explore
the universe
Astronautics
Activity pack
contents
Introduction and Overview of the Pack
Astronautics badge requirements
Activity 1: Introducing space exploration individual research
Activity 2: Write a mission report
Activity 3: Build a model spacecraft
Activity 4: Reflect on satellite dishes
Activity 5: Keep satellites in orbit
Activity 6: Build a model of the solar system
Activity 7: Become a Mars scientist
Activity 8: Make an impact!
Activity 9: Mission X: Train like an astronaut
Activity 10: Launch a rocket
Useful information and links
Introduction
This activity pack has been produced with the UK Space Agency to help
support any of you who wish to earn your Astronautics Activity Badge.
This activity booklet contains fascinating facts about space and space
exploration and activities to bring the subject area of space alive.
What is the UK
Space Agency?
The UK Space Agency is an executive
government agency at the heart of UK efforts
to explore and benefit from space.
It is responsible for all strategic decisions on
the UK civil space programme and provides
a clear, single voice for UK space ambitions.
The UK Space Agency website has information
about space exploration, current space
missions and space careers:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency/
Welcome to the Astronautics Badge
Activity Pack. I’m British, European Space
Agency (ESA) astronaut, Tim Peake.
I’ve been training for manned space
flight since 2009 and I’ll be flying to
the International Space Station in 2015.
I hope you enjoy learning more about
current and past space missions, trying
out some space science and building your
own model spacecraft. I think it’s great
that you have decided to explore space
and I hope it inspires you to discover
more about the Universe. Good luck!
The UK Space Agency is keen to inspire and
encourage the next generation of space
scientists and engineers. It looks to inform
young people about space missions being
run in the UK, and bring to your attention the
careers on offer in the space sector.
URN 13/878
page 2 • Astronautics Badge Activity Pack
The Astronautics Activity
Badge Requirements
Complete the following requirements:
1. Explain the purpose of space exploration including:
• historical reasons
• immediate goals in terms of specific knowledge
• benefits related to Earth resources, technology, and new products
2. Choose one of the following topics and with it
undertake option one or two:
a. a commercial or scientific rocket (Ariane, Delta, Soyuz, Proton,
Zenit,etc)
b. the NASA space shuttle
c. the International Space Station
d. a specific satellite (eg Envisat, Cassini, Aurora, etc)
e. an unmanned space probe
Option One
Describe the topic’s primary mission purpose; explain the functions
of the component parts, together with a brief history and
accomplishments of a specific mission and what was learned from
that mission.
Option Two
Build a scale model of or about the topic, either from a commercial kit,
or from plans available from the Internet or model clubs and shops.
3. Discuss and demonstrate two of the following:
a. the law of action-reaction in the context of rockets and zero or
low-gravity environments
b. how rocket engines work, and their lift-off and re-entry procedures
c. how satellites stay in orbit and the different types of orbits they use
d. how satellite pictures of the Earth, planets and their moons are
made and transmitted
Option B - Space exploration
i. D
escribe how space satellites
and probes have added to our
knowledge of the Solar System.
ii. B uild an accurate scale model of
a space exploration vehicle. Find out about its design, function,
and basic operation. Be able to help others learn about your
vehicle.
iii. D
esign an inhabited base space colony. What conditions will
you need to overcome to ensure suitable living arrangements,
energy sources, special equipment, health and safety needs, and
environmental protection or danger? Share and explain your
design or model with others.
iv. Using photographs, news clippings, articles from the internet etc,
mount a display about a current space mission and share your
findings with others.
Option C - Space port
i. W
ith your leader, plan and participate in a themed ‘Space Camp’
or event, undertaking appropriate activities.
ii. Work with your leader to organise a visit to a space centre,
museum, planetarium or rocketry enthusiasts group and share
your experiences with an adult or other Scouts.
iii. Find out about careers in the space industry.
The Cassini-Huygens mission visits Saturn’s moon,
Titan, on Christmas Day 2005.
