FIELD TRIP SET FOR DECEMBER 6TH: INFORMATION UPDATE

Our Field Trip to the George Observatory will continue despite the forcast for rain, overcast skies, and temperatures in the mid-40s.
All students have turned in their permission slips and their money, so I will be taking all 59 GT students on our field trip.
GOOD NEWS: All of our chaperones will be able to go inside the mission control station and the space module. We will work in two teams and trade out at the one hour mark for our older students (3-5)
The younger students (1-2) have chaperones that will stay with them throughout the mission in both locations.

PLEASE ARRIVE AT SCHOOL BETWEEN 8:00-8:20am TO PICK UP YOUR RAPTOR BADGE.
I WILL BE LOADING THE BUSES AT 8:30 SHARP SO THAT WE CAN ARRIVE BY 9:30.
IF YOU WANT FREE ENTRY INTO THE PARK, YOU WILL NEED TO FOLLOW THE BUS AND HAVE YOUR RAPTOR BADGE FOR THE PARK RANGER.
OTHERWISE, ENTRY IS $7.00 PER PERSON.

IF YOU NEED DRIVING DIRECTIONS, GOOGLE 'GEORGE OBSERVATORY' TO GET TO THEIR WEBSITE AND  DETAILED DIRECTIONS TO BRAZOS BEND STATE PARK

SCHOOL NUMBER: 281-237-5500
THANKS!
MR. PETERSEN NCE GT

RESEARCH: EXAMPLES OF QUESTIONS FOR GRADES 3,4, & 5

I'll use the Kuiper Belt as an example for our research report outline. Research questions can fall into these categories:

INTRODUCTION QUESTIONS:
EXAMPLES/   What is the Kuiper Belt?  Why is this area of space so unexplored?

HISTORICAL QUESTIONS (THE PAST):
EXAMPLES/   When was the Kuiper Belt discovered? Who was it named for? What ever happened to the Planet X theory?

EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS (CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS):
EXAMPLES/   What are the newest dwarf planets? What are thier names and what do they mean? How far away are these dwarf planets?

FUTURE QUESTIONS:
EXAMPLES/   Are astronomers still looking for Kuiper Belt Objects? How are they doing this? What do they hope to find? Will we ever send a space probe to this region?

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS:
EXAMPLES/  If 4 space probes passed through the Kuiper Belt, why don't we know more about it? Is there anything further out than the Kuiper Belt? How does the Kuiper Belt compare to the Oort Cloud? Are there different parts to the Kuiper Belt? 

FIFTH GRADE RESEARCH PROJECT TRIFOLD

LESSON 8: HOW FAR IS FAR? THE 5 SPACE PROBES HEADED BEYOND OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

NASA and other space programs have launched many space probes. However, only 5 have flown past Neptune (or will shortly). Here they are:

Four of these have traveled for decades to reach beyond the orbit of Pluto. Voyager I holds the record for furthest extent of human exploration. It is now approaching the borders of our Solar System.

Voyager I

Voyager 2

Artist's view of Pioneer 10 near Jupiter

Artist's view of Pioneer 11 near Saturn

Part 2:

Current Mission to Pluto, Charon, and the Kuiper Belt

New Horizons left Earth in 2006 and  passed the halfway mark to Pluto in 2011. It should fly by Pluto in 2015.

New Horizons will continue past Pluto and will record information about the mysterious Kuiper Belt. Even though we have had 4 previous probes fly through this area, very little is known about this region.

The Kuiper Belt and TransNeptunian Objects are an exciting field for discovery.

Currently, the farthest known LARGE object in this group is Sedna. While Pluto is 3 billion miles out from the sun, Sedna is, at its farthest point, 82 billion miles away from the sun. We are not sure how to classify Sedna and we are not even sure if it is a Kuiper Belt Object.

On the other hand, Eris is considered the most remote dwarf planet in the Solar System. It is roughly 9 billion miles from the Sun. It is in the Kuiper Belt.

