Expedition Space Lab Mission:
Orbital Mechanics in Space
2 Activities: Select one or more of the activities below to complete this mission!
ACTIVITY 1
SPACE STATION EXPLORERS PARTNER PROGRAM:
ISS-ABOVE
- The ISS-Above device connects students with the ISSInternational Space Station by instantly providing current information, location alerts, and live HD video streaming from space!
- The ISS-Above makes it easy to check in with the ISS every day in your classroom. Through deployment in hundreds of classrooms, ISS-Above has been proven to stimulate insightful questions and analytical thinking from students.
LESSON
Understanding Orbits – Let’s go to Mars from Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Launching spacecraft is no easy task! In this activity from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, students learn about Hohmann Transfers and how to calculate launch windows to reach a specific target in space.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Orbits – Nat Geo
How do Satellites Orbit the Earth?
ACTIVITY 2
SPACE STATION EXPLORERS PARTNER PROGRAM:
ZERO ROBOTICS
- Program robots to perform tasks in the microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. environment of the ISS.
- Students learn coding and computer science in this exciting competition from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
LESSON
Docking with the ISS from NASA Next Gen STEM
Understanding physics is key to spaceflight, but how can we practice maneuvering spacecraft in microgravity here on Earth? In this simulation from SpaceX, students can practice docking a spacecraft with the ISS and examine how forces, even small ones, can greatly change a spacecraft’s trajectory.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Docking with Precision
Bumble Robots Finds Simulated Danger on ISS
Career Connection
Mechanical Engineer
Robotics Engineer
Speaker’s Bureau
TAKE THIS MISSION TO ANOTHER LEVEL!
Purchase an ISS-Above Device
The ISS-Above makes it easy to check in with the ISS every day from your home or classroom.
Purchase a Quest Lab Level II kit.
Students use electronics and programming via LEGO EV3 to conduct heat experiments on the ISS.
Expedition Space Lab is an online tool from the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory that provides educators with easy access to ISS-related lessons, activities, and other resources to integrate into their curriculum.