Credit: ESA
4. Complete all of the activities in one of the
following options:
Option A – Rocketry
Explain the safety code for rocketry and be able to identify the
principal parts of a rocket.
i. Describe how solid and liquid propellant rocket motors work.
ii. Build, launch, and recover a single or double-staged model rocket.
iii. M
ake a second launch to accomplish a specific objective. For
example, to carry a fragile payload; take aerial photographs;
take altitude measurements; make temperature measurements;
recover a parachute; use remote control; build a launch controller
or launch pad.
Note
This activity must follow the appropriate BMFA/ UKRA safety codes
on Rocketry.
page 3 • Astronautics Badge Activity Pack
Activity 1
Introducing Space Exploration
- Individual Research
This activity fulfills some or all of badge requirements 1
and 2 (Option 1).
Since taking their first steps on the planet, mankind has been
looking to the skies. Around 1,000 years BC, the Babylonians - the
earliest known astronomers - mapped the stars, believing that their
fortunes were influenced by the patterns and positions they studied.
Since that time, our knowledge of the stars and planets has been
advanced by some of history’s most prominent scientists, among
them Copernicus, Galileo, Newton and Einstein.
Visit the Agency’s Discover and Learn webpages to prepare yourself
for the discussions you’re going to have about the fascinating world
of space exploration and how far we’ve come in the past six decades.
DID YOU KNOW?
Technology made for space exploration and space
travel has also led to inventions on Earth. For example
ear thermometers, fire fighters’ clothing, racing
bicycles, computer game controls, scanners in airports,
smoke alarms and barcodes were all developed from
technology used in space.
Activity
Cut out the cards and place in chronological order. This will show
you how the field of space exploration has progressed over the last
20,000 years.
November 1957: Russian dog, Laika, becomes the first creature
to orbit the Earth
1997: The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft in launched. This mission
aims to study Saturn, its rings, its moons and its magnetic field.
1668: Sir Isaac Newton builds the first reflecting telescope.
This new telescope design overcame the problem of false colour
produced by refractor telescopes. Over 300 years later, Newton’s
invention formed the basis of the Hubble Space Telescope.
1961: The Soviet Union launches cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin
on a 108-minute flight. Gagarin becomes the first person to
successfully orbit the globe.
1473: Copernicus proposes a theory that replaces the Sun rather
than the Earth as the centre of the Universe.
1965: Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov goes on a 12-minute
spacewalk.
1981: The world’s first reusable spacecraft, the space shuttle,
makes its first flight.
1962: The UK gets involved in space when it builds six instruments
to go up on the first international satellite, Ariel 1.
1924: Edwin Hubble discovered that our Milky Way was not the
centre of universe, but rather only one galaxy in among billions.
280 BC: Aristarchus (Greek) stated that the Sun was the centre of
the ‘solar system’. It was almost 1,800 years later that his theory
would be widely accepted.
120 AD: Greco-Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy, compiles a star
catalogue and makes careful measurements of the movements of
planets. Ptolemy wrongly places Earth at the centre of the Universe.
1975: US and Russian astronauts meet in Earth orbit, shake
hands on live TV, and spend two days together.
October 1957: The Soviet Union launches the first artificial
satellite, Sputnik 1.
1510: Nicolaus Copernicus’s theories that the Sun is the center of
our solar system are banned by the Roman Catholic Church. They
had been published after his death.
1977: The two Voyager probes are launched. These are sent out
to explore the four gas giant planets of our outer Solar System,
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. They are now the furthest
man-made objects from Earth.
1630: Galileo Galilei first used a telescope from lenses he made
himself. He stated that the Sun was the center of the universe, for
this he was persecuted by the Church who believed that God had
placed earth at the centre of the universe.
2000: The first crew arrive at the International Space Station.
1990: The Hubble Space Telescope is deployed.
1969: Apollo 11 touches down on the moon, and Neil Armstrong and
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, become the first men to walk on the Moon
1200-1000 BC: Babylonians study ‘astrology’ - the belief that
people’s lives were influenced by the stars - and invent the 12
signs that are still used today. Around the same time, the Greeks
name most of the stars and the constellations, and the “wandering
stars”, which we now know were planets, and the Romans named
them after their gods: Mercury, Venus, Mars & Jupiter.
