variety ofaudiences and for different purposes

5. Uses a wide range of strategies during thewriting process appropriately to communicatewith different audiences for a variety of purposes

8. Uses technological and information resourcesfor research purposes

Knows that scientific inquiry and research lead to answers and solutions to issues scientists try to solve

Thinks critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations

Knows how questions are to be asked and answered that allow the student to find solutions toscientific investigations

Knows ways in which an object's motion is affected by natural and physical forces being applied to it,i.e. gravity, centrifugal force, and inertial forces

Knows that energy is transferred (electrical, heat, light, etc.) as it moves, interacting with objects inspace

Knows the Earth's place in the Solar System in relation to the objects in the Solar System anduniverse, i.e., the Sun, Moon, planets, asteroids, comets, black holes, etc.

Knows that events in the past have been influenced by occasional catastrophes, i.e., impacts byasteroids or comets

Knows that scientific inquiry and technological design have similarities and differences, and one tendsto drive the other further in advancements and in pursuit of finding solutions to scientific research

Knows that natural hazards, i.e., asteroid impacts, have the potential to destroy human and wildlifehabitats and the attempt to journey to one

Knows that science and technology have been practiced for a long time, that there is much moreabout the Solar System and universe that needs to be researched, and in that, science will never be finished

Knows how to use appropriate reading skills to interpret and comprehend scientific material

Knows how to listen and respond to information and questions discussed during lessonKnows how to communicate through speaking and in written form to effectively present conclusionsand theories

Knows how to communicate and use the written form to present a science-based fictional work in acreative and compelling story

Knows how and where to find appropriate research material for scientific inquiry, i.e., texts and Internet

BENCHMARKS

This Program Meets National Standards (see matrix on back cover)

LESSON OVERVIEWLESSON OVERVIEW

ADDITIONAL TEACHER RESOURCESVisit www.nasa.gov and use the search function on the mainpage to access additional teacher resources that provide thelatest information on the science of space. Resources found onwww.nasa.gov can be used to provide students with a subjectbackground before proceeding with the lesson, to amplifystudents’ knowledge of specific topics, or to supplement thelesson as you progress through it.Visit www.Zathura.net for a language arts lesson plan based onZathura, plus links to other lesson plans on books by Chris VanAllsburg.

Coming to theaters this November

• Lessons & Reproducibles

• Classroom Wall Poster

• National Standards Matrix

• Take-Home Pages

Visit www.Zathura.comand click “The Movie”to arrange a class trip

to experience theadventure of this new film when

it opens this November.

SOURCES:

NCTE—The National Council of Teachers of Englishwww.ncte.org/about/over/standards/110846.htm

IRA—International Reading Associationwww.reading.org/resources/issues/reports/learning_standards.html

NSTA—National Science Teachers AssociationNational Science Education Standardswww.nap.edu/books/0309053269/html/103.html

WWelcome to Space Science: Adventure Is Waiting, a dynamic education program to build student skills in both science and language arts. Look inside for easy-to-use,national standards–based lessons and reproducibles, as well as a great sweepstakeswith amazing prizes (see the Take-Home pages)!

Developed in cooperation with both NASA and Scholastic, Space Science: Adventure Is Waiting has been generously sponsored by Columbia Pictures. The program alsoprovides inspiring images of the upcoming feature film Zathura. This adventure film isbased on renowned author/illustrator Chris Van Allsburg’s acclaimed children’s book,published by Houghton Mifflin.

We hope you and your students enjoy this valuable program!

Columbia Pictures • NASA • Scholastic Inc. • Houghton Mifflin

Connect Your Classroom Through NASA’s Digital Learning NetworkTM

On November 16, 2005, author/illustrator Chris Van Allsburg and a NASA scientist will be participating in three Digital Learning Network

events with NASA Explorer School sites as hosted by NASA Langley Research Center. For more information,

visit http://nasadln.nmsu.edu/dln

The movieZathura

is coming totheaters thisNovember.

Student Sweepstakes!Prizes include:• Family Trip for four to Kennedy Space Center

Visitor Complex in Florida• Plasma TV and DVD Player• Classroom sets of space/science booksSee Take-Home pages for details.

