Astronomy & Space: Middle & High School
Updated:
April 8, 2002
Astronomy Picture of the Day - Grades 2-12 - NASA offers a constantly changing selection of pictures from its various space exploration on this site, which changes daily. Great stepping-stone to study of other aspects of space and space exploration.
The Astronaut Connection - Grades 4-8 - This site is dedicated to the history and continuance of space exploration. There is space trivia, astronaut bios, and a chance to meet with and chat with actual astronauts. You can also research information here in the space forum. There are nice graphics, and you can participate in the next actual blast-off from this site. From Data Matrix, Inc.
AstroWeb - Grades 6-12 - This site offers a collection of astronomy-related resources. Includes a searchable database of resources to choose from including telescope data and imagery.
Auroras: Paintings in the Sky - Grades 6-12 - Mish Denlinger, The Exploratorium - This web site shows and tells all about auroras, seen both from the earth and from space. A self-guided tour explains how and why they occur and includes sound clips from a NASA scientist. The pictures are excellent, text is well-written, and links to other aurora information are included. A special section for teachers gives classroom suggestions and ideas for assignments based on this site. You can also post your own ideas here. Sound files are accessed with RealAudio, available in the TeachersFirst toolbox.
Calendars Through the Ages - Since we're all into counting days and centuries, here's how it started. This site offers a concise history of how calendars and date-keeping developed in several different cultures in Europe, Asia, and South America. Interesting background for study of astronomy and cultures, or as research material for secondary students.
The Challenger Center for Space Exploration - Grades 3-8 - There are lots of resources at this site. We've marked the page that leads to downloadable classroom resources, most of which are Acrobat files created by NASA. The resources include lessons on the solar system, the moon and planets, the space shuttle, and the international space station.
Classifying Galaxies - Grades 5-9 - From the Virginia Museum of Science - Here’s a site which includes teacher lesson plans, along with worksheets with answer keys. A great introduction to the classification of galaxies.
Comet Central - Grades 4-8 - This Australian site offers a collection of stargazing resources which change with the seasons. There is also information about several comets, their makeup, and their orbits. Easy for students to navigate themselves, with enough graphics to make the trip interesting.
Encyclopedia Astronautica - Grades 6-12 - For technical and historical information about space travel and technology, this site is probably without peer. There are hundreds of pages, images, and minutely detailed chronologies of the people, programs, and equipment which have contributed to space travel in countries around the world. It's an outstanding research site, and a wealth of information.
Eric's Treasure Trove of Astronomy - Grades 4-8 - This is a searchable database of scientific definitions related to the study of Astronomy. Available topics range from Physics to Music and Math.
Expanding Universe Search Tool - Grades 6-12 - This Canadian site offers a searchable "library" of information related to Astronomy. Several sub-indices are included. Useful site if searching for specific information on an event, technique, or definition of a term.
Exploring Earth's Magnetosphere - Grades 9-12 - This is a high school level introduction to the earth's magnetosphere, covering topics such as solar wind, sunspots, and electromagnetic activity in space. While the writing is dense and technical, the author makes no special assumptions about previous exposure to mathematics or physics. The unit can be used for self-study, or for students interested in pursuing this phase of physics and astronomy in more depth. This site has a sister-site, From Stargazers to Starships.
From Stargazers to Starships - Grades 9-12 - This is an introduction to "Astronomy of the Earth's motion in space, Newtonian mechanics, Spaceflight and spacecraft. "Stargazers" deals with the world of gravity--of massive planets and stars, and the way spaceflight is achieved despite their strong pull. Written by one of the NASA staff, it provides a literate introduction for high school students. This is the companion to the site "Exploring the Earth's Magnetosphere."
Galileo Galilei from the History of Science Museum - Florence, Italy - Grades 9-12 – This Italian site includes a display of historical artifacts relating to the studies of Galileo Galilei.
Galileo's Villa - Grades 6-12 - This site uses Galileo's Villa as the starting point for a lengthy description of the famous astronomer's life, times, and scientific obsevations and achievements. The site is by no means new, and it consists mostly of text. That said, the articles will retain the attention of an interested student. From Rice University.
A Guide to the Solar System - Grades 4-12 - Includes text, photos, facts, and exercises. Lots of interesting materials.
How Much Would You Weigh? - Grades 4-8 - This NASA site lets students calculate their weight on various planets and moons throughout the solar system. It includes visuals, a table showing gravitational forces on the various planets, and instructions on how to work through the necessary math. Simple, entertaining way to visualize and understand variations in gravitational force.
How Things Fly: Activities for Teaching Flight - Grades 3-8. Support from Pacific Life Foundation. A short introductory paragraph summarizing the three lessons and activities, "Students draw upon their own experiences and sense of movement to understand basic physics of flight." Includes a section titled "What's going on?" that gives detailed explanations of the activity results. Can download activities in Adobe Acrobat Format.
