Components of Our Solar System

OBJECTIVES:
- Identify characteristics of objects in our solar system - sun, planets, meteorites, comets, asteroids, moons
- Describe equipment and transportation for space travel.

TASKS
1. Sun Tour (computer)
2. Planet Chart (computer)
3. Asteroids, Comets, and Meteroids (composition book)
4. Pioneers in Space (computer)
5. Space Travel and Equipment (composition book and computer)
6. Timeline (computer)

TASK #1: Sun Tour
1. Take a Tour: Surfing Sunbeams!!!
2. Record your answers for the questions below on page 68 in your composition book.
-- What is our Sun anyway?
-- What color is Sunlight?
-- What's our Sun like on the inside?
-- What's the strangest thing about our Sun?
-- Does our Sun spin like Earth does?
-- Does our Sun always look the same?
3. Draw the sun on page 69 in your composition book - use the entire page
---Label and color: sunspots, corona, and solar flare
- The Sun, Parts of the Sun, Parts of the Sun,
- The Solar System - Our Sun, The Sun
TASK #2: Planets
1. Work with a partner.
2. One student will be the navigator using the Internet.
3. The other student will read and record the information on your planet chart.
4. Click the planet links to find information about each planet. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on The Facts button for more information.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
Use the planet links below to help in completing your data chart.
- The Planets, The Solar System, Planets, Moons, and Stars, Planet Tour
- The Nine Planets, The Nine Planets for Kids, The Nine Planets
Level 1: StarChild - A Learning Center for Young Astronomers
- Solar System - Universe - Space Stuff
TASK #3: Asteroids, Comets & Meteorites
1. Read the article in your composition book. Use the article to answer questions about asteroids, comets, and meteoroids.
- Comets, Asteroids & Meteorites, Comet Story
- Facts about comets, asteroids & meteorites
- Meteors, Meteorites and Impact
The Moon
- Moon, Moon Phases
TASK #4: Pioneers in Space
1. Use your "Pioneers in Space" handout (page 67) and the links below to discover what the significant accomplishments of the following are. They were the first to ______.

Sally Ride, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Dr. Mae Jemison, Sergei Korolev,
Alan Shepard, Buzz Aldrin, Yuri Gagarin, Enos, Laika, and Dennis Tito
- Who's Who in Space - Biographies of Space Pioneers -
- Astronaut Biographies - Animal Astronauts
What is a cosmonaut?

2. Development of the Modern Model of the Solar System
-What did each individual listed below contribute to how we think about the solar system today?

- Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton

3. What do the following terms mean?
- heliocentric, geocentric,

TASK # 5: Space Equipment
1. Use the links below to describe how equipment in space needs to be altered to travel in it safely (atmosphere, human functions...). What needs to be included in a spacesuit that you may not have expected?

- Interactive Spacesuit - How Spacesuits work - The Job of a Spacesuit
- Wardrobe for Space - Spacesuits - What is a Spacewalk
- Star Child: Level 1, Level 2

Real-life problems / challenges of living and working in space. How do astronauts deal with water usage and cleaning, fitness, and spacewalking?
3 Videos - "Houston We Have A Solution"
The Water Recycle
Xtreme Fitness
Space walk and talk

TASK #6: Timeline
1. Create a Timeline of Space Events & Astronauts
- Include 10 significant events on your timeline with the year and short description of each event.
- Interactive Timeline - Timeline of Space Exploration - Human Space Timeline
- History of Space Exploration - Moments in Space Exploration

RESOURCE LINKS:
Nasa Quest - http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/ltc/archbydate2.html
Liftoff to space exploration - http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/

Questions and Comments can be directed to
Dana Gabrovsek - Webmaster
Created: 8/02 Updated: 5/04

Flood Middle School / Englewood School District
3695 S. Lincoln Englewood, Colorado 80113
Phone: (303)761-1226 Fax: (303) 806-2199