NASA has a video about New Horizons and a countdown page at this link:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html

It is too early to start viewing images from of Pluto, but some year in the future, we will finally get our first glimpse of this remote world.

STUDENT SURVEY: SHOULD WE GO BACK TO THE MOON?

Here's our survey question for this month.
Should we send astronauts back to the Moon in the next hundred years?


YES:  IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
MAYBE: IIIIIIIIIIII, (after we fix the problems of the world)
NO: IIII

LESSON 7: THE SPACE RACE PART II

Let's see how much you know about this part of our lesson.

Knock out the incorrect answers to reveal the correct one.

This image shows:

A. the inventor of a new way of making Russian stamps

B. the end of the Russian space program in 1961

C. The first person in space, Yuri Gargarin

D. A NASA astronaut that accidentally went up in a Russian spacecraft

Valentina Tereshkova (the lady on the left) came to visit our NASA program because:

A. she is the grandmother of an astronaut

B. she likes to collect space patches even though she lives in Russia

C. she got lost and ended up in Houston

D. she was the first woman in space (over 40 years ago)

Where is Katherine Coleman in this photo?

A. in a hospital

B. waiting her turn to get her hair done at the NASA space lab in Houston, Texas

C. on the moon base 'Alpha I'

D. on board the International Space Station

This chimpanzee is getting special attention because:

A. he was rescued from falling overboard on a Navy ship

B. he just got back from being in space aboard a rocket

C. he was part of a medical experiment with chimps riding whales

D. it was a Russian chimp rescued from their space program

LUNA 3 was:

A. the first design for houses on the moon

B. an instrument to measure wind speeds on the moon

C. an American probe that first photographed the far side of the moon

D. a Russian probe that first photographed the far side of the moon

E. a lunar probe that would attract aliens with special foods and bait just in case life forms lived there





OPEN HOUSE THIS THURSDAY ~ COME VISIT ~ OCTOBER 20TH, 2011~ 5:00-7:30

Dear Parents,

Thanks for stopping by our Space Mission Control. Tonight you will see a number of projects by grade level:

First Grade: Unit Folder, Rocket, and Planet

Second Grade: Rocket and Asteroid Base

Third Grade: Rocket, Planet, and Asteroid Base

Fourth Grade: Research Poster and Rocket

Fifth Grade: Research Trifold, Rocket and Asteroid Base

Thanks for coming! Mr. Petersen

LESSON 6: THE SPACE RACE ~ PART ONE

I FOUND THESE OLD PAGES THIS WEEK. WHAT'S A SPACE RACE? WHAT DO THE FLAGS MEAN? WHO'S RACING?

WE SHALL SOLVE THESE PUZZLES THIS WEEK.

A TERRIFIC TOUR OF TELESCOPES

In our space unit, we will now focus on how we view our Universe. Since 1610 and Galileo's time, scientists and amateur astronomers have worked to improve the power of  telescopes. New planets have been discovered, along with asteroids, galaxies, and nebulae. Let's take a look at some of the most powerful telescopes in the world.
Any discussion about telescopes MUST begin with the amazing astronmer William Herschel.

William Hershel built over 400 telescopes in his lifetime. With these telescopes, he discovered the new planet Uranus along with the moons Mimas, Enceladus, Titania, and Oberon. He also discovered that the sun gave off an invisible form of heat know as infrared radiation. His work during the late 1700s and early 1800s set the stage for many more larger telescopes in the centuries to come.

This is Herschel's largest telescope. Imagine this in your backyard! Notice it had wheels and a track. Why was this important? This telescope was so large that the astronomer sat in a small house during viewing.

This the HET telescope in far west Texas. It is the 4th largest optical telescope in the world. One of the planned uses for this telescope will be a project on discovering Dark Matter.

Here's the HET at night. The McDonald Observatory has 5 large telescopes next to each other. They have tours open to the public. It's a long drive, but maybe someday you'll go there.

