Space Travel: A Five-Day Learning Week

Assumed level: Upper elementary (ages 8–11). The activities can be simplified or extended as needed.

Materials for the Whole Week

• Paper and pencil
• Colored pencils or crayons
• Scissors and tape
• One balloon
• String, about 2 meters long
• A drinking straw
• Cardboard or index cards
• Small paper cup or plastic cup
• Coins or small counters
• Globe, ball, or round object
• Flashlight
• Calculator, optional

Day 1: Why Do People Travel into Space?

Goal: Understand why humans and machines travel into space and identify the main parts of a space mission.

Lesson Steps

1. Hook — 5 minutes: Ask: “If you could travel anywhere in space, where would you go, and what would you want to learn?” Let the learner draw or describe the destination.
2. Show it — 8 minutes: Explain that space travel can have several purposes:
   • to explore places such as the Moon, Mars, and asteroids;
   • to study Earth’s weather, land, oceans, and atmosphere;
   • to learn how people and living things behave in space;
   • to use satellites for communication, navigation, mapping, and weather forecasting.
   Explain the basic parts of a mission: launch means leaving Earth, travel means moving through space, arrival means reaching the destination, and return means coming back when the mission requires it.
3. Do it together — 10 minutes: Write these mission cards on separate pieces of paper: choose a destination, build a spacecraft, launch, travel, collect information, communicate, return or continue the mission. Work together to put them in a sensible order. Discuss why “build a spacecraft” must happen before “launch.”
4. Learner does it alone — 12 minutes: The learner designs a mission badge. It must include:
   • a mission name;
   • a destination;
   • one question the mission will investigate;
   • one tool or instrument the spacecraft will carry.
   Under the badge, the learner writes: “The purpose of my mission is to…”
5. Brief recap — 5 minutes: Ask the learner to explain the difference between a human space mission and a robotic space mission. A human mission carries people; a robotic mission uses a machine, such as a probe or rover, instead.

Quick Check

Ask the learner to name two reasons for space travel and put these events in order: arrival, launch, building the spacecraft, collecting information.

Day 2: Rockets and Launching

Goal: Understand that rockets move by pushing gas downward, which pushes the rocket upward.

Lesson Steps

1. Hook — 5 minutes: Ask: “How could a balloon move across a room without anyone pushing it?” Let the learner make a prediction.
2. Show it — 8 minutes: Blow up the balloon but do not tie it. Hold the opening closed. Explain that the air inside pushes outward. When the air rushes out in one direction, the balloon moves in the opposite direction. A rocket works in a similar way: hot gases rush downward from the engine, and the rocket is pushed upward.
3. Do it together — 12 minutes: Make a balloon rocket. Thread the string through the straw and tie the string tightly between two supports. Tape the inflated balloon to the straw, with the balloon opening pointing backward. Release the balloon and observe its movement.

   Ask:

   • Which way did the air move?
   • Which way did the balloon move?
   • What happened when the balloon had more air?
4. Learner does it alone — 10 minutes: The learner draws a rocket and labels fuel, engine, gases moving downward, and rocket moving upward. The learner then writes: “The rocket moves upward because…”
5. Brief recap — 5 minutes: Explain that rockets do not need air to push against. They carry fuel and an oxidizer, which allows the fuel to burn even where there is no air. The rocket engine pushes exhaust gases out, moving the rocket in the opposite direction.

Quick Check

Ask: “If the exhaust gases move downward, which way does the rocket move, and why?” Expected response: “The rocket moves upward because the escaping gases push in the opposite direction.”

Day 3: Living and Working in Space

Goal: Identify the challenges astronauts face and explain how spacecraft help them survive and work.