Share This Program with a Colleague!Printable version available online atwww.scholastic.com/spacescience

Developed incooperation with

NASAwww.houghtonmifflinbooks.com 1 of 15

Sweepstakes sponsored by ScholasticCopyright © 2005 Houghton Mifflin Company, All Rights Reserved.








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See take-home page.

6–8Grades



























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The movieZathura















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See take-home page.

6–8Grades



























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The movieZathura








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LESSON BACKGROUNDLESSON BACKGROUND NAME THOSE ASTEROIDS!NAME THOSE ASTEROIDS! BRAINSTORMBRAINSTORM

There are many cool objects flying around in space. Do you know the difference between an asteroid, a comet,

a meteor, and a meteorite? Try the activity below to learn more!

LESSON SCENARIOLESSON SCENARIO

Time: Sometime in the next century

Place: EarthMost meteorites are thought to be broken fragments of asteroids —small “planets” or bodies of rock or ice orbiting around the Sun. The largest asteroid is Ceres, 940 km in diameter, much smaller than our Moon (3,500 km). Ceres was the first asteroid discovered (in1801), and about 6,000 have been discovered since then. Asteroids areso small that telescopes on Earth can see them only as points of light.

The Galileo spacecraft passed close to the asteroids Gaspra and Idaand sent us pictures of them. Both are irregular masses of rock,seemingly broken and covered with impact craters. As indicated bytheir colors (reflectance spectra), most asteroids are mixtures of metaland silicate minerals, possibly like chondrite meteorites. A few aremade of basalt rock, just like the basalt meteorites (example: 1983RDin this lesson).

Most asteroids orbit in the asteroid belt between 2.2 and 3.2 times theEarth’s distance from the Sun; their orbits are ellipses, oval-shapedcurves that carry them nearer and farther from the Sun. Only a fewasteroids follow orbits that get near the Earth, and these asteroids areprobably the sources of some meteorites. An asteroid that crosses theEarth’s orbit could collide with the Earth and cause a devastatingimpact explosion. About 200 of these Earth-crossing asteroids areknown, and it is estimated that 20–40 percent of them will collide withthe Earth over the next million years. No known asteroid will hit theEarth for at least 200 years. We will likely have many years of warningbefore an asteroid collision like this. The Earth is really a very smalltarget. But when there are a million shots, over a long time, one is likelyto hit.

To hunt for asteroids, astronomers photograph the night sky and lookfor “stars” that move, compared to real stars. A long exposurephotograph would show a background of stars as spots, with a streakfrom an asteroid, due to the asteroid’s motion across the sky. Todiscover the orbit of an asteroid, it is not necessary to observe theasteroid as it follows its whole orbit; knowing its location a few times,over several weeks or months, is sufficient.

Read the sentences below to learn about three asteroidsthat were named after famous people. Conduct anInternet search to find out who these people were. Usethe information to complete the sentences.

The asteroid 3352 McAuliffe is named after ChristaMcAuliffe, who was

.

The asteroid 2266 Tchaikovsky is named after aRussian music composer who

.

The asteroid 2578 Saint-Exupéry is named after Antoinede Saint-Exupéry, who

.

Do You Know the DifferenceBetween an Asteroid, a Comet,and a Meteor?Asteroids are generally largechunks of rock that come from theLeonid asteroid belt. Comets looklike asteroids, except they arecovered with compounds that makea fuzzy, cloud-like shell. A meteor isthe flash of light that we see in thenight sky when smaller bits ofasteroids or comets burn up as theypass through Earth’s atmosphere.

Asteroids Can Have Three Names!An asteroid’s first name: When anasteroid is found, it is given atemporary name, showing whatyear it was found.An asteroid’s second name: Afterthe asteroid’s orbit is known well, itgets assigned a number.An asteroid’s third name: Finally, anasteroid can be given a “real” nameby the person who found it.For example: The asteroid named“3551 1983RD” has a first name(1983RD, which shows it wasdiscovered in the year 1983) and asecond name, which is actually anumber (3551). This asteroiddoesn’t have a “real” name yet.

