DOCUMENT RESUME ED 040 047 SE 008 196 !,,ITHOR Thompson, Malcolm TTI,Lr Space Resources for Teachers,Space Science, A Guide Outlining Understandings, FundamentalConcepts, and Activities. INSTITUTION Columbia Univ., New York,N.Y.; National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NewYork, N. Y. Goddard Inst. for Space Studies. PUB DATE 69 NOTE 145p. AVAILABLE FROM Superintendent of Documents,U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,D.C. 20402 (0-358-779, $2.00) 'DRS PRICE EDRS Price MF -$0.75 HC Not Availablefrom EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Aerospace Technology, AnnotatedBibliographies, *Astronomy, *College Science,*Instructional Materials, Physical Sciences,Science Activities, *Secondary School Science, TeachingGuides ABSTRACT This instructional andresource guide is designedso that it may be used in thesecondary school or in the firsttwo years of college to presenta series of units in space science,or to supplement existing science andmathematics courses. The guide consists of six units:(1) mea.surement, distance, andsize in astronomy,(2) atoms, spectra, andstars,(3) atomic nuclei and stars,(4) the solar system, (5) the originand evaluation of life, and (6) motion, rockets and gravity.Each unit is divided into the following parts: (a) a list of understandings thata student should have after completing study ofthe unit, (b) a topical outline of the material in the unit, withexpositions, tables, demonstrations,and activities inserted when appropriate,(0 a list of sample questions, (d) problems and projects forfurther exploration,(e) audiovisual aids, (f) an annotated teacher bibliography and (g) an annotated student bibliography. Each of theunits is basically self-contained. However, in general they require additionalknowledge which may be obtained by a study of the earlierunits, from the context of another course, or by a study of the material listedin the bibliographies. The material in the guidecovers a range of difficulty levels, from grade nine through the firsttwo years of college. (LC) 1 U S DEPARTMENT Of HEALTH IDUCITiON & WELFARE Offal OT EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HIS RUN REPRODUCED EXACTLYIS RECIIIED 'ROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS PAD DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICECF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY I I I I I; I I1. .r; 1 I ; $ ,! F. : 1 . -, r- c MEE ESOE)R URC IFOR TEADIERS N VD SCIENCEj a slide outlining understandings. lundenmudal comegts. and activities Developed at Columbia University under the auspices of the Office of the Director of the Summer Session, in cooperation with the Goddard Institute for Space Studies NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION Washington, D.C. 1969 1 i 1 ilffeaciz This guide was prepared from threesuccessive presentations ofa course in introductory space science offered by the ColumbiaUniver- sity Summer Session, under the directionof Professor William A. Owens, to talented public school studentsin New York City. Thecourse was offered to selected 11th and 12th graders in thesummer of 1965 and to 7th, 8th, and 9th graders in1966 and 1967. The coursewas also taught to one honor class andto two average ninth-grade classes at Rye High School, Rye, N.Y., in the1966-1967 school year. Some of the material also has been used inundergraduate classes of the Columbia University Summer Session. Finally, the materialwas presented to a group of 20 New York State teachers, in a 6-week graduatecourse at Columbia University in the summer of 1967, under the sponsorship of the New YorkState De- partment of Education and Columbia University.The teachers were particularly helpful in developing bibliographicand demonstration material. With thisnew material and suggestions made by the class, Malcolm Thompson, the instructor,prepared this updated and im- proved draft. The following individuals contributedto the project: Dr. Robert Jastrow, Director,Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NASA ; and Adjunct Professor of Geophysics,Columbia University Dr. William Hoffman, physicist, GoddardInstitute for Space Stud- ies, NASA Dr. Patrick Thaddeus, physicist, GoddardInstitute for Space Stud- ies, NASA; and Adjunct AssistantProfessor of Physics, Columbia University Dr. Jay Erickson, Associate Professorof Natural Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University 3 Mr. Malcolm Thompson,science teacher, Rye High School, Rye, N.Y. Mr. James Witt, science teacher,Lakeland High School, Shrub Oak, N.Y. Mr. Colton Tullen, instructor,Science Education Department, Teachers College, Columbia University Miss Judith Matejka, editor Dr. William A. Owens, Director of theSummer Session, Columbia University, Project Coordinator Mr. Myrl H. Ahrendt, National Aeronauticsand Space Adminis- tration, Project Officer The New York State teachers participatingin the 1f 87 Summer Ses- sion course in space science were: DonaldAshman, Michael Cascio, Elizabeth Clavel, Paul Fillenbaum, PasqualeGazzara, Elaine Gottes- man, HowardHellman, Robert Knodt, Stanley Krinsky, RoseKucz- ma, BarryLiebaum, Reginald Matthews, John Miletich,Shirley Nunes, Joseph Sferrazza, Harry Singer,Andrew Turehinsky, Sonya Vikers, Edwina Walsh, and Geraldync Whit'. 