This activity is an interactive way to introduce students to the basics of soil science. Based on NASA?s Phoenix Mars Lander, students will simulate what it is like to collect soil samples on another planet. By measuring for themselves many of the properties scientists use to characterize soil samples, students will be better prepared to interpret those properties as used in actual applications. The ... Full description.

This set of four educational wall-sheets includes Newton's Three Laws and the Law of Gravitation. They include activities that are designed to be displayed as a set on classroom walls. The pre-activity reading featuring the Swift satellite and most activities can be used in middle-school classrooms. Optional extension activities are suitable for advanced middle-school students and students in ninth ... Full description.

This booklet contains 36 math problems that cover solar physics, space physics, radiation dosimetry, and the human impacts of space weather. The problems range from pre-algebra to calculus and span the math skills appropriate for Grade 8-12 students. The problems are taken from applications of arithmetic, graph analysis, pre-algebra, and algebra. Full description.

This booklet contains 36 math problems that cover solar physics, space physics, radiation dosimetry, and the human impacts of space weather. The problems range from pre-algebra to calculus and span the math skills appropriate for Grade 8-12 students. The problems are taken from authentic applications of arithmetic, graph analysis, pre-algebra, and algebra. Full description.

This lithograph contains a Hubble Space Telescope image that shows the colorful Planetary Nebula NGC 2440 with one of the hottest known white dwarfs at its center. The text briefly explains the process of stellar death of sun-like stars and those with a mass greater than eight times the Sun. The accompanying classroom activity is a curriculum support tool designed for use as an introductory inquiry ... Full description.

This Web site contains multimedia educational presentations on the Sun and its effects on the Earth. The central part is a presentation on the Sun designed to be given in the classroom (though students could also go through it at a workstation). There are three versions of the presentation: a high school, middle school, and upper elementary school. Each contains between 30-60 slides, many of which ... Full description.

This paper model provides a short description of the scientific instruments on board GLAST as well as links to other resources about the GLAST instruments. There is also a short description of how GLAST detects gamma-rays with the Large Area Telescope as well as the GLAST Burst Monitor detectors. The product includes three pages of parts that can be cut out and easily assembled using common household ... Full description.

This activity engages students in the new definitions of ?planet,? ?dwarf planet,? and ?asteroid? through the use of direct vocabulary instruction. The publicity generated by the International Astronomical Union?s definition of Pluto as a dwarf planetAU in 2006 created a teachable moment for schools around the world to consider the definitions of these concepts of ?planet,? ?dwarf planet,? and ?asteroid? ... Full description.

This fictitious story centers on a celestial family of asteroids and their adventures in the "skyborhood." Students will learn about smaller bodies of our solar system and the Dawn mission by identifying some aspects of the story that are true, some that might be true, and some that are false. Educators can choose from three versions, including storyteller, learning notations, or illustrators. The ... Full description.

The lithograph contains a Hubble Space Telescope image that shows M82, an edge-on galaxy, undergoing a frenzy of star formation. The text explains the possible causes of the galaxy?s unusual appearance and star-birth activity. The accompanying classroom activity is a curriculum support tool designed for use as an introductory inquiry activity. It can be incorporated into a unit that has a scientific ... Full description.