Solar System

Students will gain an appreciation of the dimensions of space in the solar system by constructing physical scale models of the system; looking at the time and technology involved in space travel; and initial process of geologic (remote-sensing) exploration of a solar system object to plan a landing site for a spacecraft. Most of these projects and activities involve not only the aspects of scientific research, but also the application of mathematical manipulations of data gathered from public sources. Each unit includes supplies necessary for 20 students to complete 10 one-hour hands-on sessions, instructional DVDs, activity sheets, lesson plans, and program completion certificates.

• Week 1: Build model of the solar system to give you idea of the order and size of Earth’s neighbors.

• Week 2: Take your knowledge, acquire some additional facts and you and your team will be able to construct a scale model of the planets. This is big; you might need the field outdoors to do this one.

• Week 3: This is going to be fun. You and your team are going to do some research about orbits by slinging a racquetball, measuring some distances and calculating degrees using a hiking compass to make some assumptions about our own solar system.

• Week 4-5: Now it’s time to learn about propulsion, building rockets that use different sources of energy including your own lungs. You’ll also build a rocket that uses chemical energy for lift-off, not to mention the races you’ll be having with your balloon rockets.

• Week 6-10: Now it’s time to put everything you’ve learned together. You and your team will actually build a model surface of the planet Venus and seal it up in a box, for other teams to actually use simulated radar techniques to map the unseen surface. Can you replicate the surface inside the box without ever actually seeing it? I’m sure you can.