4 lintoductIon A. SPACE SCIENCE, A UNIFIED PRESENTATION OF THENATURAL SCIENCES Space science is concerned with basic problemsin science that can be studied with the aid of experiments carried outin space in a manner that is neither possible nor feasible by meansof ground-based tech- niques. The techniques and theoretical concepts of spacescience are drawn primarily from physics, astronomy, the Earthsciences, and biology, but the problems which make up its substance areinterdis- ciplinary in character. The major problems of spacescience center around developing an understanding of the origin andevolution of the universe, the formation of stars and planets,the origin of the solar system, the structure of the Earth as aplanet, the atmospheres of the Earth and other planets, and the conditions in thehistory of the Earth and its atmosphere that relate to the origin of life onthe Earth and the probability of extraterrestrial life. The accompanying guide cuts across the barriersthat separate a num- ber of disciplines included in the modernorganization of science. Al- though each discipline is an independent streamof research to the scientist working in the field, all illuminate a numberof central prob- lems.These problems are the identification of thebasic f rces that govern natural events; the roleplayed by these forces in controlling the large-scale structure of the universe and its evolutionin time; the inter- play of forces involved in the formation of starsand galaxies; the origin of planets, such as the Earth, around the stars;the evolution of planets and their atmospheres; and the origin oflife. The following chronology indicates thesuccession of developments by which boundaries of the known worldhave been pushed back by scientific efforts in the last three centuries. Successively,since the 15th century, man has been forced to accommodatehimself to the notion that the Earth is one of several similarplanets circling around the Sun; that the Sun is one of many similar starsin the sky; that the Sun 5 is an average member of a family of 100 billion stars clustered in the Milky Way galaxy; and that, as was discovered about 40 years ago, this huge galaxy is only one of a large number of galaxies scattered uniformly through all the regions of space within range of telescopes. The enlargement of man's horizons in space and time, and the descrip- tion of the physical events and forces which are believed to have led to the formation of the Earth and to the development of life onit; are fundamental intellectual contributions that science has made to the Western Worldcontributions which will be of the greatest interest to the general student. B. ORGANIZATION OF THE GUIDE The guide consists of the following six units: I. Measurement, Distance, and Size in Astronomy II. Atoms, Spectra, and Stars III. Atomic Nuclei and Stars IV. The Solar System V. The Origin and Evolution of Life VI. Motion, Rockets, and Gravity Each unit is divided into the following parts : a. A list of the understandings that a student should have after completing study of the unit b. A topical outline of the material in the unit, with expositions, tables, demonstrations, and activities inserted where appropriate c. A list of sample questions d. Problems and projects for further exploration e. Audiovisual aids f. An annotated teacher bibliography g. An annotated student bibliography C. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE USE OF THE GUIDE The guide has been designed so that it may be used in the secondary school or in the first 2 years of college to present a series of units in space science, or to supplement standard science and mathematic. courses. TO PRESENT A Each of the units is basically self-contained. However, in general they SERIES OF UNITS require additional knowledge which may be obtained by a study of the IN SPACE SCIENCE earlier units, from the context of another course, or by a study of the material listed in the bibliographies. When a teacb_ci uses the units as the basis for a unified presentation of space science, the sub- ject unfolds in a logical sequence through the six units. The material in the guide covers a range of difficulty levels. Much of the guide has been used successfully with ninth-grade students. On the other hand, most of the units, when treated in depth, will be challenging tostudents in the 11th and 12th grades, and would be suitable for including in beginning science courses in the