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On a separate sheet of paper, can you explainwhy the following asteroids are famous?

• 433 Eros

• 1 Ceres

• 4 Vesta

• 2060 Chiron

• 3200 Phaethon

• 1862 Apollo

BONUS!BONUS!

National and international space agencies are cooperating to plan for humanexploration of the outer Solar System. Their intention is to send expeditions to themoons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune to explore, collect samples, andsearch for clues to the beginnings of the Solar System. It is impractical to send all therocket fuel and consumables (drinking water, air, food) from the Earth because theyare heavy, bulky items. Therefore, the space agencies are looking for sources ofrocket fuel and consumables at an intermediate destination, the asteroid belt. Yourclass has been selected to plan a prospecting expedition to the asteroids to look forresources that could be turned into rocket fuel, drinking water, etc.

What can we get from an asteroid?Two types of materials on asteroids appear to be attractive for mining: metals andvolatiles. Both of these are essential for space travel. The cost of launching anymaterial from the Earth is extremely high, so useful materials that are already inspace can be very valuable. Most of the asteroids are found in orbits between Marsand Jupiter. However, several hundred have orbits that bring them close to the Earth.Rocket trips to some of these “near-Earth” asteroids would use even less fuel than atrip to the Moon, though the travel time to an asteroid might be much longer becausethe asteroid is not orbiting Earth.

Metals—An asteroid of the composition of an ordinary chondrite could be processedto provide very pure iron and nickel. Valuable by-products would include cobalt,platinum, gallium, and germanium. These metals are basic to the production of steeland electronic equipment. Some metals from an asteroid mine might even provevaluable enough to be returned to Earth. Iron meteorites are high-grade ores.

Volatiles—Water, oxygen, and carbon compounds are useful in any space settlement,both for life support and for producing rocket fuel. These volatiles could be found inan asteroid that resembles a carbonaceous chondrite or the nucleus of a formercomet. Water contents may range from 5–10% by weight for a chondrite to 60% byweight for a comet nucleus. In some asteroids large quantities of sulfur, chlorine, and nitrogen may also be available.

Why do humans explore?

Where does the money for space exploration come from?

What are possible economic benefits of space exploration?

Might a lunar base be cheaper to run than a space station in low-Earth orbit?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of gender-mixed crews?

What are the different abilities of human crews and robotic instruments (e.g.,compare initiative, adaptability, hardiness, need for life support)?

What types of support teams (on Earth or other home base) are necessary to amission? Consider human and/or robotic crews.

How does destination and crew selection affect vehicle design?

What skills/programming would astronauts/robots need during each phase of amission?

Imagine some emergencies that might occur in flight. How might we plan to deal withthem? What kinds of problems could not be fixed in a spacecraft millions of milesfrom home base?

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This educational content developed by NASA. This educational content developed by NASA. This educational content developed by NASA. This educational content developed by NASA.

www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com 4 of 15Sweepstakes sponsored by Scholastic

Copyright © 2005 Houghton Mifflin Company, All Rights Reserved.

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6–8Grades



























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Activity #1:Comets, Meteors,and MeteoroidsActivity #2:Web Quest: Gravity,Black Holes, and Robots



SPACE SCIENCEADVENTURE IS WAITING

In-Class Activities and Take-Home Pages

SPACE SCIENCEADVENTURE IS WAITING

In-Class Activities and Take-Home Pages

ANSWERS TO REPRODUCIBLES:

Activity #1: shooting stars (meteors); composed ofminerals and ice (comets); orbits sun (comets, meteoroids);has a tail (comets); speedy streak of light (meteors); usuallyweighs less than a grain of sand (meteoroids); hits the atmosphere faster than 100,000 miles per hour(meteoroids); falling stars (meteors); surface melts into gas and dust when gets close to sun (comets); lasts asecond or two (meteors); travels slowly across the nightsky (comets); may come in showers or storms (meteors);remains in the sky for many days or weeks (comets).

