This is a lesson about spacecraft design. Learners will use the information learned in previous lessons, combined with their own creativity and problem-solving skills, to design and test a parachuting probe that will withstand a fall from a high point, land intact, be able to descend slowly, float in liquid, and cost the least to launch into space. Extensions provide an option if the teacher has limited time, and invite the students to simulate other experiments that will be carried out by the Huygens probe. This is lesson 9 of 12 in the Mission to Saturn Educators Guide, Reading Writing Rings, for grades 3-4.

This movie provides an 18-minute introduction to how NASA is observing our ever-changing planet. On the The Dynamic Earth DVD Web page you can download the video as an iPod or iPhone version, as well as an AppleTV/Full resolution version, and access a glossary and links to related Web sites.

This is an activity about planetary sizes and distances. Learners will construct a scale model of the Earth, Earth‰Ûªs Moon and Mars in relation to each other using balloons. They will use this model to predict distances and reflect on how scientists use models to construct explanations through the scientific process. The lesson models scientific inquiry using the 5E instructional model and includes teacher notesand vocabulary.

In this chapter, students will explore relationships between air quality and population density using the image visualization tool, Google Earth. You will learn how to download NO2 data and analyze them to develop a conceptual understanding of how population and topography can influence the air quality of a region. Once you have learned the techniques, you are encouraged to explore seasonal changes in nitrogen dioxide concentrations at other locations. This chapter is part of the Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET). Each EET chapter provides teachers and/or students with direct practice for using scientific tools to analyze Earth science data. Students should begin on the Case Study page.

Students will be guided through the process of locating and graphing web-based environmental data that has been collected by GLOBE Program participants. This chapter highlights the opportunities for using GLOBE Program data to introduce basic concepts of Earth system science. It is part of the Earth Exploration Toolbook, which provides teachers and/or students with direct practice for using scientific tools to analyze Earth science data. Students should begin on the Case Study page.

This activity's storyline is built around the real-life case study of Dr. Walt Meier, a Sea Ice Scientist from Boulder, Colorado. In the fictional story, the students of Churchill become concerned about wildlife in their region because polar bears have become a nuisance in the town. According to the local elders, the sea ice patterns have changed. The students turn to Dr. Meier for his expertise in sea ice analysis. Dr. Meier then instructs the students in the use of ImageJ and guides them through the research process. This chapter is part of the Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET). Each EET chapter provides teachers and/or students with direct practice for using scientific tools to analyze Earth science data. Students should begin on the Case Study page.

This is a wallsheet that contains 11 activities relating to Mars. Learners could investigate: how far away is Mars, why does Mars have craters, water on Mars, Mars' minerals, how high the mountains are on Mars, and are invited to create a martian calendar and travel guide.

This text explores a few of the many concepts that frequently come up in the study of Earth systems and global climate change. Students will be exposed to many problems involving unit conversion. Global climate change reports involve terms such as kilowatt-hour, megawatt-hour, and gigawatt-hour, as well as megatons and gigatons. Students will become versed in converting units where appropriate, and through the calculations, will work with the concept of significant figures. Creating linear equations from graphical and tabular information is covered, as well as forecasting. The text is meant to be used as a companion to standard Earth science and mathematics courses, and presents enough application problems to allow students to quantitatively understand typical media reports about global climate change.

Photo of the Earth & Moon created from images from the the Galileo spacecraft.

The study of clouds (where they occur, their characteristics, etc) plays a key role in the understanding of climate change. This site discusses how the relative thickness and altitude of various cloud types result in their either reflecting solar radiation or transmitting and trapping it, thereby warming Earth's surface. It features text, a scientific illustration, and links to other relevant topics and datasets.

The study of clouds (where they occur, their characteristics, etc) plays a key role in the understanding of climate change. This site discusses how the relative thickness and altitude of various cloud types result in their either reflecting solar radiation or transmitting and trapping it, thereby warming Earth's surface. It features text, a scientific illustration, and links to other relevant topics and datasets.

This Earth Observatory site contains data and images from NASA's Earth Observatory project. The purpose of NASA's Earth Observatory is to provide an accessible publication on the Internet where the public can obtain new satellite imagery and scientific information about our home planet. The focus is on Earth's climate and environmental change. The site is useful to public media and educators. Data and images can be obtained for a variety of subjects, the Earth's atmosphere, land, life on earth, oceans and heat and energy. Users can enter data on a variety of topics and produce animations depicting the data entered. The site also contains a helpful section explaining how to build animations and globe animations.

In keeping with the trend towards global-scale monitoring, NASA has launched this Website to highlight NASA research on "regional and global changes on the planet." The site is comprised of five main sections: Modeling Earth's Land Biosphere, Reckoning With Winds (tropical cyclones), Climate Modeling, El Nino, and Benjamin Franklin (earth science). Each section contains an illustrated summary of related research with links to further information and numerous spectacular color satellite images. The section entitled Observation Deck features a data chart showing all environmental measurements displayed by the Earth Observatory and for which months data are available. Further sections include Laboratory (hurricane research), Study (where scientists report from the field), Library (includes links to data sets), and Newsroom, among others. For those interested in participating in or learning about global-scale monitoring research, this is a solid, user-friendly site.

This site provides a brief description of the Dustbowl in the American Great Plains during the 1930s and relates its effects to what is occurring presently in the Sahel of North Africa. In this dry savannah environment, human activity coupled with prolonged drought are causing desertification. The site features text, satellite imagery, and links to other related materials.

The Earth Observatory Glossary defines words from space science, ecology and Earth science. It is part of the NASA Earth Observatory site, which provides new satellite imagery and scientific information about Earth with a focus on climate and environmental change. The new glossary mode allows users to browse the Earth Observatory site with special terms highlighted that, when selected, will take you to the appropriate entry in the glossary.

This webpage from NASA's Earth Observatory site offers a picture of the Sarychev Peak eruption taken from the International Space Station. It also includes a description of the event and a link to an animation beneath the picture.

This article, from the NASA Earth Observatory, describes the formation in 1963 of the new island, Surtsey, off the southern coast of Iceland, and includes a striking satellite image. The site explains the overall geography of the small island and describes how NASA has been monitoring its erosion patterns using satellites.

This NASA page offers a brief introduction to the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). It includes a summary of how the ITCZ is formed along with a high-definition picture of the region.

This webpage from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provides an astronautå�è÷€�åÜ€�_s photograph of the moon viewed from the top of the atmosphere. The appearance of the nearly translucent moon is described in regards to optics, and an introduction to NASAå�è÷€�åÜ€�_s observations of the top of the atmosphere is provided. The site also contains links to numerous new images from the Earth Observatory.

In this demonstration, evidence of the Earth's rotation is observed. A tripod, swiveling desk chair, fishing line and pendulum bob (e.g., fishing weight or plumb bob) are required for the demonstration. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.