Lesson Steps

1. Hook — 5 minutes: Ask: “What would happen if you tried to drink, sleep, or walk in a spacecraft where everything floats?”
2. Show it — 10 minutes: Explain that astronauts need systems that provide:
   • air: oxygen to breathe and removal of extra carbon dioxide;
   • water: drinking water and water for cleaning;
   • food: meals that can be safely eaten in small spaces;
   • temperature control: protection from becoming too hot or too cold;
   • communication: equipment for sending messages to Earth;
   • protection: shielding from some radiation and tiny pieces of space debris.
   Explain that astronauts in orbit seem weightless because they and their spacecraft are continuously falling around Earth. They may sleep in sleeping bags attached to a wall, use handrails to move, and strap objects down so they do not float away.
3. Do it together — 10 minutes: Choose an ordinary object, such as a pencil, cup, or shoe. Discuss how it would be used in space and what might need to change. For example, a cup might need a lid or a special shape so liquid does not float away.
4. Learner does it alone — 12 minutes: The learner designs an astronaut’s sleeping area or eating area. The drawing must show at least four features that help with space travel. The learner labels each feature and explains its purpose.
5. Brief recap — 5 minutes: Ask the learner to complete these sentences:
   • “Astronauts need oxygen because…”
   • “Objects are secured in a spacecraft because…”
   • “Astronauts use handrails because…”

Quick Check

Name three things a spacecraft must provide for astronauts and explain one way astronauts can move or sleep when objects float.

Day 4: Navigating to Another World

Goal: Understand that spacecraft must follow a planned route and that planets move while a spacecraft is traveling.

Lesson Steps

1. Hook — 5 minutes: Hold a ball as Earth and another round object as a destination. Ask: “If the destination keeps moving, should a spacecraft aim at where it is now or where it will be later?”
2. Show it — 10 minutes: Explain that planets orbit the Sun, and Earth also rotates. Because planets are moving, spacecraft planners calculate a route and launch time. A spacecraft usually does not travel in a perfectly straight line from one planet to another. It follows a path affected by the gravity of the Sun and planets. Explain that scientists use observations, measurements, computers, and planned course corrections to guide a spacecraft.
3. Do it together — 10 minutes: Place a paper “Earth” and a paper “Mars” on the floor. Move the Mars paper slightly while the learner points to it. Discuss why the spacecraft’s route must be planned ahead. Use the flashlight and ball to review that the Sun provides light, while planets move around the Sun.
4. Learner does it alone — 12 minutes: The learner draws a simple mission map showing:
   • the Sun;
   • Earth;
   • the destination;
   • the spacecraft’s route;
   • one point where the spacecraft might correct its course.
   The learner writes two sentences explaining why the spacecraft cannot simply aim at the destination’s current location and travel in a straight line.
5. Brief recap — 5 minutes: Review these words: orbit, route, gravity, and course correction. Ask the learner to explain each word in their own words.

Quick Check

Ask: “Why must a spacecraft’s route account for the movement of planets?” Expected response: “The planets are moving, so the spacecraft must be guided toward where the destination will be.”

Day 5: Plan and Present a Space Mission

Goal: Use the week’s learning to create and explain a complete space mission.

Lesson Steps

1. Hook — 5 minutes: Say: “You are the mission director. Your team has one chance to plan a useful space mission. What will you investigate?”
2. Show it — 8 minutes: Review the parts of a strong mission plan:
   • mission name and purpose;
   • destination;
   • human crew or robotic spacecraft;
   • rocket and launch plan;
   • route and navigation;
   • equipment and supplies;
   • information to collect;
   • return plan or continued exploration.
3. Do it together — 10 minutes: Choose a sample mission to an asteroid. Think aloud:

   “The mission will use a robotic probe because an asteroid is far away and the probe can collect samples without needing food or oxygen for astronauts. It will carry cameras, a communication system, and a tool for collecting material.”

   Ask the learner to suggest one challenge and one solution.
4. Learner does it alone — 20 minutes: The learner creates a final mission plan on paper. It must include:
   • a mission badge and name;
   • a labeled drawing of the spacecraft;
   • the destination and purpose;
   • at least three tools or supplies;
   • an explanation of how the spacecraft launches;
   • an explanation of how it travels and communicates;
   • one challenge and a proposed solution.
5. Presentation and recap — 10 minutes: The learner presents the mission plan. Ask:
   • What is the mission trying to discover?
   • Why did you choose a human or robotic mission?
   • How does the spacecraft move?
   • How will the crew or spacecraft stay safe?
   • What could go wrong, and how will you respond?

Quick Check

Use the learner’s presentation to check that they can explain all four ideas:

1. Rockets move by pushing exhaust gases in the opposite direction.
2. Spacecraft need systems for communication, safety, and survival.
3. Spacecraft follow planned routes because planets and spacecraft are moving.
4. Space missions have a purpose, equipment, challenges, and a plan.