1988: Professor Stephen Hawking publishes “A Brief History of
Time”, the most influential book about space written in the last
100 years.
page 4 • Astronautics Badge Activity Pack
Activity 2
Write a Mission Report
The UK is currently involved in the following space missions:
This activity fulfills badge requirement 2 (Option 1)
1. Cassini–Huygens
A mission to study Saturn, its moons, rings and complex |
magnetic environment
2. S OHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory)
This is investigating the sun from its deepest core to its outer
atmosphere and has told us lots about the solar wind, a stream
of charged particles produced by the sun.
3. Gaia
Gaia will provide a 3D map of the one billion stars that make up
our galaxy, the Milky Way.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Herschel Space Telescope is cooled to - 273 °C.
This is because the Herschel telescope detects a special
kind of light coming from galaxies called infra-red.
4. Galileo
The first highly accurate global positioning system under
civilian control. Used for SatNavs, landing aircraft and timing
bank transactions.
By the time the infra-red light has come all the way
from far-off galaxies the infra-red is very weak. The
problem is that Herschel produces its own infra-red
light and this is so strong it hides the weak infra-red
from galaxies so that the telescope can’t see it. It’s like
the galaxy is whispering in infra-red but the telescope
is shouting so much infra-red that the telescope can’t
hear the quiet infra-red from the galaxy.
5. D
MC (Disaster Monitoring Constellation)
This is a network of satellites that can take detailed images of any
part of the Earth to aid relief efforts during natural disasters.
The hotter an object is the more infra-red it produces,
which is why people look bright white under infra-red
cameras compared to their colder surroundings.
For this activity, choose a mission and write a mission report using
the template below. You can get more information to help you write
your report on the UK Space Agency’s Mission webpage:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency/missions
To stop Herschel producing so much infra-red light it
is cooled down to nearly − 273 °C. Now the telescope
produces hardly any infra-red and it can now hear the
whisper of infra-red from galaxies.
Gaia Mapping the stars of the Milky Way
Credit: ESA
page 5 • Astronautics Badge Activity Pack
Mission Report
MISSION NAME
MISSION PURPOSE
MISSION HISTORY
Astro Charlie: The Mission X mascot
Credit: NASA
PAYLOADS ONBOARD
A payload is cargo, including humans and scientific equipment, carried on the spacecraft
MISSION FINDINGS SO FAR
IS THE MISSION STILL OPERATIONAL?
page 6 • Astronautics Badge Activity Pack
Activity 3
Build a Model of a Spacecraft
This activity fulfills badge requirement 2 (Option 2)
Your leader will give you model patterns to choose from so you can
make your model spacecraft. But you don’t have to stick to those.
Why not look at some of the links below and choose your own
mission spacecraft to model?
Cassini-Huygens, SOHO, GAIA, Ariane rockets and more:
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=35013
James Webb Space Telescope
http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/papermodel_swales.html
Herschel Space Telescope
http://herschel.cf.ac.uk/education/model
Hubble Space Telescope
http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/hand-held_hubble/
Venus Express
http://esamultimedia.esa.int/images/venusexpress/Venus_Express_
Model_Instruction.pdf
International Space Station
http://www.csiro.au/resources/InternationalSpaceStation
Activity 4
UNDERSTAND satellite dishes
with two simple experiments
Introduction
Satellites are objects in orbit around a planet or other celestial body.
Man-made satellites are used for several applications including
navigation, disaster monitoring, weather forecasting and TV and
radio broadcasting. Just over 50 years ago, in 1962, the UK
worked with NASA on the first international satellite, Ariel 1, which
carried six instruments for measuring the space environment. There
are now more than 3,000 satellites in orbit, owned by more than 40
countries worldwide.
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2. R epeat this with the torch and note which materials allow light
waves to pass:
a. From inside a plastic container
....................................................................................................
b. From the opposite side of a window
....................................................................................................
c. From inside a cardboard box
....................................................................................................
3. Now place the radio in the carboard box and wrap the box in tin foil.
You can investigate the technology behind satellites with the
following experiments:
Experiment A –
How do radio waves compare to light waves?