How Things Fly - Grades 4-8 - This site from the National Air and Space Museum walks users through a simple introduction to the physics of flight using non-technical terms. In addition to the content, there is a great collection of activities that users can try at home with little or no supervision.
Hubble Space Telescope Site - Grades 6-12 - This site is an educator's home page for the Hubble space telescope. In addition to a collection of fabulous photographs, the site offers descriptions of the Hubble's various missions and the information it has collected since an in-flight repair several years ago restored its "eyesight." Well worth a visit, especially for the images.
Hubble - A View to the Edge of Space - Grades 6-12 - Created by San Francisco's Exploratorium, this site offers a look at the science and scientists who make the Hubble telescope work. There are inages, a tour of control facilities, and a feature to access live webcasts of Hubble activities.
Images from NASA - Grades 2-12- This is a nicely indexed, searchable collection of NASA photos whose topics range from aeronautics to space, the planets, and beyond. Most are copyright-free, since they were created for government use. While some image sizes are quite large, this could be a wonderful resource for creating web projects, student use, or other space and astronomy applications.
Imagine the Universe! Grades 6-8 - This is an updated version of a site on the stars and galaxies that's been around for a while. The presentation is keyed to applicable national and state standards (primarily Virginia and Maryland). The presentations include an unusually complete set of lessons in astronomy and mathematics.
"An Inquirer's Guide to The Universe" - Grades 3-5 - From the Franklin Institute - Click on "Inquiry Tips" for ways of using this site in the classroom. The site suggests several fictional story starters as a way to integrate creative activities into the study of planets.
| International Space Station
Resources: |
| Real Time Shuttle / Space Station Tracking - Grades 6-12 - NASA's real-time data site lets you see where the space station is right now, and it gives pertinent data on space station and shuttle missions. Links from this page take you to more details on the space station and shuttle. (This page opens in a new window.) |
| The International Space Station - Grades 6-12 - This is NASA's ISS home page, containing basic information and links to a number of other resources on the construction and uses of the space station. |
| Who's on the Space Station - Students want to know: who gets to work on the space station and how did they get the job? NASA's space station site offers profiles of the team members currently working in space. The site offers both standard and Flash-enhanced multimedia versions with audio and images from each team member. |
| The International Space Station - City in Space - CNN offers a collection of multi-medial and virtual reality demonstrations showing how the international space station will be assembled and function. The site includes explanations of the scientific and diplomatic objectives of the space station project. You'll need a Shockwave plug-in, available from the TeachersFirst Toolbox. |
| The International Space Station - A Virtual Reality Tour - Grades 4-12 - CNN offers a virtual reality tour of the International Space Station. It's a great way to explore the station's various components and construction. You'll need a computer with a 166 MHz processor or better, and the Cosmo player plug-in for your browser. Depending on the speed of your modem connection, the demo could take 3-5 minutes to load. It's worth the wait. |
| ISS Virtual Tour - This is NASA's virtual reality tour of the space station exterior. You'll need a VRML plug-in (available at the site), but the demonstration lets users explore the entire exterior. Your students will master the quirky controls more quickly than you do, and it's a great exploration. |
| Realtime ISS Data - This NASA applet offers actual orbital and tracking information to help users get a visual look at the space station. This one's not for the timid, but the information is real, and the maps show where to look. |
| The Mir Spacecraft - Terror in Space - The Russian Mir space station is how history, but this site from the PBS NOVA series provides a nice overview of the first permanent space station and how it fell victim to the changes in Russia's economy and politics. Great images and interviews, too. |
Izzy's Skylog - Grades 4-8 – A site that lists upcoming events in the night sky along with maps to assist in viewing. "Ask Izzy" is a question and answer section relating to backyard and amateur astronomy. Very helpful site!
K-8 Aeronautics Textbook - Grades 1-8 - This site, developed in cooperation with NASA, offers an attractively designed web curriculum for the study of aeronautics. There are a variety of lessons, resources, and activities, as well as lesson plans for use by teachers. The site is maintained at the University of California at Davis.
Liftoff to Space - Grades 2-6. - Latest NASA news as well as background information on U.S. space exploration. The "Kids Space" section includes interactive games, puzzles, and art related to space exploration.
Live From Mars - Grades 3-12 - This excellent site is part of the Mars Team Online, through NASA. It is an excellent learning resource for children. Email exchange as well as scheduled live chat session with NASA experts are part of this site. There is a teachers’ "lounge" with curriculum supplements as well as a discussion center. Projects and a gallery to display student work is part of the Kids Corner. A highlight of the site is a video, Live From Mars.
Mission to Mars - Grades 6-8 – Here is an interactive simulation for a mission to Mars. Students go through several steps learning about the process involved in a successful mission.
