The Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission is a joint ESA/NASA mission that studies the Sun. Like Earth, SOHO follows an orbit around the Sun, studying its interior, surface, atmosphere and solar wind. SOHO sends continuous images of its observations back to Earth which scientists can use study to understand the nature of the Sun and predict how its activity will affect Earth and its environment.
In this activity, students are introduced to the ESA/NASA joint mission, SOHO and the instruments on board it.
They will look into SOHO’s orbit and its position in the Solar System relative to the Sun and Earth. They perform mathematical calculations and apply scientific concepts within their curriculum to this real-life context. Students are able to develop their understanding of concepts such as speed and distance calculations and gravitational potential energy.
Age Range: Prep. Time: 0 Lesson Time: 1 hour Cost per activity: Low (print costs) Includes the use of: Worksheets
In this activity, students will use a combination of NAAP labs and interactive applications to explore blackbody radiation and spectral classification, including use of a Hertzsprung-Russel diagrams and graphs. Students will experiment with the applications to find answers to questions and complete tables.
Age Range: 16-17 Prep. Time: 0 minutes Lesson Time: 40 minutes – 1 hour Cost per activity: Low (printing costs) Includes the use of: Internet Access, calculator
This set of resources will guide you through the skills required to use Faulkes Telescope.
Light Curve Photometry
This activity will teach you how to perform photometry using the free image processing software, AstroImageJ.
AstroImageJ is an image processing software which is used to analyse FITS file images. These are the files that are produced by the Faulkes Telescope that you will be using in your investigation.
If you do not already have it on your computer, you can download it from the link below: http://www.astro.louisville.edu/software/astroimagej/installation_packages/
This worksheet describes how to add error bars to your light curves to investigate how much you can trust the trends you might see. When you have plotted simple graphs, you will present your results on graphs to display the error bars.
This worksheet describes how to add error bars to your photometry graphs to investigate how much you can trust the trends you might see. When you have plotted simple graphs, you will present your results on graphs to display the error bars.
Barren, cold and uninhabitable – will mankind be able to make a home out of the Red Planet?
Age Range: 15 years + Prep. Time: 0 mins Lesson Time: N/A Cost per activity: N/A Includes the use of: PDF Reader or colour printing
Author: Gemma Lavender
This 9-page feature from All About Space magazine investigates the fate befallen the unfortunate astronaut in Ridley Scott’s film The Martian, based on the novel by Andy Weir and asks, could we survive on Mars?
Now in orbit around the Red Planet, ExoMars provides our best bet for finding signs of life on Mars so far.
Age Range: 15 years + Prep. Time: 0 mins Lesson Time: N/A Cost per activity: N/A Includes the use of: PDF Reader or colour printing
Author: Jonathan O’Callaghan
This 9-page feature from All About Space magazine explores the work of the ExoMars, the a two-part mission that is going to search for life on Mars like never before.
It’s the battle of the billionaires: two of the private space industry’s most exciting companies – SpaceX and Virgin Galactic – go head-to-head and they’re proving to be fiercely competitive.
Age Range: 13 years + Prep. Time: 0 mins Lesson Time: N/A Cost per activity: N/A Includes the use of: PDF Reader or colour printing
This 9-page feature from All About Space magazine explores two of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world; Elon Musk and Richard Branson and their mission to be the first to take over Mars.
Over a decade ago, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) arrived at the Red Planet – take a look at its biggest discoveries.
Age Range: 15 years + Prep. Time: 0 mins Lesson Time: N/A Cost per activity: N/A Includes the use of: PDF Reader or colour printing
Author: Giles Sparrow
This 9-page feature from All About Space magazine explores the discoveries and photographs of NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter over the ten years it has been in Mars’ orbit.
The Curiosity rover snaps a panoramic view of Mount Sharp and the environment that may have once supported life on Mars.
Age Range: 13 years + Prep. Time: 0 mins Lesson Time: N/A Cost per activity: N/A Includes the use of: PDF Reader or colour printing
Author: Ben Briggs
This 3-page feature from All About Space magazine contains two photographs taken by The Curiosity Rover on the surface of Mars, including landmarks such as Yellowknife Bay, Aeolis Mons and Wernecke. The article also includes a selfie from the rover, taken by its Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI)!
Since the early 1960s, the collective space agencies of the world have launched over 50 missions to the distant world the Romans named after their deity of war, and one of those missions – NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) – is in its 14th year of ground-breaking study above Mars.
Age Range: 13 years + Prep. Time: 0 mins Lesson Time: N/A Cost per activity: N/A Includes the use of: PDF Reader or colour printing
Author: Dominic Reseigh-Lincoln
This 5-page feature from All About Space showcases the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the instrument designed to support NASA’s long-standing Mars Exploration Programme. The article details the MRO’s anatomy, which features the most powerful camera ever sent to deep space, and its journey to Mars in order to enter the planet’s orbit.
Nagin Cox is a spacecraft engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and part of the team responsible for operating the Curiosity Mars rover. All About Space caught up with the TED Talk speaker, who lives and works on Martian time.
Age Range: 13 years + Prep. Time: 0 mins Lesson Time: N/A Cost per activity: N/A Includes the use of: PDF Reader or colour printing
Interviewer: James Horton
This 5-page feature from All About Space magazine is an interview with Nagin Cox who, in this interview with James Horton, fondly reflects on her missions to Mars.