TV and radio broadcasting signals are sent as radio waves. With
this activity you can learn about how radio waves compare to light
waves in this activity.
Each group will need:
• a torch
• a portable radio
• a clear plastic container
• glass e.g. a window
• a cardboard box
• aluminium foil (to cover the box)
What happens to the sound now?
....................................................................................................
4. What conclusions can you make about radio and light waves?
....................................................................................................
Experiment B – Investigating the shape of satellite dishes
Why are most satellite dishes on people’s roofs bowl-shaped, instead
of flat? Your leader will help you do this experiment to find out.
1. Turn on the radio and tune it in to a programme. What happens
to the sound when you put the radio:
a. Inside a clear plastic container?
....................................................................................................
b. On the opposite side of a window?
....................................................................................................
c. Inside a cardboard box?
DID YOU KNOW?
The Earth’s very own satellite, the Moon, is drifting away.
Every year the Moon moves about 3.8cm further away
from the Earth. This is caused by tidal effects on the
Earth. In return the Moon’s gravity slows the Earth’s
spin. Consequently, the earth is slowing in rotation by
about 0.002 seconds per day per century. Scientists do
not know how the Moon was created, but the generally
accepted theory suggests that a large Mars sized object
hit the Earth causing the Moon to splinter off.
....................................................................................................
page 8 • Astronautics Badge Activity Pack
Activity 5
Keep Satellites in Orbit
This activity fulfills some or all of badge requirements 3c
When two objects are in proximity to one another, an attractive
force acts to pull them towards one another. This force is gravity.
Imagine these two objects as the Earth and a satellite orbiting the
Earth. The closer the satellite is to Earth, the greater the attraction
due to gravity. This attraction causes the satellite to fall towards
Earth. The speed of each satellite is adjusted so that it falls to
Earth at the same rate as the curve of the Earth falls away from
the satellite. The satellite is constantly falling but it never hits the
ground, because the ground curves away from it.
Instructions:
Swimming
cap
Button
Rubber
circles
Screw
eyelet
Small
screw
Strong
thread
Chipboard/MDF
You can make a simple demonstration of orbits by creating
a Gravity Well:
Equipment needed:
• Large flower pot with drainage holes on the lower side (approx.
30 cm diameter). Remove the bottom of the flower pot before the
demonstration using a Stanley knife. Make sure the top rim of the
pot is smooth.
• Swimming cap
• One piece of chipboard or MDF 30 cm squared
• Two circular pieces of rubber 1cm diameter (such as from an old
tyre, or from a rubber sheet)
• One needle with a large eye e.g. tapestry needle
• One small screw
• One screw eyelet
• Strong thread e.g. fishing line or nylon sail string
• Rubber glue e.g. an epoxy resin
• Small button
• Several marbles of different sizes
1. Glue one rubber circle to the centre top of the swimming cap and
the other rubber circle directly opposite on the underside of the
cap. Allow to dry.
2. S tretch the swimming cap across the top of the flower pot and
over the rim. Centre the rubber circles.
3. Using the needle, thread the strong thread through the rubber
circles. Tie a button to the end of the thread on the side closest
to the top of the flower pot, to stop the thread going all the way
through the swimming cap.
4. S crew the eyelet in the centre of the chipboard and the small
screw just inside one corner of the board on the same side.
5. Pull the thread down through the eyelet, then through a drainage
hole on the flower pot, before finally tying the string securely to
the small screw to stop it unravelling. This should have pulled the
swimming cap down to create a gravity well.
6. Spin a marble around the gravity well. The gravity well simulates
the gravity field of the Earth. The marble represents a satellite. If the
satellite, or marble, is travelling fast enough it can orbit around the
centre of the gravity well. This centre represents the Earth.
7. O
bserve what happens as the marbles loses energy and its orbit
distance decreases. They should see the speed of the marble
increase. The force of gravity gets stronger with decreasing
distance between the two objects. Therefore, a satellite orbiting
closer to the Earth must travel faster to stay in orbit than a
satellite in a higher orbit.