NASA for Kids - Grades 4-12 - This is NASA's starting point for kids interested in NASA activities. Introduced in June, 1999, it offers dozens of NASA web resources groups into logical categories. Given the hundreds of pages that NASA has on the web, this page should make it easier for students to find information they can use.
NASA Express Lessons - Grades 6-12 - This page is the "front door" to a collection of NASA lesson units dealing with assorted topics in astronomy, aeronautics, and science. Each unit contains a collection of on-line and classroom materials. You'll find the typical NASA depth of content; the challenge is fitting it into available time and resources. Still, these lessons can be a great resource.
NASA Langley's Learning Technologies Project! - Grades K-8 – This site includes interactive projects involving math and science. The common theme is aerospace.
NASA Lunar Prospector - Grades 6-12 - This is the home site for the NASA lunar prospector spacecraft, launched in early 1998. It provides pictures and resources on both the current project and the history of lunar exploration.
NASA's SpaceLink program for schools - Grades K-12 - This is NASA's "home page" for school-related information. There's almost too much here, and figuring out where to go next can be a problem. It's a good starting point, though, especially when used in conjunction with the other NASA resources on this page.
National Air and Space Museum - Grades 4-8 - This site allows students to visit current exhibits and perform research via the Internet. The "Collections and Research" section includes an area entitled " Center for Earth & Planetary Studies" with useful educational links for students to explore.
The Nine Planets - Grades 6-12 - Here's a planet-by-planet introduction to the solar system which features stunning photographs and supporting content. Photos are from a variety of earth and space sources, and include images of the moons of the various planets. Great source for "wow" planet pictures and good content. From the University of Arizona.
Planetary Magnitude Almanac for December 1996 - Grades 8-12 – This Franklin Institute site lists the magnitude of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn for each day in 1996.
Rocket Principles - Grades 6-12 - This site, created with the help of NASA, provides a fully-illustrated introduction to rockets and the scientific principles that make them work. The illustrations make the material comprehensible for younger students, and the text provides sufficient content for those working at a more advanced level.
The Satellite Site - Grades 4-12 - Here's a chance for your space students to build their own satellite, learn about different types of satellites, their orbits, and how they operate. Developed by M.I.T. with help from Lockheed Martin, the site includes a number of interactive Java applets that kids can use to test out their own skills. A Java-capable browser is a must.
The Sky - Grades 4-12 - This site, part of the larger Sea and Sky site, offers a collection of images and facts about the stars and planets, along with a set of Java animations which help demonstrate and explain the physics of space and space exploration. These animations are grouped by level of difficulty, and include some very advanced illustrations of principles of relativity.
Sky Online - Grades 6-12 - This very well planned site helps you and your students understand and explore astronomy. It explains astronomy in everyday language. It contains a calendar of celestial events. There are also tips for everyone. There is also software and astronomy hardware for sale. The site includes pictures of many astronomic events, lists of astronomy clubs, planetariums, science museums, and observatory locations from all around the world. You can find your hometown facility and print it out in minutes! From Sky Publishing Corporation.
Solar System Simulator - Grades 6-12 - NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab offers this java-based site which lets students see what the solar system, or any part thereof, would look like from another location. You can see what the stars and planets would look like from the surface of Saturn or one of Jupiter's moons. The site is both a great learning tool and a wonderful simulation example.
Space Shuttle Simulator - Grades 6-8 - This NASA simulation lets students work their way through the final preparations for a shuttle launch, performing the same tasks the astronauts go through. Requires the Shockwave player, which is available from the TeachersFirst Toolbox.
Spacerace – Grades 6-12- The Space Race grew out of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the most powerful nations after World War II. At the end of the Cold War, the United States and Russia agreed to build a space station and pursue other joint ventures in space. A contest that began in fear and enmity has become a partnership. At this site you get to participate in this race! From the National Air and Space Museum.
The Space Day Page - Grades 4-12 - This site, created for the celebration of Space Day in May, 1999 contains a wealth of information on space and the history of space exploration. There are pictures, time-lines, and links to lesson plans and other teacher resources. Use a Java-capable browser if you can! Your "space kids" will love this one.
The Stars This Week - Grades 4-8 - The National Audubon Society created this page to show a weekly progression of what the night sky will look like. The commentary and images change weekly, providing a nice reference for teachers and students studying the constellations. Simple to use.
Third from the Sun: Geographical Features Seen From Space - Grades 3-6 - The Exploratorium - This site is a self-guided tour and history of using satellites to see the earth from above. There are a few mysterious pictures taken from space for students to identify as well as a section explaining how NASA’s LandSat works. This would make good supplementary material for a unit of study on space or landforms.
Copyright
© 2001 by the Network for Instructional TV, Inc.
All rights reserved.
