Power from sunlight - Powering space exploration with solar energy

In this set of activities from the European Space Agency, students learn about two concepts that influence solar panel design for space missions: the inverse square law and the angle of incidence. There are instructions on two simple investigations using a photovoltaic cell (solar cell) and a light source. The...

Power from water - How to produce oxygen and hydrogen on the Moon

In this set of three activities from the European Space Agency, students learn about electrochemistry. In the first activity they build a voltaic pile – a simple battery. Students will then study electrolysis, producing hydrogen and oxygen which can be used as propellants for spacecraft and/or to provide oxygen to...

Infrared webcam hack - Using infrared light to observe the world in a new way

This set of three activities from the European Space Agency enables students to understand the electromagnetic spectrum and observe infrared radiation through the modification of a cheap webcam. It enables discussion of how infrared radiation can be used to obtain information that is not available using visible...

After the storm - Tracking hurricane Matthew and analysing its impact

These activities, from the European Space Agency, use the example of Hurricane Matthew to explore the applications of Earth observation data in tracking hurricanes and assessing their aftermath. Students learn how a hurricane develops and the impact that extreme weather can have on society. They do this by...

The greenhouse effect and its consequences - Investigating global warming

This set of activities from the European Space Agency includes hands-on experiments. Students are guided to interpret satellite images to better understand the overall effects of global warming.

In the first activity, students demonstrate to themselves the greenhouse effect. The experiment is complemented by...

Highways of the oceans - Sea currents and the connection to climate

In this resource from the European Space Agency, students use a multimedia module to learn about sea currents, the highways of the oceans, and how they are important for understanding local climates. Through a hands-on activity students investigate the causes of ocean currents. The final activity use satellite...

Extracting water from lunar soil - Learning about filtration and distillation

In this resource from the European Space Agency, students learn about changes of state of matter using water on the Moon as an example. They interpret data from a pressure vs. temperature graph for water to enable a discussion about how changes of state are different on the Moon compared to what we are used to on...

Plants on Mars - Build an automatic plant watering system

This resource from the European Space Agency is presented as eight activities which guides students to create an automatic plant watering system, suitable for use on a possible future colony on the planet Mars. Students have opportunities to use and develop their skills to plan, design and analyse various soil-...

3...2...1...lift off! - Building your own paper rocket

In this set of three 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...

Space bears - Lab-experience with tardigrades

This resource from the European Space Agency is presented as four highly complex activities for more able and talented students. The activities require students to work with tardigrades ('water bears'), which they gather from collected moss or lichen samples. Students are given some outline guidance to come up...