Activity #2: 1. The red ball is being driven by its forwardmotion. 2.The design of the leaf, nautilus, and flowers maybe the result of the laws (or forces) of nature at work. 3.Black holes are unseen because they are a region of spacewhere gravity is infinitely strong. 4. A black hole can formwhen (1) a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel andcollapses and (2) the mass of the star's core is three ormore solar masses. 5. Answers may include: Robots dothings that humans are unable to accomplish; they go onlong trips; they don't need air or water; they go on spacewalks; they take pictures. 6. Voyager 1, Cassini, Stardust

Family and Teacher Resources

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ATSWEEPSTAKES!G

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in Florida!

See take-home page.

6–8Grades

Visit the official movie website at

www.Zathura.com




11ActivityActivity

Name Date

Reproducible

FALLING STARSFALLING STARS

The sight of a falling star is always exciting. Before the word “look!”is out of your mouth, the streak of light is gone. You point to where itwas and ask others if they saw it, too. Often, no one else sees thespeedy flight of light flash by, and you are left trying to describe whatyou saw and felt. You stare at the dark space, hoping another will streakacross the sky.

What is a falling star? A falling star is not a star at all. It is not even apiece of a star. Stars are huge balls of burning gas sending off greatamounts of energy in the form of light and heat. Stars are much biggerthan our planet. Stars do not fall; they stay in their own places in theirown galaxies. Our sun is a star.

A falling star is a meteor. Meteors are streaks of light in thesky that we can see when a small speck of dust burnsup high in the air above us. Where do these specks ofdust come from? Comets!

Astronomers call these pieces of comet dust“meteoroids.” Meteoroids are usually smaller than agrain of sand. Some meteoroids are bigger, but most aretiny. Meteoroids hit the Earth’s atmosphere at super-highspeed, sometimes faster than 90,000 miles per hour. Thefriction between the tiny meteoroid and the atmosphere creates thelight that we recognize as a meteor (or “falling star”). The dust speckthat burns up is called a meteoroid. The flash of light is called a meteor.Meteors usually last just a second or two.

Sometimes, there are meteor showers. The heavens are a blacktheater for an amazing display of silent fireworks. It is exciting to watchall these meteors shoot through the dark sky. There are so many that ifyou watch with a friend, you will probably see some of the same andsome different ones. Scientists also watch these meteors and record thenumbers, the brightness, and the paths of these beautiful fireworks ofnature. In a meteor shower, lots of shooting stars seem to fall from onearea of the sky.

Why do we have meteor showers? They happen when the Earthpasses through the tail of a comet. Like the dust cloud surroundingPigpen in the “Peanuts” comics, a meteoroid stream travels along withthe comet on its orbit through the Solar System.

Some people are confused by comets and meteors. A comet isdifferent from a meteor. A comet is usually larger and

travels slowly across the night sky. A very bright cometonly appears once or twice in a century but it

remains in the sky for many days or months.Comets appear to be bright balls with fat tails.They do not fall rapidly in the sky; you wouldhave to watch one for hours or days to see itsmovement. The center of a comet is a ball offrozen gas, dust, and water. Like planets ormoons, comets orbit around the Sun.

The comet that causes the Leonids is calledTempel-Tuttle. It is named after two scientists

who discovered it at the end of 1865. The scientists were not workingtogether; one was in France and one was in America. They were eachlooking through telescopes. Both astronomers spotted the comet andreported their finding. The comet they found was not a big, bright comet.It is so small that it can only be seen with a telescope. The cometTempel-Tuttle is about two-and-a-half miles in diameter.

When comets get close to the Sun, they begin to warm up and theiricy material begins to melt. Tiny grains of dirt that have been riding onthe comet for perhaps four and a half billion years fly off into space tojoin a long stream of orbiting meteoroids.

When the Earth hits this stream of comet junk from Tempel-Tuttle, meteors seem to shoot out of the constellation Leo.That’s why this meteor shower is called the Leonids.

