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How Far a Star. a Supplement in Space Oriented Concepts For DOCUMENT RE UME ED 054 927 SE 011 306 AUTHOR Kaben, Jerrold William TITLE How Far a Star. A Supplement in SpaceOriented Concepts for Science and MathematicsCurricula for Intermediate Grades. INSTITUTION National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C. SPONS AGENCY Office of Education (DHEW), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 69 NOTE 112p. EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$6.58 DESCRIPTORS *Aerospace Technology; *Astronomy;Instructional Materials; 4-Intermediate Grades;*Mathematics; Measurement; Resource Materials; *ScienceActivities; Scientific Principles ABSTRACT Space science-oriented conceptsand suggested activities are presented for intermediate gradeteachers of science and mathematics in a book designedtoltelp bring applications of space-oriented mathematics into the classroom.Concepts and activities are considered in these areas:methods of keeping time (historically); measurement as related to time,distance, and astronomy, including lunar photographs andmeasurement activities; communication in space, sound, and satellites;measuring the atmosphere; and measuring and interpretingthe light from stars. A glossary of space terms, an aerospacebibliography, and a subject index are included. (PR) EDO 5494 - -- - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --=11111.----.111.- -MMINE=M11! 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - HOW FAR A STAR A SUPPLEMENT IN SPACE ORIENTED CONCEPTS FOR SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS CURRICULA FOR INTERMEDIATE GRADES Prepared fr9m materials furnished by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in cooperation with. the Unitfi: States Office of Education by a Committee on Space Science Oriented Mathematics 1969 I II 11 I IIIII I I I I I I II I u 16, rly11111 r I 1, 1, ,1 1 1,1,11 111 , 11 , I I 11,1,11 p11.1111i,,111111,111 1111( 111111111111;11'1111'11117111?I'l'hill11111"11111 los1.0H1,,, 1111: ' I 11 1'111111111,Y11/ 1,1,1 1,1 11 1 , '1 '1 1111'11 1111 111 1 hi 11 11 \Ii111'11+ 111,11'111 ,111i11!, 11111i 11 1111 111111\11111.1111,1111r1L',11'illiili 11116111'1.1I11 1111111 .1,1:iiii,,!11.111111iiiii 111,1 i!1 Ili 11 V III ill 1 1 1111.11111 11'1 11111, 11 ' ii111111 ii111 h1;11 .1:1 11 11 , 11 'II 1 II 1111 V1 11111 111 , ,11111 11! 1 di1,111,11I 1 A 'kilt'1!1111/11 III 111111 Ji 1 III CONTgNTS Chapter I THE MYSTERY OF TIME 1 History of Time, Early Timekeepers,Sundial Model, Mechanical Time- keeperi, The Foucault Pendulum,Time in Space, Review ofScientific Notation, Rendezvous in Space Chapter II 17 MEASURING THE UNKNOWN - Time Standards, Need for BetterTimekeeDers, Units of Time, Limits and Errors, Earth as a Timekeeper,Rotation and Revolution, Sideral and Solar Days, The Moon, Phasesand gotions, Measuring withthe Vernier ahd Ruler, Distances in Space,Errors in Measurement, Satellite Orbits, Ranger Photographs, MoonMeaSurernents with Scale, Moon Atlas, Measurement Techniques Chapter III 67 "EMPTY" SPACE Discussion of Space, Communicationin Space, Sound, SatelliteCom- munication, Weather Satellites, Weatherover Earth Chapter IV 79 THE MEASURE OF OURATMOSIIFIERE History, Atmospheric Levels, Natureof Cases, Weather Observations, VoEume, Density, and Pressure,Measurenient of the Upper Atmos- phere, Density, Temperature, Instrumentsof 'Measurement Chapter V 97 WHAT LIGHT CAN TELLUS - Stars, Brightness and Magnitude, Measurement, Direct and Indirect, Identification of Celestial Coordinates, Spectraof Light, Wavelength, Spectra, Model Spectroscopeand Its Aiicatior Chap rer Vi 109 TO THE FUTURE People and the Space Program 111 GLOSSARY r, 121 BIBLIOGRAPHY 123 . INDEX. ... ..... .... rT.4 0 g E-1 (om04.°V" 00 n00,004"Ir4P0d0("15i°51 4,1,it(7)1;r0864541ow4P00 q5c1IO 0 'Etl(Dgir°'0 ,4 00"mt0001. o C:1.400 5,060000* ;.4 (P(',P1 '01'10QZ,-4171V45 :q.Poon. 1,."14.0 p#.top55,pco+cri 4 orL050 c) o *0:.,11W0'01W1 0 1414 i/t0o4r,Ot 06g1.1Z 0 411,1rn 't6 I. ;).045Z11020005VINYIZ, eq.A4dwW?,19.,0'rri.001g;0 %*1,Z 0,000 omoi<0 ,e+,146185 t6500:'00.0"6 ,400Z 0,140.0q.,5P41-.0;:1:4 0 r4p0,41-.000 Vp0 C404m(mOaa0 ° 14) '14nlig'0.°4°00.11W 001. (111, ,0 Clto OppP40 0(tD1144P6)00011 04.4,Mr000 r0n00* JI]rt,tb 4(D;4F4E1W5 th40.(t<i.:.. 8q2$13i4A*116;)510 ch n o a' 0 °74trlPC°7 V4(1) ;161 .400000"4040 40 5ro,. ZWN"5 P'Go 04 OCD Ln,5 (1) 011.0 f401 4414P (Pr. j Nrkit 0141^l1.1.0 110N0 lqWWW84c01 01-04 4t1.46tw 0 noz g .0w411 m40m,iieov (11 c(1°Pli oo 11". 0 00d, 04)404)-1r : 441.:r 04)(11>'ZP0 , pxio ritt f+1< 4116*.0 P PoW 404 **IunL"mZo5 P kODZO no6> C7100 . 