Introduction
Greetings Astronauts!
Thanks to rapid advancements that have been made in jet propulsion technology, a space shuttle that can now go farther into outer space then we as a spieces have ever been before, has been invented. You have been chosen to be on the first exploration. This is a huge responsibility. You must carefully collect data on the way, this information could be used to figure out how humans could live on other planets, or if there is other life out there in this giant universe.
Click through to find your tasks.
Safe travels, Astronauts!
Task
Task One:
You've blasted it off and are on your way. The space shuttle is going at the speed of light out to the farthest edges of our universe. You've made it to the dwarf planet Pluto, which used to be considered a planet. Watch the video below and then answer the questions showing that you can put the planets that you'll pass on your way to the sun in the correct order.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwTdHydMUC0]
List the planets in order, starting from the farthest away from the sun!
Task Two:
As you are continuing on your space adventure, you begin to notice something, there seem to be two different types of planets: Terrestrial Planets and Jovian Planets. Read through this link and then answer the following questions using evidence from the reading!
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/education/activities/3113_origins_07.html
Which planets are Terrestrial? Give three characteristics of a Terrestrial Planet.
Which planets are Jovian? Give three characteristics of a Jovian Planet.
Task Three:
You were just relaxing, eating some astronaut ice cream, when suddenly WOOSH, something went whizzing by the space shuttle. Was it an asteroid? A comet? A meteor? You need to find out. Here's what you know, your shuttle is between Earth and Venus, and when you saw the object it seemed to have a cloud like tail that was curled like a coma. Look at the resource below and see if you can figure out what it is. Fill out the worksheet about the similarities and differences of comets, asteroids and meteors.
http://www.kidscosmos.org/solar_system/asteroids_comets_meteors.php
Task Four:
Something you may have noticed as you've been traveling through space is that some planets have more than one moon and some have none at all! Read through the link below and answer the following questions:
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/how-many-moons/en/
Which planet has the most moons?
Which planets has no moon?
Evaluation
As you're finishing up your journey, you spot something... what is it? Oh my goodness, it's a NEW planet. For your final evaluation, you will need to write up what this new planet you discovered is like. Is it big or small? Where is it in our solar system? Is there water on it? Is there life? Is it jovian or terrestrial? Does it have a moon?
In addition to your writing, you will make a model of what your planet looks like and present it to the class.
Conclusion
Great work, Astronauts! I hope you enjoyed your journey through space and it made you think about how big our universe is and how much is out there. Happy star gazing friends!