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How accessible is outer space?

Lesson Plan

Ryan Sui

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Objectives:

  1. Students will understand technologies, methods and spacecraft that can take us into outer space.

  2. Students will learn what has already happened in outer space, and what amazing developments lead to those events.

  3. Students will get to know issues space travelers are facing when wandering in space.

Lesson:

  1. Identify space events (Hook) -- 1 min

    1. Ask students to identify space events that happened. (Video Clip)

    2. Show pictures of different space events and ask them if they know what these events accomplished. (Photo of space mission)

  2. The moon landing and Neil Armstrong (Introduction); Source: (Howell) -- 2 min

    1. On Aug. 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio, a legend was born. (Photos)

    2. Neil Armstrong served in the Korean War as a Navy aviator, then became NASA’s test pilot. 

    3. 1969-Neil Armstrong was announced as one of the crew on Apollo 11

    4. Landed on the moon at 4:14 p.m. July 20, 1969.

              Q:    How did this open up a new world of space exploration?

  1. Space missions and human body in space (Lecture); Source: (Abadie et al 1-4) -- 5 min

    1. It is usually difficult and tricky for the human body to adjust to space gravity. (Photo)

    2. It takes time for the body to adjust after returning to earth.

    3. Isolation and loneliness are common in space missions.

    4. People are less efficient when suffering from loneliness.

    5. Easier to catch illnesses because of problems with the immune system in outer space. (Photo)

    6. Space radiation problem.

  2. How far have we traveled, what has changed and what are the benefits?(Lecture); 

Source: (Holmes) -- 3 min

    1. 550 people or more already traveled to space.

    2. Solution to muscles lost in space on the new space station.

    3. New space station cost a lot. (News)

    4. New fire resistance cloth, microcomputers and health monitoring are the benefits of space travel.

    5. A step closer to the “Mars Colony” (News)

              Q:    Do you think the goal of Mars Colony is reachable?

  1. Is it possible to escape our solar system? (Lecture); Source: (Howell) -- 3 min

    1. Impossible to reach the speed of light. (Photo)

    2. The speed of light means infinite gravity.

    3. Dilation causing ageing problems.

    4. Possible answer to escaping the solar system: Nuclear powered spacecraft.

  2. Epilogue, the abandoned space program; Source: (Frost)

    1. The problem of cost.

    2. Not very contributing to new space programs.

    3. Do not have enough expertise.

    4. Political issues involved, new presidents, new ideas. (Photos)

Materials: 

  • Photos of different space missions

  • News about interesting space events

  • Video clip of Neil Armstrong’s space landing

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Lesson Plan Slide Show

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Annotated Bibliography

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Abadie, Laurie J. et al. “The Human Body in Space” NASA Human Research Program, pp.1-4. 

www.nasa.gov/hrp/bodyinspace. Accessed 22 Jan. 2020.

          This source explains what problems space travelers may encounter when they are in the spacecraft in outer space. It mentions problems like illness, loneliness, feelings of isolation, and sometimes even miscommunication. This provides me with the difficulty of actual space travel.


Frost, Robbert. “Why Did NASA End The Space Shuttle Program?” Forbes, 2 Feb. 2017, 

www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/02/02/why-did-nasa-end-the-space-shuttle-program /#726eab19799f. Accessed 22 Jan. 2020.

          The Space Shuttle Program was a program designed to send people to the ISS International space station, but the program got delayed again and again and finally got canceled. This article provides reasons why this beneficial program got canceled.


Holmes Oliver. “Space: how far have we gone – and where are we going?” theguardian, 19 Nov. 

2018, www.theguardian.com/science/2018/nov/19/ space-how-far-have-we-gone-and -where-are-we-going. Accessed 22 Jan. 2020.

          We accomplished many goals to reach into outer space, but we still need to reach further and develop more technology to help us to do so. This article lists space programs we accomplished in the past and shows us a direction in which we need to aim. This article also discusses how we could send people beyond the moon into Mars.


Howell, Elizabeth. “Engage Warp Drive! Why Interstellar Travel's Harder Than It Looks.” 

Space, 7 May. 2018, www.space.com/40507-interstellar-space-travel-and-science -fiction.html. Accessed 22 Jan. 2020.

          The problem occurs when we move to a more advanced space area, and in this case, we want our spacecraft to travel faster, to reach further into outer space. This article discusses problems we might face when traveling at high speed, and limits causing us to be unable to travel at the speed of light.


Howell, Elizabeth. “Neil Armstrong: First man on the moon.” Space, 17 Jan. 2020, www.space. 

com/15519-neil-armstrong-man-moon.html. Accessed 28 Jan. 2020.

          This source shares the life experiences of Neil Armstong and how he became the first human to walk on the moon.

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