NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) 20010048009: Space-Based Astronomy: An Educator Guide with Activities for Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education

106 Pages·5.2 MB·English

by  NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Educational Product
National Aeronautics Educators lGrades 5-8
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and Space Administration
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pace-Based
Astromo
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• Space-BasedAstronomy_An Educator Guide with •
• Acth,ities for Science, Mathematics, and Technology •
• Education is available in electronic format through •
• NASA Spacelink--one of the Agency's electronic •
• resources specifically developed for use by the educa- •
• tional community. •
• The system may be accessed at the following address: •
• http://spacelink.nasa.gov •
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AN EDUCATOR GUIDE WITH ACTIVITIES ENCE MATHEMATICS AND LOGY EDU ',ATION
NATIONAALERONAUTAICNSDSPACAEDMINISTRATIIOONFFICOEFHUMANRESOURCAENSDEDUCATIOIENDUCATIODINVISIOINOFFICOEFSPACESCIENCE
ThispublicationisinthePublicDomainandisnotprotectedbycopyrightP.ermissioinsnotrequiredforduplication.
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About the Cover Images
1. EIT304Aimagecapturesasweepingprominence--hugecloudsofrelativelycooldenseplasmasuspendedintheSun'shot,
thincorona.Attimes,theycanerupt,escapingtheSun'satmosphere.Emissioninthisspectrallineshowstheupperchro-
mosphereat atemperatureofabout60,000degreesK.Source(cid:0)Credits:Solar&HeliosphericObservatory(SOHO)S.OHOisa
projectofinternationalcooperationbetweenESAandNASA.
2. ThismosaicshowssomeofthehighestresolutionimagesobtainedbytheSolidStateImaging(SSI)systemonNASA'sGalileo
spacecraftduringitseleventhorbitaroundJupiter.Thesunilluminatesthescenefromtheleft,showinghundredsof ridges
thatcutacrosseachother,indicatingmultipleepisodesofridgeformationeitherbyvolcanicortectonicactivitywithintheice.
TheJetPropulsionLaborato_Pasadena,CA,managesthemissionforNASA'sOfficeofSpaceScience,WashingtonD, C.JPL
isadivisionofCaliforniaInstituteof Technology.
3. AMinuetofGalaxiesT:histroupeoffourgalaxies,knownasHicksonCompactGroup87(HCG87),isperforminganintricate
danceorchestratedbythemutualgravitationalforcesactingbetweenthem.Thedanceisaslow,gracefulminuet,occurring
overatimespanofhundredsofmillionsofyears.ImageCredit:HubbleHeritageTeam(ALIRA/STScl/NASA).
4. FramesfromathreedimensionalvisualizationofJupiter'sequatorialregion.Thesefeaturesareholesinthebright,reflective,
equatorialcloudlayerwherewarmerthermalemissionfromJupiter'sdeepatmospherecanpassthrough.Thecirculationpat-
ternsobservedherealongwiththecompositionmeasurementsfromtheGalileoProbesuggestthatdryairmaybeconverg-
ingandsinkingovertheseregions,maintainingtheircloud-freeappearance.TheJetPropulsionLaboratory,Pasadena,CA,
managestheGalileomissionforNASA'sOfficeofSpaceScience,WashingtonD, C.JPLis anoperatingdivisionofCalifornia
InstituteofTechnology.
5. ThisimageoftheplanetSaturnandnaturalsatellitesTethysandDionewastakenonJanuary29,1996,byVoyager1.
6. ThisstrikingNASAHubbleSpaceTelescopepictureshowsthreeringsofglowinggasencirclingthesiteofsupernova1987A,a
starwhichexplodedinFebruaryt987.Thesupernovaist69,000lightyearsaway,andliesinthedwarfgalaxycalledtheLarge
MagellanicCloud,whichcanbeseenfromthesouthernhemisphere.Credit:Dr.ChristopherBurrows,ESNSTSclandNASA.
Tofindoutmoreabouttheseimagesandprojects,pleasevisithttp://spacesclence.nasa.gov
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Mater thanks to the NASA Aerospace Ed, cation Services Program, NASA 7bacMng From Space
Program, NASA Ed, cator Resource Center Netu,ork, and NASA Office of Space SciencejCor their
contributions to the development of th# guide.
Writer:
Gregory L. Vogt, Ed,D.
