Onboard the International Space Station

This video clip, from NASA, shows the global cooperation that built the International Space Station, or ISS. Life on board the ISS is shown. The video shows a simple model to demonstrate the amazing mathematical relationship between the Earth and moon and see how the low-Earth orbit of ISS compares.

Food in Space

This clip, from NASA, shows what types of food astronauts eat in space and how the food must be lightweight, nutritional, take up little volume and be long-lasting. A classroom activity is also included that investigates suitable foods and containers. This may be used at Key Stage Three or adapted for use at Key...

Solar Power for Exploration Challenge

From NASA, Solar Energy for Space Exploration is a problem-based learning activity. The project requires students to propose and defend a design to provide power to a lunar or Martian research base for six astronauts. To prepare for the final project, students investigate the variables that affect the operation of...

GRIP Hurricane Observation Satellite Programme

From NASA, this video shows how the GRIP project is using satellite observations from space to track and understand hurricanes on Earth. It helps to illustrate how satellites are used to monitor the Earth's climate.

Robotic Landers: Small with Big Benefits

NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory are creating a new generation of smart, versatile robotic landers for exploring the moon, asteroids, and other airless bodies in our solar system. As small as a golf cart but big in performance, these multi-use landers will enable a variety of...

Light and Optics Teacher Resource and Class Activities

This teacher guidance from NASA describes colour and light activities that can be used with students from Key Stage Two to Four. Using lenses, prisms and mirrors students create telescopes, periscopes, microscopes and kaleidoscopes. Other activities include finding focal length and understanding reflection,...

Life of a Star: Planetary Nebula Lithograph

This resource from NASA describes how low-mass stars expand in size and become red giants at the end of their lives. Then they shed their outer layers and become planetary nebulae.

The image of NGC 2440, a planetary nebula, is on the first page of the lithograph. Background information about the life cycle...

Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope

NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, is a space-based telescope that looks at the universe in the gamma ray wavelengths. This telescope will study known sources of gamma rays in detail but will also discover thousands of new gamma-ray sources in its five-year mission. This resource has an image of...

Infra-red: More Than Your Eyes Can See

From NASA, this short video looks at how infra-red cameras see the world and are used to explore space. It describes the electromagnetic spectrum and how infra-red is a measure of heat radiation. The video concludes by showing how infra-red can be used in astronomy to observe distant stars and galaxies. The...

Space-based Astronomy Educator Guide

These resources from NASA look at why telescopes are put into space. Students build simple spectroscopes and telescopes to learn the answer to this question. This educator guide is divided into units of study that include science demonstrations, lesson plans and student sheets so that students may learn about Earth...