This is the largest Radio Telescope in the world in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

You can probably guess the name of this telescope. Did you say Hubble?

The European Southern Observatory contains a set of 4 massive telescopes in the remote Atacama Desert in Chile. These are some of the most powerful in the world. Two of them are shown here. Do you know what's shown in the sky behind them?

Why so many telescopes? Well, as you can see in this set of images, different types of telescopes bring us different types of information. Which image do you like the most?

THE FUTURE OF TELESCOPES

The E-ELT (European Extremely Large Telescope) is planned for 2022. It will be 1,500 times stronger than Hubble. The mirrors will be 128 FEET across. Currently, a very large telescope is 128 inches across!

Finally, this is the OWL or OverWhelmingly Large Telescope. It is proposed to be 300 feet in diameter. We don't have the technology to build it...yet. Maybe you will!

Applying what you've learned. Answer the question below:

The VLA or Very Large Array in Socorro, New Mexico are

A. optical telescopes

B. radio telescopes

C. a space telescope

D. a new kind of dish TV

QUESTION 2:

Which of these is on the electromagnetic spectrum?

A. infraviolet

B. y-rays

C. ultrared

D. radio waves

QUESTION 3:

Pick the space telescope's correct name:

A. Hubba-Bubba

B. Hubble

C. Hoover

D. Houston, we have a problem?

PAPER MACHE' PLANETS and ASTEROIDS PROJECT

USE NEWSPAPER FOR YOUR FOUNDATION. MAKE A TIGHT BALL AND USE MASKING TAPE TO KEEP THE BALL'S SHAPE. DON'T COMPLETELY COVER THE PAPER.

PLACE THE 'PLANET' ON A COATED PAPER PLATE BEFORE APPYLING THE PAPER MACHE' STRIPS.

Dipping the paper strips in glue and wrapping them on the 'planet' is a two person job.

Cover the table with newspapers that you can throw away when finished.

And here's a nifty trick; for the last layer DO NOT dip the paper strip in glue. Put it on dry and it will soak up the excess glue but still be moist enough to form a shape.



HERE ARE SOME OF THE SIZES WE ARE USING FOR OUR PLANETS. USE COATED PAPER CUPS FOR STANDS WHILE THE GLUE IS DRYING. PUT NAMES ON THE PLATES TO KEEP THINGS ORGANIZED. SAVINE SHOWS US TODAY'S WORK.

WE WILL PAINT THEM NEXT WEEK.

THIS METHOD CAN BE USED TO ALSO MAKE ODD-SHAPED ASTEROIDS.

Make an asteroid using one twisted tube and two ball shapes. Tape together

Here's the same asteroid with the paper mache' layer.

LESSON 5: MOONS, MOONS, AND MORE MOONS

We will use our interactive notebook to draw the four main moons of Jupiter. First, let's see a video of these fascinating places.
First, let's compare moons to asteroids. Most asteroids in the Asteroid Belt are the same color but vary in size and shape.
Moons can differ in their surface appearance, their shape, their size, their inner layers, their composition, and their seismic activity. To confuse matters, some moons are captured asteroids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7m-RadV5VI&feature=related

HERE'S A QUICK TOUR OF SOME OF THE LARGER AND MORE UNUSUAL MOONS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM:

IO ~ ONE OF THE FOUR GALILEAN MOONS

GALILEO DISCOVERED THEM IN 1610, BUT THEY ONLY APPEARED AS TINY, BRIGHT DOTS.

CALLISTO ~ ONE OF THE 4 MAIN MOONS OF JUPITER

EUROPA ~ PERHAPS THERE IS AN OCEAN UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE

GANYMEDE ~ DO SOME RESEARCH AND SEE IF THIS MOON IS LARGER THAN MERCURY. IT'S THE LARGEST IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

A FEW OTHER MOONS

PHOEBE

ENCELADUS ~ PROBABLY MY FAVORITE MOON!

