NASA
Earth, Can You Hear Me Now?
How long did you say? Class groups plot the distances between Earth and Mars and determine the trigonometric function that models the data. Using a calculator, they graph the function to determine when the distance and communication...
NASA
The Lunar Lander – Ascending from the Moon
What angle? Groups determine the height of the lunar lander as it ascends from the surface of the moon and calculate the angle of elevation of the lunar lander at specific times and distances. The provided series of questions lead the...
NASA
Simulating Weightlessness
Floating across the top. Class groups examine the parabolas, written as parametric equations, that model the flight path of NASA's C-9 as it simulates weightlessness. They continue their exploration by changing the parameters to...
Curated OER
Ellipses and Kepler's First Law
The class examines graphs in the form r = F(¿¿) in polar coordinates (r, ¿¿), in particular with the circle, ellipse and other conic sections. They determine the nature of an ellipse by studying the role of the semimajor axis and...
Curated OER
Introduction To Orbital Mechanics
Young scholars use NASA drawings to build a model satellite for a specific mission. They design a set of drawings for their satellite showing its subsystems as well.
Curated OER
Saving Energy Through Ecological Landscape Design
Students are able to transcribe to scale the plant features of a common landscape. They determine true north and south and collect and record data on a table. Students calculate a rating for and describe a definition of insulation and...
Curated OER
Ellipses And Kepler's First Law
High schoolers explain that planets actually orbit the center of gravity of the solar system, and that distant planets may be detected by motions of their central star around the centers of gravity of their planetary systems.