8. Investigate the interaction of two gravity fields, such as
between planets in our Solar System. Each marble makes its
own depression on the gravity well and hence has its own
gravitational field. By spinning two marbles in the gravity well,
Scouts should see that the orbits of each marble are affected by
the other marble.
9. The dependence of gravity on mass can be demonstrated by
lowering the depth of the gravity well. This illustrates a heavier
planet than Earth.
page 9 • Astronautics Badge Activity Pack
Activity 6
build a model of the solar system
This activity fulfills some or all of badge requirement 4 (Option B)
Introduction
Our Solar System contains the Sun, its eight orbiting planets and
other celestial bodies that are under the Sun’s gravitational pull,
such as comets and asteroids. Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are
the four terrestrial planets, with rocky, solid surfaces. Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus and Neptune are the gas giants. Comets originate from the
Oort Cloud and Kupier Belt, beyond Neptune, while most asteroids
orbit in the region between Mars and Jupiter.
Solar System
Credit: Nasa
1. Planet sizes in our Solar System
Your leader is going to show you the relative size of the planets
in our Solar System, using fruit.
Guess which fruits you think represent each planet.
Mercury - .....................................................................
Venus
- .....................................................................
Earth
- .....................................................................
Mars
- .....................................................................
Jupiter - .....................................................................
Saturn
- .....................................................................
Planet
Mercury
Uranus - .....................................................................
Venus
Neptune - .....................................................................
Earth
If you were going to make a scale model including the sun, you
would have to find a fruit to represent it that was a million times
bigger than the fruit representing Earth.
Mars
Jupiter
2. Distances in our Solar System
Saturn
Your second interactive Solar System demonstrates the immense
distances between features in space. Your leader will help set this
up, but you could look online to find out the actual distances of the
planets from the Sun in km or miles.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are 160 moons in our Solar System. Jupiter alone has
63, while Saturn has 52. The main four moons of Jupiter
are called the Galilean Moons, as they were the four
moons seen by the astronomer Galileo. These moons are
Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, and Io. Europa is the smoothest
Distance from sun
Uranus
Neptune
celestial object in our Solar System like a giant marble. It
has water trapped under ice on its surface and may contain
life. Finally, Io looks a bit like a pizza because of lots of
volcanoes on it surface spewing out lava.
page 10 • Astronautics Badge Activity Pack
Activity 7
Become a Mars scientist
Introduction
One day Mars scientists hope that real samples of Martian soil will be
brought back to Earth. At the moment ESA scientists and engineers
are working on the ExoMars mission to put a European rover on Mars.
This rover will study the geology of Mars and look for signs of past or
current lifeforms. You can have a go at detecting life (microorganisms)
in soil samples from Earth with the following activity.
DID YOU KNOW?
The red color of Mars is due to oxidized (rusted) iron
in its soil. Mars’s volcano Olympus Mons is the biggest
in the solar system. It is three times higher than our
Mount Everest.
Remember:
• That microorganisms are living organisms too small to be seen.
• That some microorganisms produce carbon dioxide if suitable
nutrients are provided.
Artist’s impression of the ExoMars Rover
drilling for rock samples.
Credit: ESA - D. Ducros
Write up your own experiment below:
Introduction
(Purpose of the experiment)
......................................................................................................
Method
(How you went about it – make notes as you do the experiment to
help you)
1. ..................................................................................................
2. ..................................................................................................
3. ..................................................................................................
4. ..................................................................................................
Conclusion
(What you discovered about each of the soil samples)
Sample A
Sample B
Mars Express exploring the red planet
Credit: ESA - D. Ducros
Sample C
page 11 • Astronautics Badge Activity Pack
Activity 8
Make an Impact!
You’ve heard about meteorites and other space matter that has
crashed into the Earth and caused huge craters (check out Barringer
Crater in Arizona, US, and Busumtwi, in Ghana). But how big did
those meteorites have to be to make such huge impressions on
‘Meteorite’
Height
Earth? See for yourselves with this mock meteorite exercise that you
can do in your own HQ. Write down and compare your results with
other groups.
Diameter of crater
Sketch of crater shape
eg rubber ball
DID YOU KNOW?