ARIEL

HYPERION

TRITON

GALATEA

THE FOUR GALILEAN MOONS AS SEEN FROM EARTH. YOU CAN SEE THEM WITH BINOCULARS. THIS IMAGE IS FROM AN EXCELLENT TELESCOPE.

A FEW QUESTIONS:

HOW DID WE GET SUCH WONDERFUL IMAGES OF THESE MOONS?

HOW DOES OUR MOON COMPARE?

HAVE ALL THE MOONS BEEN DISCOVERED?

WILL WE SEND PEOPLE OR SPACECRAFT TO SOME OF THESE MOONS?

RESEARCH TOPICS ANNOUNCED (updated EACH DAY THIS WEEK)

We are picking our areas of research this week for the Astronomy & Space Unit.
I will add to the list as the week progresses. Today I am posting the first grade list. For first grade, we will complete the writing and project in class, but they may also check out a book from the public library or school library and bring it to class each time. Older students may research their topic at home and bring information to class. Thanks for your help at home. :-) Mr. Petersen
First Grade:.
JN...The Planet Jupiter
SB...The Planet Saturn
CA...The Planet Uranus
KG...The Planet Neptune
JZ....Pluto and other Dwarf Planets

SECOND GRADE:
SWi...All About Rockets
AM...The Earth & the Moon
FP...What are Comets?
AB...All About Saturn
SWa...The Sun
JT...All About Jupiter
KS...All About Uranus
ME...How to Become an Astronaut
IV...What Are Galaxies?
DW...All About Mars
AH...All About Stars
JW...All About Neptune
JT...The Apollo Program
THIRD GRADE:
CZ...Venus
SG...Galaxies
CS...Mars Base
HP...Novae & Supernovae
EW...Nebulae
MK...NEOs (Near Earth Objects)
BL...Comets & Missions to Comets
MM...Jupiter & Missions to its Moons
NM...The Moon
JP...The Sun, Solar Storms, & X Flares
JL...Almost All About Stars

FIFTH GRADE:  (Some fifth graders are working in teams of two)
BA...The Ten Largest Stars
EB...A Visit to Seven Galaxies
ZB...Great APPS for Space
GF...Ten Nebulae That Will Astound You
MG...Unusual Space Objects
GK...Black Holes
KM...A Tour of the Moons in Our Solar System
NM...Comparing Nebulae & Supernovae
CN...Designing the First Moon Base
MP...The Ten Largest Stars
AR...Comparing Nebulae and Supernovae
ST...What are Nebulae?
JT...Designing the First Moon Base
KW...Unusual Space Objects
EW...X Flares and Other Solar Storms

Fourth Grade:
NY...The Sun
PA...Black Holes
ZS...What are Novae and Supernovae?
SH...Designing the First Base on Mars
PW...The Four Main Moons of Jupiter
GW...GRAILLE
AR...The Hubble Space Telescope
GH...The Asteroid Belt
CC...Pluto and the Dwarf Planets
RC...What's the Difference Between Comets and Asteroids?
AL...The Moon
JV...Satellites Around Earth
JM...Building the International Space Station

STAR GAZER RESULTS

We finished our 12 constellations and had some extra circles left to make a few new galaxies and star clusters. Thanks to fifth grader KW for the idea! :-)

Spiral Galaxy or Star Cluster? I aimed the camera down the Pringles can to see what would show up. Cool!

Another one! Terrific work!

Hmmm?

That's a new one I've not seen in the star charts yet. It's an interesting star cluster. Do you think it contains a planet with intelligent life? I'm sure it must!

Thanks for visiting. :-)

COPERNICUS AND GALILEO

Around 1514, Copernicus was the first to:

A. look up and see stars in a city

B. arrive at the idea that stars could be measured in light years

C. write star charts using a telescope

D. claim that the sun was the center of the Solar System, not the Earth

In the 1600s Galileo had invented some of the best:

A. globes

B. telescopes

C. hot air balloons

D. charts to see the Andromeda galaxy