DOCUMENT RESUME ED 360 164 SE 053 343 AUTHOR Winrich, Ralph A.; Samuel, Mary TITLE Primary Planets and Elementary Moons: Activities for Primary students. INSTITUTION National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, Ohio. Lewis Research Center. PUB DATE 83 NOTE 61p. AVAILABLE FROMNASA/Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH 44135. PUB TYPE Guides - Classroom Use Teaching Guides (For Teacher) (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Astronomy; Elementary School Science; Elementary School Students; Learning Activities; Primary Education; *Science Activities; *Science Instruction; Science Materials; *Solar System; Space Exploration; *Space Sciences IDENTIFIERS *Moon; Planets ABSTRACT This booklet was designed to supplement existing classroom studies on the subject of the solar systemat the primary level. Science and mathematics activities for studyingmoons, planets, and space craft are presented. (PR) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRSare the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** PRIMARY PLANETS ANDELEMENTARY MOONS U.S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) }t This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization Ongsnatond tt C Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction Quality Points of view or opinions stated in this docu- ment do not deceSSArelfe represent ofticiai OE RI positron or policy AEROSPACE EDUCATION SERVICESPROJECT NASA LEWIS RESEARCH CENTER CLEVELAND, OHIO A 2 7EST 13PY \'',,7t1ILABLE 1 1 /9/89 SOME FIGURES ON THE PLANETS AU MERCURY0.387 \EMS0.723 EARTH1.000 Wu\1.524 BS JUPITER5.203 SATURN9.523 URANUS19.164 29.987NEPTUNE PLUTO39.37 INCL.SIDEREAL 10 ECLIPTIC PERIOD 88.07°00' d 224.73°24' d defines1.000 ecl.y 1.881°51' y 11.861°18' y 29.462°09' y 84.010°46' y 164.11°47. y 17°10'247 y SURFACEMASS. GRAVITY. 0.378.055 0.81500.91 1.00 0.10740.379 2.339317.9 0.92595.2 0.84914.6 1.14017.2 .0019?.041? EQ.RADIUS RADIUS (rni) 1,5160.31 3,759.91 3,9631.00 0.5322,111 44,49211.89 37,8249.4 15,9704.03 15,3803.9 0.204?932? ME '4 DENSITY (g/cm3)176.0d 5.44 116.7d5.269 5.51724h 24h39m35s3.945 9h55m33s1.3 ; 4 101114m0.704 1.2117h 16h6-7min1.66 6d9h18m?0.8? INCLINATIONROTATION(to orbit)(Sidereal) (Synodic) OF EQ. near58.6d 0° 243.0d17.5° 23h56m4s23.45° 24h37m23s25.2° 9h55m30s3.1° 26.7°same 97.9°same 28.8°same same 0 0 1 2 16 21+ 15 8 1 DiscoveredSAIDate ELUTES Discovered by: Herschel1781 LeverrierAdams1846 Tombaugh1930 Synodic-AUaSidereal-Compared - Astronomical lengthlength to Earthof 3of SolarUnit-stellar day,Equivalent day, or or average average to Earth-Sun time time for for successivedistance successive (- passages93 passages million ofmiles) ofthe same Sun, thus star overheadEarth overhead is 1 as AU would as from would bethe seen beSun. seen from from the planet.the planet. 4 PRIMARY PLANETS AND ELEMENTARY MOONS ACTIVITIES FOR PRIMARY STUDENTS THE BETTER WE UNDERSTAND THESOLAR SYSTEM THE BETTER WE UNDERSTAND OURSELVES The following material was designed to supplementyour existing classroom studies on a primary level with the subject ofour solar system. Special thanks to Sister M. Sylvia Schik, Crosier Seminary, Onamia, Minnesota. Ralph. A. Winrich Sister Mary Samuel Aerospace Education Specialist Saint Isidore School NASA/Lewis Research Center Newton, Wisconsin Cleveland, Ohio 44135 1983 