The Hadley Crater on Mars
Credit: ESA
The Leonid meteor shower happens at intervals
of approximately 33 years, though the next one
is predicted to occur in 2028 - 26 years after the
previous one. It causes meteors to shower the earth at
a rate of thousands per minute, and creates the overall
effect of lighting up the sky
page 12 • Astronautics Badge Activity Pack
Activity 9
mission x: train like an astronaut
Astronauts need to be extremely fit, agile, dexterous and possess
advanced communication skills. We should all aspire to be as fit and
healthy as astronauts. Your leader is going to set up an experiment
for you to see how astronauts have to face the mental challenges
they will have to face in space.
Record how you and your partner/team do with the tasks your
leader gives you. In brackets after the time recorded, get another
group or pair to judge how well you completed the task by giving
you a mark out of 10, 1 for not very well, 10 for excellent.
Task
Eg Spoon equal amounts of
sand into four jars
Time completed Time taken with Time taken with Time taken with Time taken with
barehanded
gloves (first
gloves (second gloves (third
gloves (fourth
(first attempt)
attempt)
attempt)
attempt)
attempt)
10 secs
20 secs
17 secs
15 secs
14 secs
Life on Board
Your Spacecraft
Being in orbit is a special sort of freefall - so you and
everything around you is weightless. But there are
also many other things you may not be aware of that
astronauts have to consider before they take off.
• Nearly every astronaut will experience space sickness,
which could mean headaches, nausea and confusion.
• W
eightlessness means there’s less pressure on the
spine, and every astronaut will grow about two inches.
The design of the spacesuit actually takes this
into account.
• Snorers on Earth sleep quietly in space, it’s been found
– but less well. The International Space Station takes
90 minutes to orbit the Earth. This means astronauts
experience 16 sunsets and sunrises every 24 hours.
• If an astronaut suddenly finds himself without a
spacesuit on, they won’t explode, which is what most
people think – instead the lack of oxygen will kill
them, although they have about two minutes before
this happens. Before that the astronaut may experience
moisture from the nose and mouth boiling away, slight
sunburn, a painless swelling of the skin and underlying
tissues and ‘the bends’.
• Going to the loo isn’t easy. Astronauts have to place
themselves, and are often strapped, exactly in the
centre of the space commode to do their business,
which is then sucked out. Astronauts use adult nappies
for space walks, launch and landing.
page 13 • Astronautics Badge Activity Pack
DID YOU KNOW?
Astronauts undergo lots of scuba diving as part of
their training. Scuba diving is as close as it gets to
experiencing weightlessness on Earth for long periods
of time. Astronauts can also train for weightlessness
by going on parabolic flights. These flights involve a
modified plane following the flight path of a parabola
and create periods where the passengers are in free fall.
Activity 10
Build a rocket!
This activity fulfills some or all of badge requirements 3 and 4 (Option A)
Before you build one – do you know how a rocket is constructed?
Match the terms listed below to the rocket diagram labels A–G.
A Nose
Nose
conecone
Nose cone
B Guidance
Guidance
Payload
Payload
Fuel
C Fuel
Fuel
Fin
Nozzle
Propellent
Propellent
D
injection
injection
pump
pump
Oxidant
Oxidant
E
Guidance system
Oxidant
Fin Fin
Fin Fin
F
DID YOU KNOW?
The first rockets were made 1,000 years ago in China.
Robert Goddard launched the very first liquid-fuelled
rocket in 1926.
Propulsion System
Propulsion System
Propellant injection pump
G
Nozzle
Nozzle
page 14 • Astronautics Badge Activity Pack
Useful Information
Space Careers
For information about careers in the space sector visit the UK Space
Agency’s Careers webpages: bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency/careers/
Want to get the most up to date information
about space?
Follow the UK Space Agency:
Credit: ESA/Guus Schoonewille
@spacegovuk
spacegovuk channel
UK Space Agency page
You can also find out about work experience, apprenticeships,
university courses and graduate schemes. Why not get to know
some characters who work in the space sector through some
“I Work in Space” videos and text profiles:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency/careers/i-work-in-space
Questions? E-mail: [email protected]
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