Field Trip to the Moon!

Caitlin NolbySpace Studies Department, UNDNorth Dakota Space Grant Consortium

Earth’s Moon

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00094

Virtually no atmosphere Sharp moon rocks OLD rocks – the Moon formed 4.5 BILLION years ago! Cratered No magnetic field Humans have been there!

Moon Size

The Moon is about 1/4th the diameter of Earth (1080 miles)

The Moon’s gravity is about 1/6th the strength of Earth’s gravity

http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/IMAGES/SMALL/GPN-2000-001444.jpg

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=1624

Earth and Moon to Scale

Distance to Moon = 240,000 miles

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=1624

Earth and Moon to Scale

If Earth were a basketball, then the Moon would be a

tennis ball,

23.5 feet away

Apollo Program Apollo 11 was the first manned-lunar

landing. When? Landing: July 20, 1969. Who? Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael

Collins Saturn V Rocket: 36 stories tall How many men walked on the Moon? 12! One geologist (Harrison “Jack”

Schmitt) How much moon rock? 842 pounds!

Apollo Landing Sites

Saturn V Rocket and Apollo Capsule

Apollo Capsule

Apollo Capsule

Field Trip to the Moon Overview Includes informational videos and

inquiry-based team building exercises Six Investigation Teams: Ecosystem,

Geology, Habitat, Engineering, Navigation, Medical

Grades: 4-6 (can be modified for other ages as well)

Class time: ~Four 40-minute periods The activity is Pre-2008, so I have made

some updates/modifications, and you are free to pick and choose what would fit best with your classroom

Field Trip to the Moon Activity

Introductory Videos (Period 1) Investigation Tasks 1 & 2 (Periods 2 & 3) Bring it together (Period 4) Teams can complete online research

(like a literature review) before completing tasks.

Each group completes tasks and reports a summary to the rest of the class (aka the other NASA scientists and engineers working on the Lunar mission)

Field Trip to the Moon Activity

K-5: Lunar Habitat – Structure (downloadable)

Introductory Videos (Period 1) Formation of the Moon

Apollo 11 Launch (no sound) Apollo 14 – Golfing on the Moon Apollo 16 Astronaut loses balance Apollo 17 Astronauts singing Apollo 17 Launch from Moon

Ecosystem Investigation What are the basic things that organisms need to live? What is an ecosystem? What organisms make up an ecosystem? What roles do consumers, producers, and decomposers play in

an ecosystem? Of what value is a “green” space (ecosystem) on the Moon? Think about the ecosystem you will create on the Moon. What

purpose will it serve?

Task 1

Geology Investigation What are some uses of the rocks and minerals

found on the Moon? Which of these might provide water or oxygen? Which of these are strong and could

be used in construction? Which of these would not be

suitable for construction? Why?

Task 1

Habitat Investigation Name some of the things you do every day, like

sleep and eat. What are some of the recreation

activities/sports/exercise you participate in? Which of these things are necessary if you are

to live on the Moon?

Task 1

Engineering Investigation What activities on Earth require

electricity? Think about living on the Moon. What

activities on the Moon will you need electricity for?

The Energy Source data cards tell you what kinds of energy are available on Earth. Are all of these kinds of energy available on the Moon?

Which kinds of energy will be available on the Moon?

Task 1

Navigation Investigation What are the benefits and challenges

of each landing site? What does the landing site provide for

the lunar station?

Task 1

Medical Investigation Can any of the items be substituted

with something you might already have?

Can any of the items be used in more than one way?

Task 1Medical Accessory Kit – Apollo 11

Concluding Task 1 Communications Officer reports to class Ecosystem: The type of ecosystem you will design for the lunar

station. Geology: The 6 metals or minerals your team selected and why

you chose them. Habitat: List of space requirements for living and working on the

Moon.

Concluding Task 1 Communications Officer reports to class Engineering: List of human activities on the Moon that require

electrical power. List of energy sources that could be available on the Moon.

Navigation: The chosen landing site, its important features, the available resources, and the reasons you chose it.

Medical: The items in your Basic Lunar First Aid Kit. The five additional items your team picked and the reasons you chose them.

Ecosystem Investigation What purpose will your ecosystem serve? What consumers, producers, and decomposers will

you need for your ecosystem? How many of each will you need? Do you think you will need more consumers or more producers?

Create a food web for them. Are there any missing links?

How will you design your ecosystem so that it will fit into the designated space?

Task 2

Geology Investigation You’ve chosen six of the metals and minerals. Do you want a

mining site where you can mine large quantities of one or two of the metals and minerals? Or do you want a site where you can mine smaller quantities of most of the chosen minerals?

Identify the metals and minerals you chose on the Lunar Mineralogical Map Key. Can you find those minerals and metals on the lunar map?

Use the mining area cutouts to chose the best site.

Task 2

Habitat Investigation You’ve identified the needs you’ll have

on the Moon. Now think about how much space you’ll give to each one.

Be creative and think about ways the space can be used in more than one way.

Task 2

Engineering Investigation Which landing site did the navigation team

choose? How does that affect your ability to generate

energy? Can you use two kinds of energy? Think about

ways that would work.

Task 2

Navigation Investigation What resources are available at the landing site you

selected? Is there anything at the site that could be used in place of some of the cargo?

Look at the six types of cargo. Which will you need the most of? Why? Which is the second most important type of cargo?

Compare your list with the percentages. Does your #1 have the highest percentage? Does your #2 have the 2nd highest percentage?

What do you need less of? Take out some of that cargo. What do you need more of? Add some of that cargo. Try to rearrange the cargo so that there is no space left

open.Task 2

Medical Investigation What are the symptoms of the patient? Look at the data cards that describe

medical emergencies. Which description fits this emergency?

Task 2

Concluding Task 2 Entire team reports to class: Ecosystem: The organisms in your designed ecosystem and the

reasons you chose them Geology: The selected mining site, the metals and minerals

available there, and the reasons you chose the site Habitat: The designed lunar station, its uses, and the reasons you

designed it the way you did

Concluding Task 2 Entire team reports to class: Engineering: Your power plant design for the lunar station and

why you chose these sources of energy Navigation: The packed cargo bay and the reasons you chose the

cargo you did Medical: The scenario, your diagnosis, your treatment decisions,

and the items from your first aid kit Finalize Moon Mission Design

Concluding the Field Trip to the Moon Discussion Questions: Discuss with your teams – then be prepared to share with the

class. How have your ideas about living and working on the Moon

changed after this activity? What problems did you and your team encounter as you

completed each task? How did you and your team solve these problems?

Do you think the lunar station you planned will be able to support a sustainable habitat for humans? Why or why not?

What kinds of careers do you think are going to be important if humans are going to return to the Moon to live?

Astronauts Who Walked on the Moon

1. NEIL ALDEN ARMSTRONG2. EDWIN "BUZZ" ALDRIN3. CHARLES "PETE" CONRAD4. ALAN L. BEAN5. ALAN SHEPARD6. EDGAR D. MITCHELL7. DAVID RANDOLPH SCOTT8. JAMES B. IRWIN9. JOHN WATTS YOUNG10. CHARLES M. DUKE JR.11. HARRISON "JACK" SCHMITT12. EUGENE A. CERNAN