Solar System Image Making – Classroom resource booklet for 2^nd level Junior Cycle students, on the use of the free software GIMP to process raw images from robotic cameras in the solar system, particularly Perseverance on Mars and JunoCam in orbit around Jupiter.

SpaceWeatherForecast- secondary Space Week resource

Forecast Space Weather and then check your prediction by looking for Aurora. This guide will review how to make space weather predictions from live data collected from spacecraft.

Curricular links
Earth and Space 1 … describe the relationships between various celestial objects including … planets, stars, solar systems…
Earth and Space 8 … examine some of the hazards … of space exploration
Physical World 2 … calculate time (from distance and speed)
Physical World 3 … investigate patterns and relationships between physical observables
Physical World 4 … discuss a technological application of physics in terms of scientific and societal impact

3 2 1 Lift-Off! Building your own paper rocket PW2, PW4, PW7

In this set of 3 activities students will design and build their own paper rockets and launch them. They will learn what it takes in order for a rocket to be stable and they will calculate the rocket’s trajectory and velocity.  They will learn about the velocity required to leave Earth in a rocket and uncover why the Moon has the potential to be a stepping stone for further space exploration. Lastly, they will calculate the acceleration of their rocket at launch and put this into a context of the G-force experienced by astronauts during launch.

This set of activities supports the Junior Cycle Specification Learning Outcomes PW2, 4 & 7

This set of activities supports ESA’s Mooncamp Challenge competition

Build Your Mars Exploration Rover – Building and programming a LEGO rover to collect science data NoS 6, PW4

Students will design and program a LEGO built rover.  Basic instructions are first programmed with the LEGO brick. Then, to remotely control the LEGO-built rover,  students will program it with the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 software.  The objective is to conduct a space experiment using a scientific approach and collect data. Measurements will be analysed and modelled so that  they can be compared with the student’s hypothesis.

This activity supports Junior Cycle Science Learning Outcomes NoS6, PW4

Whoosh Bottle – Applying Newton’s laws to rockets PW2NoS 5

Space and Major Disasters NoS9, PW 4

As part of science and technology, this supplement is a teaching aid for the study of the manifestations of the Earth’s activity.  It is designed to enable
pupils to think about the attitude to adopt in the event of a major risk, earthquake or volcanic eruption. The subject may be tackled in connection with current events, be based on the use of documents (photographs, magazines, audiovisual and multimedia documents) or be taught in the framework of activities involving initiation to geography.

This activity supports Junior Cycle Science Learning Outcomes NoS9 and PW4

Plants on Mars – Build an automatic plant watering system

Students will explore technology used in space through the Arduino tool.  They will build an automatic watering system that measures soil humidity and waters a plant accordingly.
The basics of programming in C++ will be introduced using the Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) software.

This activity supports Junior Cycle Science Learning Outcomes NoS8, PW5

Barycentric Balls – Orbits and the centre of mass E& 1,Pw3 

Cooking a Comet – Ingredients for Life E&S1, PW6

Power from Water – How to produce oxygen and hydrogen on the Moon

Extracting Water from Lunar Soil

In this set of activities, students will plan, design, and build a landing module to secure the survival of the crew (in the form of an egg-naut) landing on the Moon. Students will calculate the velocity and acceleration during the fall and use Newton’s Second Law of Motion to study the forces on the Earth and Moon.

Download: Teacher’s guide and student worksheets

More info

Gives details of the relationship between force and the extension of a spring. Possibly more suitable for Leaving Cert students (HS).

Mechanical Properties

In this set of activities, students will learn about two concepts that influence solar panel design for space missions: the inverse square law and the angle of incidence. Students will perform two simple investigations using a photovoltaic cell (solar cell) and a light source.

Download: Teacher’s guide and student worksheets

More information