Students build and decorate their own spectrographs using simple materials and holographic diffraction gratings. After building the spectrographs, they observe the spectra of different light sources as a homework activity.

Students will learn the basic principle of photosynthesis and how light intensity diminishes as a function of distance from the light source.

Students will find and calculate the angle that light is transmitted through a holographic diffraction grating using trigonometry. After finding this angle, the students will build their own spectrographs in groups and research and design a ground or space-based mission using their creation. After the project is complete, student groups will present to the class on their trials, tribulations, and findings during this process.

Students will find and calculate the angle that light is transmitted through a holographic diffraction grating using trigonometry. After finding this angle, the students will build their own spectrographs in groups and research and design a ground or space-based mission using their creation. After the project is complete, student groups will present to the class on their trials, tribulations, and findings during this process.

Students will build an open spectrograph to calculate the angle the light is transmitted through a holographic diffraction grating. After finding the desired angles, the students will design their own spectrograph using the information learned.

Students practice using the equation distance = rate x time using trajectory data from the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission.

Students determine what some of Earth, Venus, and Mars"™ atmosphere is composed of and then mathematically compare the amount of the greenhouse gas, CO2, on the planets Venus, Earth, and Mars in order to determine which has the most. Students brainstorm to figure out what things, along with greenhouse gases, can affect a planet"™s temperature.

Students are introduced to different ways of displaying visual spectra, including colored "barcode" spectra, like those produced by a diffraction grating, and line plots displaying intensity versus color, or wavelength. Students learn that a diffraction grating acts like a prism, bending lights into its component colors.

Students will design their own spacecraft to investigate how different atmospheric densities will affect the speed of descent through the atmosphere (modeled using glycerol). Students will drop their spacecraft models down through the "atmosphere" and time how long it takes to land on the surface.

Students imagine they are Titanian scientists planning a mission to search for life on planet Earth. Students research the instruments carried aboard Cassini-Huygens and then work as a group to determine what questions the Titanian scientists would want their mission to answer.

Students learn the relative sizes and order of the planets while making a scale model of the solar system using common food items. They will calculate weights and/or gravity on planetary surfaces. They will calculate the densities of planets and learn how density relates to a planet's composition.

Students explore the interaction of lunar orbital period, planetary rotation period, and rotational axis to map the phases of Pluto's moon, Charon.

Students use an interactive to learn about Mars past and present before exploring the pressure and greenhouse strength needed for Mars to have a watery surface as it had in the past.

Students use an interactive to create a planet using a computer game and change features of the planet to increase or decrease the planet's temperature. Students will explore some of the same principles scientists use to determine how likely it is for a planet to maintain flowing water.

Each student or small group of students represents a planet in order to illustrate the spacing of the planets. The Planetary Data Table at the beginning of these activities lists the distance of each planet from the Sun (in astronomical units). By translating these numbers into paces, the students can pace off the distances to the planets.

Students observe how light from a flashlight scatters off baby powder and ice cubes to simulate how sunlight interacts with Saturn's rings.

Students compare the speed of the Galileo spacecraft to more familiar speeds (walking, driving, etc.) and graph their results.

Students use the data they have collected from the "Using a Fancy Spectrograph" lesson and make comparisons between light sources and then make conjectures about the composition of a mystery light source.

Students use a spectrograph to examine various light sources and make conjectures about composition.

Students use a spectrograph to examine various light sources and make conjectures about composition.