This is an online sorting game that compares the lifetime risk of death from an asteroid impact to other threats. For example, are you more likely to be killed by an amusement park ride or an asteroid impact? It is part of the Killer Asteroids Web Site. The site also features a background overview of the differences between asteroids and comets, information on different types of asteroids (rubble piles vs monoliths), a discussion of how at risk Earth really is to an asteroid or comet impact, and background information on light curves.

In this paper and pencil exercise, students create graphs that describe the effect of a series of experiments using Daisy World, an energy balance model, that can be used to demonstrate concepts of equilibrium, homeostatis, and positive and negative feedbacks. Internet access and exploration with the actual Daisy World model is ideal, but not required. The resource is Activity 6 of the learning module, Global Balance, part of the lesson series Potential Impacts of Climate Variability and Change.

This is a lesson about Saturn's rings. Learners will create a three-dimensional model of Saturn and its rings. The model will show the particle nature and structure of the rings. Students also write about the model in this lesson. With the aid of a graphic organizer, students organize their thoughts, then draft and write a paragraph to explain what they know about the ring system. You will need a 2 and 1/2 inch styrofoam ball and some vermiculite for each student. This is lesson 7 of 10 in the Mission to Saturn Educators Guide, Reading Writing Rings, for grades 1-2.

This activity is about planetary rovers. Learners will simulate the challenges in communications that engineers face when driving a rover on Mars. They will particpate as part of a rover team to design and execute a series of commands that will guide a rover made of people through an obstacle course simulating the Martian surface. Students will learn the limitations of operating a planetary rover and problem solving solutions by using this simulation. The lesson models the engineering design process using the 5E instructional model and includes teacher notes, vocabulary, student journal and reading.

A simple experimental apparatus made of rubber band and books is used by student teams challenged with demonstrating the concepts of friction, force, and inertia. 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.

This is a multi-level, physics-based game that asks players to save Earth by using their spaceship to deflect an incoming asteroid. It is designed to accurately reflect the physics of space and could be used to help confront preconceptions about motion and forces in space. It is part of the Killer Asteroids Web Site. The site also features a background overview of the differences between asteroids and comets, information on different types of asteroids (rubble piles vs monoliths), a discussion of how at risk Earth really is to an asteroid or comet impact, and background information on light curves.

This online, facilitated course is designed for middle-school educators wishing to teach global climate change using an inquiry/problem-based approach. Teachers access the course by registering with PBS TeacherLine and enrolling in the course. The course supports teaching global climate change using a problem-solving approach and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) methodology to engage middle-school students and help them understand the causes and effects of climate change and learn about the differences between climate and weather and how actions and nature affect the environment. The course includes pedagogic support for educators who are interested in using Web 2.0 tools when teaching about climate change in the classroom. Enhance content knowledge of climate change and learn how to effectively implement STEM instructional strategies using resources from NASA and WGBH‰Ûªs Teachers‰Ûª Domain.

This online, facilitated course is designed for high-school educators wishing to teach global climate change using an inquiry/problem-based approach. The course focusses on evidence that supports global climate change and how to use NASA data and resources to help high-school students discover mitigations or adaptations to climate change. The course is part of PBS Education's outreach and offerings to educators across the country; it is a 45-hour experience over six weeks and eligible for three graduate credits.

This is an activity about the differences in thermal behavior between similar materials having different physical properties. Learners will measure temperature of two different surfaces; sand and stone; on a sunny day, make a series of temperature measurements, and plot the results. Extensions include experimenting with different materials, using temperature sensors and noncontact infrared thermometers. The activity is analogous with remote sensing of thermal properties in the Saturn system measured by Cassini. (Note: a separate version of this activity was developed in 2008 for PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science).

In this activity, students are introduced to the concept of remote sensing. In the course of this experiment, students will investigate heat conduction on two surfaces and understand the application of these techniques to spacecraft investigations of surfaces in the solar system. Materials required for the outdoor demonstration include a cement step, sand, laboratory thermometers, foam rubber, and a meter stick. An optional indoor experimental set up uses twin desk lamps with equal-wattage tungsten bulbs and an infrared thermometer. A student datasheet accompanies the activity. 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.

This is an activity about satellite flight. Learners will first watch a video about the orbit and formation of the MMS satellites to learn about their flight configuration. After, they will research similar facts about other types of satellites. Next, learners will compute the volume of MMS' tetrahedral flight configuration and investigate how the tetrahedral volume changes as the satellites change positions. Finally, they will create a report that outlines their findings.This activity requires student access to internet accessible computers. This is lesson three as part of the MMS Mission Educator's Instructional Guide.

This is a lesson about systems and how they apply to Saturn. Learners will apply the concept of a system to learning about the Saturn system. They work with a ready-made scale diagram of the Saturn system, including the planet, rings, and moons. They then complete a Venn diagram that compares and contrasts the Saturn and Earth‰ÛÒMoon systems in terms of the systems‰Ûª components and interactions. Includes background information, procedure, and extension. This is lesson 1 of 6 in the Saturn Educators Guide.

This is a lesson about the relationship between a planet and it's moon(s). Learners will use the data provided on a set of Saturn Moon Cards to compare Saturn's moons with Earth's Moon, and to explore moon properties and physical relationships within a planet-moon system - for example, the farther the moon is from the center of the planet, the slower its orbital speed, and the longer its orbital period. This is lesson 2 of 6 in the Saturn Educators Guide.

This is an activity about size and scale. Learners will create and walk through a distance scale model of the size of the Solar System. This activity requires a straight line distance of approximately 295 meters (300 yards).

This kinesthetic activity simulates the process of evolution by natural selection. Students take on the roles of crab-like predators that exhibit one of four variants of feeding appendage: a spoon, fork, knife, and chopsticks. The simulation runs for three trials, as the predators use their appendages to harvest pinto beans, with varying success. Students track the frequency of each appendage type through three generations. 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.

This is an activity about sunspots and solar flares. Learners will work collaboratively to create abstracts detailing their knowledge of sunspots and solar flares and then present their work to the entire audience. A background understanding of our Sun and its features is needed prior to starting this activity. This is activity 4 in Exploring Magnetism in Solar Flares.

This is an activity about how to measure the interplanetary magnetic field, or IMF. Learners will act as scientists and engineers at a conference to explain their discoveries from earlier activities of the larger resource where they designed their own ways to measure the IMF. This activity should be used to illustrate how scientists and engineers working with the NASA STEREO-IMPACT mission have solved the same puzzle. This is Activity 3 in Session 3 of a larger resource, Exploring Magnetism in the Solar Wind.

In this activity students convert antilogs to logs, and logs to antilogs using scientific notation as an intermediate step. They will thereby develop a look-up table for solving math problems by using logarithms.åÊThis is activity D2 in the "Far Out Math" educator's guide. Lessons in the guide include activities in which students measure,compare quantities as orders of magnitude, become familiar with scientific notation, and develop an understanding of exponents and logarithms using examples from NASA's GLAST mission. These are skills needed to understand the very large and very small quantities characteristic of astronomical observations. Note: In 2008, GLAST was renamed Fermi, for the physicist Enrico Fermi.

In this two-part activity, learners compare how soil forms on Earth and the Moon. They examine different soil samples and compare them to lunar "soil" simulant. They explore how water, wind, and impactors help to make soil. This activity is part of Explore! To the Moon and Beyond! - a resource developed specifically for use in libraries.

This is an activity about sunlight as an energy source. Learners will create a plant box and observe that a plant will grow toward the Sun, its primary source of energy. This hands-on activity is an additional lesson as part of the book, The Day Joshua Jumped Too Much.