4 rf 80"1z I 00000r°4 ?Orai..0i0 0 l'"10"24,?g&,5rt - You can usually judge the length of an inch with reasonable accuracy.But one SOME APPLICATIONS OF TIME PREDICTIONS hour of time may seem much longer than EARLY MAN MODERN MAN another. Have you heard the saying, "There isnothing more plentiful than time?" crop planting solar flares Certainly this is true when you are waiting eagerly for something pleasant to happen. flock movement launch windows But when you are enjoying yourself at a party, you would be more likely to agree the first frost satellite orbits with another proverb, "Time flies. ' So we need a way of measuring time river floods that is the same for play-time, work-time of just plain "waiting" time.Write what food animal migrations You know to be our basic methods of time measurement. Didyou ineudestop watches, rotation of Earth, the atomic clock, and star transits? ;Early measurement methods were in- exact. As our lives become more complex, we need to measure time more accurately. But an exact measure isstill one of the most perplexing problems of our space age and the search for an exact standard of time measurement continues. Early Americans recorded the duration Figure 1-4 of time in such units as moons and winters. Is it possible to imagine a NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center scientist saying an OGO (Orbiting Geophysical Observatory) satel- Read the history of Central America lite has been in orbit for "five moons?" and find another people who made very Obviously, the units of moons and winte.rs accurate predictions by using unusual meth- are not very useful today. However, they do ods (Fig. 1-5). raise a question common to all units of To the Babylonians we credit those measurementwhere does the measure be- parts of our measuring system based on gin and where does it end? Whatever unit their mystic number twelve. Perhaps this of measure we use should give the measure was because astronomers observed that of time meaning.It needs to help us to there seemed to be twelve full moons in understand the duration between "before" the course of a year.Can you list those and "after." parts .of our present measurement systems Early man, like today's space scientists, which involve twelve as a factor?For needed to know enough about the passage example, the Babylonian circle had 360 of time to make predictions so that he could give order to his life. Copy and complete dexees (12 x 30). There are 24 hours in a Figure 1-4 to list ways early man used time day (12 x 2), 60 minutes in an hour (12 x for prediction.Make a similar list for 5), 360 days in a year (12 x 30). modern man. You can see that we now As one of the first observations made by need a more accurate measurement of time man was that the seasons reoccured after a than in the past. period -of about twelve moons, the measure Beginning about 4000 B.C. the civiliza- of a year was considered to be about tions of Babylonia and Egypt flourished twelve moons.Each moon was named in the valleys of the Tigris, Euphrates, and in relationship to some event in the life Nile Rivers. Did you know that these of plants and animals or some sacred nations are credited with the invention of observance. Each month began at sundown calendars as well as the sciences of astron- of the day when the new crescent moon omy and mathematics? was seen in the sky. 4 ,,Tottitv,,rItromirrrwrovi,,,,,f.v. orior-r. woo: a result, hmar calendars (Figure I-6), needed ilateabout that 28 twelve or 29 an extra month every few years in order to 348 days which match the seasons and make time predic- , day Babylonian tions more exact. asonal year_ .A.s Certain lunar measured calendars have been -retained for use today_The calendar used in some sections of India, the Hebrew religious calendar, and the Christian method for fixing the date of Easter emplo-cs phases of the moon as a means of nieasuring tiine.Probably no one in all Babylonia, Egypt,a clock, Greece yet these or Rome people had could ever thought measure of the passage of time, appropriate to the needs of their culture. It --t A _Figure 1-6 observingWhen man the movementfirst tried to of tell our time planet, by Earth,for you it to was tell astime difficult from a clokas it whichwould had be neither hands nor face_ Lost, forever in the years be-fore history was written, are the works of the early men who watched the moving shadows cast by the sun, and used them toLet's mark examine- the passage how of you time, can (Figure make I-7meaSurements ) similar to those of the "lost"' scientists.From sunrise to sunset, mark the end of 91d Mayan manuscript a shadow cast by a utility pole, flag pole, s of Venus over a 104 fence post or other vertical, staff. Record and position of the shadow at various times during the day.
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