Level
4
Space
Hall
Plants in Space
Space Hall Exploration
Student Worksheet
pg. 1
Name of Exhibit
Look for the following space exhibits during
your visit to the Ontario Science Centre
Future Space Food
What it’s about: Astronauts on long space mission will need to grow their food.
What to do: Observe how plants grow in different light.
1.
List four (4) gardening challenges in space:
(1)_____________________________(2)__________________________________
(3)_____________________________(4)__________________________________
Earth Moon Sun Model
Earth Moon Sun
What it’s about: This exhibit shows the moon orbiting around the Earth as the
Earth orbits the Sun.
What to do: Listen to the Audio and answer the questions.
1.
Count the number of times the Moon circles the Earth in a one-year period? Your
answer. ____________________________________________________________
2. Watch the Earth as it spins. How long does it take the Earth to spin once in real life?
___________________________________________________________________
3.
What causes the seasons on Earth? _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
4. Watch the Moon. How many times does the Earth spin during the time it takes the
Moon to complete one orbit? ___________________________________________
5.
Watch closely and you will see eclipses. What happens during a solar eclipse?
___________________________________________________________________
6. What happens during a lunar eclipse? _____________________________________
Space Junk
What’s Overhead
What it’s about: There are thousands of pieces of space junk orbiting the Earth.
This presents a hazard to space missions and the astronauts.
What to do: Read the information and answer the questions.
1.
What is the weirdest stuff in space?______________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2.
Where did most space junk come from?___________________________________
Where to go:
Space Hall (Level 4)
Moon Phases
Name of Exhibit
pg. 2
The Moon
What it’s about: The changing shape of the lit part of the Moon is called the
phases. The phases of the Moon depend on its position in relation to the Sun and
Earth.
What to do: Take the Moon Quiz and test your knowledge. Answer the
questions:
1.
When can you see a full Moon? _________________________________________
2. Where does the faint Moon glow come from? _______________________________
Hovering On Air
Rocket Chair
What it’s about: The rocket chair glides on a friction-free cushion of air. The
effect is like moving in space – once you start in a particular direction, nothing
slows you down. Learn how it feels to move in space.
What to do:
1.
What happens when the chair starts to move? _____________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. To make the chair move forward, in what direction should the air jets blow?
____________________________________________________________________
3.
Why is it important for an astronaut to be attached to a spacecraft?
4.
How could astronauts move in space?_____________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Let Gravity Assist You
Gravity Surfer: Launch a Spacecraft to Saturn
What it’s about: What if you could throw something so hard it would end up
in space. Then using the gravity of a planet or moon, change the path and
speed of a spacecraft. This technique known as “gravity assist” is used to
save time, money and fuel.
What to do:
1.
Test your skills. See how accurately you can launch the Cassini spacecraft to
Saturn.
2. What are some of the challenges you had?_________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Where to go:
Space Hall (Level 4)
Space Rocks
Name of Exhibit
pg. 3
Moon, Mars and Meteorites
What it’s about: Inside the display cases are real rock samples from the Moon,
Mars and other parts of the Solar System.
What to do:
1. Find and observe the Moon rock.
2. Find and observe the Mars rock.
3. Touch a real Meteorite.
4. Take the quiz: ‘Meteorite or Meteorwrong?’
5. Name one feature you observed about space rocks._______________
________________________________________________________
Gravity Funnel
Black Holes
What it’s about: A black hole can be compared to a steep funnel. This exhibit
simulates how an object would fall into a black hole. This exhibit also shows more
simple ideas – such as the closer something gets to the centre, the faster it goes.
This relates back to the solar system model, where the inner planets have faster
orbits around the Sun than the outer planets
What to do: Press a button to release up to 5 metal balls at a time into the
funnel. Watch the metal balls roll into the funnel.
1.
When do the balls travel slower? _________________________________________
2.
When do the balls travel faster?__________________________________________
3.
Is the cycle of each ball exactly the same each time? _________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4.
What eventually happens to the balls? ___________________________________
________________________________________________________
Solar System Model
Solar System Orray
What it’s about: This exhibit allows students to watch the planets of our solar
system orbit around the Sun. Each planet follows its own cycle, some shorter,
some longer. One cycle of Earth around the Sun is about 365 days, or one year
What to do:
1. How many different cycles can you count in this exhibit? ______________________
2. Where are the cycles shorter? ___________________________________________
3. Where are the cycles longer? ____________________________________________
4. The big thing in the centre of the model is the Sun. Where is our planet Earth?
___________________________________________________________________
5. How does Earth’s cycle compare to some of the other planet cycles? ____________
___________________________________________________________________
6. How many things can you think of that happen in one Earth cycle around the Sun?
________________________________________________________________________________________