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 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.

Students are introduced to general space science with information about astronauts, space probes, space travel, the Hubble Space Telescope, space suits, and the Columbia Shuttle accident. Biographies of important scientists and astronauts are included, and vocabulary crossword puzzles, maps, logic riddles, and coloring pages extend learning. Each page offers links to a glossary of important terms. ... Full description.

This activity will help students to recognize that there is a lot of water in the world, but that not very much of it can be used for our drinking water and other water supply needs. They will see that ground water is a very small percentage of the Earth's water, and understand how important it is that we take care of our ground water. Full description.

In this activity, students will recognize that body design affects balance by building models of dinosaur body types, using straws and marshmallows. There is background information, procedure, and a lab investigation with questions in this activity. Full description.

In this lesson, students explore different aspects of solar energy by building a solar hot box and testing various colors and materials to find the maximum temperature that can be reached. They will review the basic needs for alternative energy sources, identify three materials and colors that will produce maximum heat, and solve a design problem for the hot box. Full description.

In this internet activity, students use search engines to build a list of facts about Earth science that fascinate them. After building the list, students will choose and rank their top ten amazing facts and answer some questions about them. Full description.

In this lesson students are provided background information about telescopes. In addition the site presents an activity in which students study the properties of lenses and build a simple refracting telescope. They are instructed to add optical telescope, refracting telescope, objective lens, and eyepiece to a vocabulary list. The site contains the first in a series of six lessons in astronomy. Full description.

This activity can be used as a culmination to a module or unit on astronomy or space science. Working in small groups, students will select a site in space to visit that will be the most beneficial for exploration and they will be asked to justify their choice of destination. They are to plan their trip taking into account as many factors as possible including the length of time needed to reach their ... Full description.

This activity will help students to understand that ocean water is sampled for chemicals and organisms. The sampling device must gather enough water for conducting all the tests, the depth at which the sample was gathered must be accurately known, the temperature at time of collection must be known, and it must not allow contaminants to enter as it is being brought up on deck. Students will design ... Full description.