This lesson plan is part of the Center for Educational Resources (CERES), a series of web-based astronomy lessons created by a team of master teachers, university faculty, and NASA researchers. In this lesson, students study the effects of gravity on the planets of the Solar System. They view movies from the Apollo missions, calculate their own weight on other planets, and propose what they might ... Full description.

This lesson plan is part of the Center for Educational Resources (CERES), a series of web-based astronomy lessons created by a team of master teachers, university faculty, and NASA researchers. In this lesson, students learn about digital images and how Earth-orbiting satellites send information and pictures to the Earth over the Internet. Students divide into teams and learn to design encrypted messages ... Full description.

This is an activity to help students visualize the relationship of motion, time and space as it relates to objects orbiting the earth. They will be able to track the path of an orbiting object on a globe, plot the path of an orbiting object on a flat world map, and explain that an object orbiting earth on a plane will produce a flight path which appears as wavy lines on the earths surface. Full description.

Astronomy for Kids provides information about astronomy and outer space. Students will learn about black holes, comets, constellations, eclipses, observation equipment, phases of the Moon, the planets, the stars and the Sun, and the Universe. The Virtual Telescope contains images of a few planets and constellations. Full description.

This lesson reviews clouds and uses fractions to describe cloud coverage, demonstrating how math and science work together. By using math and science to describe clouds, the lesson provides students with several means of communication (fractions and meteorological terms) to describe a meteorological situation. Full description.

This animated site aimed at younger students tells the story of Toppy the Satellite, who acts as a tour guide on an informative TOPEX journey. Students will learn facts and information about the TOPEX satellite and the planet Earth. They will see how the satellite is able to measure the topography of the ocean surface and what scientists can learn from these measurements. Also available are links ... Full description.

This resource introduces younger students to the science of astronomy. It begins with a definition of the term and then introduces several major concepts: the difference between astrology and astronomy; the role of gravity; the use of light to study the universe; the use of telescopes; the vast size and age of the universe; and the concept of change in the universe. Full description.

This is an interactive feature in which in which younger students explore space. After an introduction by astronomer Neil de Grasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium, they will follow a series of links that introduce various topics in astronomy: gravity; the planet Mars; our sun; our galaxy (the Milky Way); and the origin of the universe (the Big Bang). The feature concludes with a game in ... Full description.

This interactive site introduces the concept of gravitational attraction and provides some examples. It introduces Sir Isaac Newton and points out that he was the first to recognize that the force that keeps the moon in orbit is the same force that pulls a ball to Earth. There are also brief descriptions of the role of gravity in the universe, and a 'thought experiment' in which students try to imagine ... Full description.

This interactive feature provides younger students with basic information about Mars. Topics include the length of the Martian day, the size of the planet relative to Earth, and its gravity and atmosphere. There are also features on the search for life on Mars and what forms it might take, as well as a downloadable activity in which students conduct an 'interview' with the planet and provide the answers. ... Full description.