Lesson Plan
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Can an Astronaut on Mars Distinguish Earth from its Moon?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the possibility of being on Mars and being able to identify the Earth.  For this space lesson students complete a set of calculations to see if this is possible. 
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Determining the Altitude of Iridium Flares

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine what iridium flares are and when they occur.  In this iridium flare instructional activity students complete an activity to see how far overhead Iridium satellites are.
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Searching for life

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Young scholars explore the possibility of life on Mars and what that might look like.  In this planetary lesson students complete several activities on looking for life on Mars. 
Worksheet
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The Io Plasma Torus

For Students 11th - 12th
For this plasma torus worksheet, students solve 5 problems including finding the dimensions of the Io torus, determining the formula for the volume of a torus, finding the actual volume of the Ion torus and finding the amount of sodium...
Worksheet
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Scientific Data-The Gift That Keeps on Giving!

For Students 8th - 10th
In this scientific data worksheet, students solve 6 problems related to the data to be collected by the Solar Dynamics Observatory Mission. The problems include finding the number of bytes necessary in discs and drives to store a given...
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When a Ruler is Too Short

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners measure distances using parallax. In this math lesson, students explain how this method helped astronomers with their studies of the solar system. They determine the length of their arm using parallax and compare it with other...
Worksheet
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Black Hole Power...X

For Students 9th - 12th
In this power of black holes activity, students solve 6 problems including finding the surface area of a black hole, determining the amount of matter in the black hole shell, finding the rest mass energy and determining the time it takes...
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Color and Spectrum

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars examine the spectra of light sources that have similar colors.  In this light activity students complete an activity using various lights in the classroom and discuss the colors and the heat generated. 
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What's the Frequency, Roy G. Biv?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students examine the concept of frequency and wavelength. They analyze how frequency and wavelength relate to each other by conducting an experiment involving measuring and timing wavelengths by pulling adding machine tape through an...
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High Mountain Retreat

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners explore and analyze atmospheric conditions for a high mountain retreat. They examine the relationship between altitude, atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity at a particular location. In addition, they write reports...
Lesson Plan
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Ocean Currents and Sea Surface Temperature

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students use satellite data to explore sea surface temperature. They explore the relationship between the rotation of the Earth, the path of ocean current and air pressure centers. After studying maps of sea surface temperature and ocean...
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Program Your Partner

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore the world of robotics. In this robotics lesson, students study the history of robots and work with partners to find out how hard it is to accurately guide robots through simple tasks.
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Make a Comet Model and Eat It!

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students construct a comet model based on procedure provided. In this space science lesson plan, students compare the physical properties of comets to the models they made. They record their observations and share them with the class.
Lesson Plan
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Determining Center of Gravity

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students complete calculations involving the structure and properties of matter. They engage in a variety of problem solving activities to help them determine the center of gravity.
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Determining Center of Gravity

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Learners complete calculus calculations involving the structure and properties of matter and determining the center of gravity.
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Craters on the Moon

For Students 8th - 10th
In this moon craters worksheet, students use a high resolution image of the lunar surface and calculate the image scale in meters per millimeter. They use the image scale to find the largest crater in the image, the smallest crater, the...
Worksheet
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Where Did All the Stars Go?

For Students 9th - 11th
For this brightness of stars worksheet, students solve 4 problems given a unit of measurement of cents/second for brightness. Students find cents collected in timed exposures, they find brightness of stars and they determine visibility...
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The STEREO Mission: Getting The Message Across

For Students 9th - 11th
In this STEREO satellites worksheet, students are given a chart with the intensity of the signals from the satellites received on Earth and the distances of the satellite from Earth. Students convert the intensity at each distance to...
Worksheet
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Seeing a Dwarf Planet Clearly: Pluto

For Students 9th - 11th
In this dwarf planet worksheet, students use images from the Hubble Space Telescope and they determine the scale of the image, they identify the largest features in the images, they calculate the volume of Pluto and they create a model...
Worksheet
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Monster Functions in Space Science I

For Students 10th - 12th
In this solar magnetic field worksheet, students are given 2 equations and use them to find the magnetic field strength and the Bp and Bz for given conditions. they express their answer using scientific notation.
Worksheet
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Satellites and Solar Cells

For Students 8th - 10th
In this satellite and solar cells worksheet, students determine the electrical power generated by the solar cells on the IMAGE satellite. Students solve 3 problems including finding the usable area of the satellite, determining the power...
Worksheet
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The Solar Neighborhood within 17 Light Years!

For Students 9th - 11th
In this distance between stars worksheet, students plot the distance between the sun and 11 other stars on a 2 dimensional grid using a protractor and a ruler. They determine the distances between various stars and they find the shortest...
Worksheet
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IBEX Uses Fast-Moving Atoms to Map the Sky!

For Students 9th - 11th
For this energetic neutral atoms worksheet, students solve 3 problems including determining the formula for particle speed, writing the equation to show the relationship between mass, energy and speed and determining the speed of protons...
Worksheet
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How Big is a Lunar Crater?

For Students 8th - 11th
For this lunar crater worksheet, learners use an image taken by the Lunar Orbiter spacecraft to find the scale of the image and determine the diameter of the lunar crater Tycho. They also find the size of the smallest and largest...