The Leonids are famous. The reason that the Leonids areso famous is that sometimes they cause a meteor storm! In a meteor storm, over 1,000 meteors blaze across the skyevery hour. In 1833, people all over America woke up to see

hundreds of stars falling every minute! All night, the sky wasbrightened by meteors that rocketed through the night by the

thousands! Since no telescopes or fancy equipment were neededto see the storm, ordinary people were able to see that wonderful

and rare sight. Many artists tried to paint pictures of the “rain of stars”that fell so heavily that night. Newspapers ran many stories about thestorm. What they saw was a Leonids meteor storm.This display was so beautiful and amazing thatmeteors suddenly captured the attention andimagination of people everywhere. Scientistswere inspired to begin a serious study ofmeteors and their causes.

The best way to watch a meteorstorm is with your eyes. Telescopesare not required. Dress warmly.Set up a comfortable lounge chairwith blankets and snacks orspread out a blanket. Lie downand look up at the sky. Watchthe beautiful flashes of light fromtiny “sky candles” created in thelong-ago dawn of our SolarSystem.

“Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket…”“Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket…”

This educational content developed by NASA.



Name Date

FALLING STARS:DO YOU KNOW YOUR COMETS FROM YOUR METEORS?FALLING STARS: CONTINUED

DO YOU KNOW YOUR COMETS FROM YOUR METEORS?

shooting stars

composed of minerals and ice

orbits Sun

has a tail

speedy streak of light

usually weighs less than a grain of sand

hits the atmosphere faster than 90,000 miles per hour

falling stars

surface melts into gas and dust when gets close to Sun

lasts a second or two

travels slowly across the night sky

may come in showers or storms

remains in the sky for many days or weeks

Some of the following words and phrases describe comets. Some words and phrasesdescribe meteors. Some words and phrases describe meteoroids. Some describe more than one. Based on what you learned in the article “Falling Stars,” write “comets,” “meteors,” and/or “meteoroids” by the appropriate words and phrases.

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22ActivityActivity Name Date

GravityExplore the subject of gravity at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/orbits2.shtml, then answer thequestions below based on what you find.

Look at the spinning red ball in the animation. Other than gravity, what force is driving its circular movement?

According to the article, what might the leaf, nautilus, and flowers that are pictured all have in common?

Black HolesVisit www.nasa.gov/worldbook/blackhole_worldbook.html to learn more about black holes, then findthe answers to these questions.

Why can't you see a black hole?

According to the article, what two things must happen for a black hole to form?

RobotsRobots have been helping humans on Earth and in outer space for a long time. Go towww.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/home/F_NASA_Robot_Storybook.html and learn all about them.Then locate the answers to the last two questions.

Name four ways in which scientists use robots:

Find the names of three robots that are spacecraft and list them here:

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During this Web quest you’ll learn about some amazing things related to thescience of space: gravity, black holes, and robots.

WEB QUESTWEB QUEST

INTRODUCTION:INTRODUCTION:

Reproducible




6–8Grades

Family Activity and Sweepstakes

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Since time eternal, humans have looked to the heavens in wonder. Today, adultsand children alike gaze at the night skies with amazement, asking all kinds ofquestions.

Talk to your child and discuss these questions:

• How many stars are there in the sky?

• How far away is the farthest star?

• What’s a falling star? Where does it land?

• Are there humans on other planets?

• What’s it like to travel on a rocket into space?

In school, your child has been studying thescience of space in Space Science: AdventureIs Waiting.

We encourage you to view the skies with yourchild, to start a dialogue about what he or sheobserves, and to ask questions based on thoseobservations!

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Dear Parents and Families: Share an Exciting Talk About Space

Since time eternal, humans have looked to the heavens in wonder. Today, adultsand children alike gaze at the night skies with amazement, asking all kinds ofquestions.

Talk to your child and discuss these questions:

• How many stars are there in the sky?

• How far away is the farthest star?

• What’s a falling star? Where does it land?

• Are there humans on other planets?

• What’s it like to travel on a rocket into space?

In school, your child has been studying thescience of space in Space Science: AdventureIs Waiting.

We encourage you to view the skies with yourchild, to start a dialogue about what he or sheobserves, and to ask questions based on thoseobservations!

THEN GO TO THE NEXT PAGE TOENTER THE ZATHURA SWEEPSTAKES!



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Documents

Excellent Good Satisfactory Needs Improvement ... · • Plan an expedition or other large engineering project. • Investigate options in many aspects of space flight. • Present