Teaching From Space Program
NASA Johnson Space Center
Houston, TX
ii I NanadtioSnpaalAceeroAndamutinicisstration
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TABLEOF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ........................................................... ii
Introduction ............................................................... 1
How to Use This Guide ....................................................... 3
The Space Age Begins ........................................................ 5
Astrophysics ................................................................ 7
A Brief History of United States
Astronomy Spacecraft and Crewed Space Flights .................................... 9
Activity Units
Unit 1: The Atmospheric Filter ............................................... 17
Unit 2: The Electromagnetic Spectrum ......................................... 23
Unit 3: Collecting Electromagnetic Radiation .................................... 53
Unit 4: Down to Earth ..................................................... 71
Unit 5: Space-Based Astronomy on the Internet ................................... 91
Glossary ................................................................. 94
Suggested Reading .......................................................... 97
NASA Educational Resources .................................................. 99
Reply Card .............................................................. 101
M..J
Space-BasedAstronomy[ iii
ActivityGuideforScience,Mathematicsa,ndTechnologyEducationI
v_j,j
Ifyougotothe country,farfrom citylights,youcanseeabout3,000starsonaclear
night.Ifyoureyeswere bigger,youcouldseemanymorestars.Witha pairofbinoc-
ulars,an optical devicethat effectively enlargesthe pupilof your eyeby about30
times, the numberof starsyou cansee increasesto the tens of thousands.Witha
medium-sized telescopewith a light-collecting mirror 30 centimeters in diameter,
you can see hundredsof thousandsof stars. Witha large observatorytelescope,
millions ofstars becomevisible.
It would seem that when it comes to observing wavelength) end. Gases and other components
the universe, the larger the instrument, the bet- of our atmosphere distort, filter, and block most
ter. This is true up to a point, but there are lim- of this radiation permitting only a partial pic-
its-limits not imposed by technology but by ture, primarily visible radiation and some radio
nature itself. waves, to reach Earth's surface. Although many
things can be learned about our universe by
Surrounding Earth is a life-sustaining atmos- studying it from the surface of Earth, the story is
phere that stands between our eyes and the radi- incomplete. To view celestial objects over the
ation that falls upon Earth from outer space. whole range of the electromagnetic spectrum, it
This radiation iscomprised of a very broad spec- is essential to climb above the atmosphere into
trum of energies and wavelengths. Collectively, outer space.
they are referred to as the electromagnetic spec-
trum. They range from radio and microwave From its earliest days, the National Aeronautics
radiation on the low energy (long wavelength) and Space Administration (NASA) has used the
end through infrared, visible, ultraviolet, and x- emerging technology of rockets to explore the
rays to gamma rays on the high energy (short universe. By lofting telescopes and other scientif-
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Space-BasedAstronomyI
ActivityGuideforScience,Mathematicsa,ndTechnologyEducationI
ic instruments above the veil of Earth's atmos- rethink their most fundamental ideas about what
phere, NASA has delivered a treasure house of the universe is, how it came to be, how it func-
information to astronomers, leading them to tions, and what it islikely to become.
2 1NatioAnearlonautics
I andSpaceAdministration
HOWTO USETHIS GUIDE
Thiscurriculumguideuseshands-onactivitiestohelpstudentsandteachersunderstand
the significanceof space-basedastronomymastronomicalobservationsmade from
outerspace.Itis notintendedto serveasacurriculum.Instead,teachersshouldselect
activitiesfromthisguidethatsupportandextendexistingstudy.Theguidecontainsfew
ofthetraditionalactivitiesfoundin manyastronomyguidessuchasconstellationstud-
ies,lunarphases,andplanetaryorbits.Ittells,rather,thestoryofwhyit is importantto
observecelestialobjectsfromouterspaceandhowto studythe entireelectromagnetic
spectrum.Teachersareencouragedtoadapttheseactivitiesforthe particularneedsof
theirstudents.Whenselectedactivitiesfromthisguideareusedinconjunctionwithtra-
ditionalastronomycurricula,studentsbenefitfroma morecompleteexperience.
The guide begins with a survey of astronomy- results from NASA spacecraft such as the
related spacecraft NASA has sent into outer Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Compton
space. This isfollowed bya collection of activities Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO), and the
organized into four units: The Atmospheric Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE). The
Filter, The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Collecting guide concludes with a glossary, a reference list,
Electromagnetic Radiation, and Down to Earth. a NASA Resources list, and an evaluation card.
A curriculum matrix identifies the curriculum Feedback from users of this guide isessential for
areas each activity addresses. Following the the development of future editions and other
activities is information for obtaining a 35 mm classroom supplementary materials.
slide set with descriptions showing current
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ActivityGuideforScience,Mathematics,anSdpTaecech-BnaosloegdyAEsdtruocnaotmionyI