Ibisis the work of the U.S. Government under Section 17 LISC 105. - 1 - CRA 7-ERS 21A:barer:u MOON 12 A:pnonsus KEY TO THE MAP OF THE MOON 23 Arno 24Arenimedes :5Anstannus 28Aristillus Anstoteles MOUNTAINS 2SArzachel A. f'ot 29 Atlas A Alpine Valley -.7 31Autolycus B Alps Mu. 32Bessel E Mu, Mu. 33Bullialdus F Apennine Mu. 14Cassuu G Carpathian Mu. 35 Cathanna H Caucasus Mu. 36Clartus K Humus Mu. vrt 37Cleornedes MJura Mu. _,C 38Cook N Pyrenees Mu. 39Copernicus R Rheita Valley 41Cyn 11 us S Riphaeus Mu. 42Delambre V Spitzbergen a. 43Endymion WStraight Range 44Eratosthenes X Straight Wall 45--Eudosus Y Taurus Mu. 46Fracastorius Z Tneriffe Mu. 47Furnenus 48 Gasscndi 49Grimaldi 51Halley 52Hercules 53Herschel 54Hevelius 53Hipparchus L UNAR PROBES 56 Julius Car= 57Kepler 2Luna 2. First to reach Moon (1959.9.13) 5&Langrenus 7Ranger 7. First close pictures (1964.7.31) 59Laruberg f --Luna 9. First soft ling (1966.2.3) 61Longomontanus It Apollo 1 I. First men on Moon (1969.7.20) 62Macrobius 1.2Apollo 12 (1969.11.19) 63Maginus 14Apollo 14 (1971.2.4) 64Manilius /6Apollo 15 (1971.7.30) 65Maskelyne iiApollo 16 (1972.4.21) 66Maurolycus 17Apollo 17 (1972.12.10 57Mersenius 58Newcomb 59Petavius 71Piccolomini 72Plato 73Plinius 74Posidonius 75Ptolemaeus 76Reuthold T7 Ross 78Scruckard 79 Sc .viler 31Sne thus 32Stevinus 33Tarunuu.s 3Theopnilus 35urtochans 36Tycho 37Wilhelm MARIA LS Laces Somniorum (Lake of Dreams) MC Mare Crisium (Sea of Cnses) MFe Mare Fecundiutts (Sea of Fertility) MFr Mare Frigons (Sea of Cold) MH Mare Hutnorum (Sea of Moisture) MI Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rams) MNe Mate Nectari-s (Sea of Nectar) MNuMare Nubium (Sea of Clouds) MS Mare Serenitatis (Sea of Settniry) MT Mare Tranquilliuus (Sea of Tranquillity) M V Mare Vapors= (Sea of Vapors) CP Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms) SA Sinus Aestuum (Seething Bay) SI Sinus Iridum (Bay of Rainbows) SM Sinus Meciii (Central Bay) SR Sinus Robs (Bay of Dew) 6 BEST COPY AVAILABLE CHILDTALK We all know that children sometimes say the things, and sometimes we realize we are listening to ourselves in their words. The following exercise is along those lines. Directions: Age level--K, 1 Have the students define the following terms. I Record your answers. Post. TERMS: Space Moon Astronaut Pluto The sun QUESTIONS: How do you build a rocket? How does a rocket work? What should you take with you for a week in space travel? What are stars? - 2 - SOLAR FAMEY SCALES The following numbers represent the average distance in miles from the earth to the various members of the solar system. Sun 93,000,000 Jupiter 400,000,000 Mercury 57,000,000 Saturn 800,000,000 Venus 26,000,000 Uranus 1,680,000,000 Moon 230,000 Neptune 2,698,000,000 Mars 48,000,000 Pluto 2,670,000,000 (in1986) At an average speed of walking at 5 MPH, how long would it take to reach the following objects? Watch your units. Convert the days into years whenever possible. Moon Mars Venus Let's increase our speed to 55 MPH. How long would it take to drive to: Moon Mars Sun Venus If we could take a jet plane at 500 MPH, how long would it take to reach the following objects? Watch your units. Convert the number of days into years whenever possible. Moon Mars Mercury Venus Jupiter Saturn Uranus If we could reach these objects, how long would a radio message take to reach earth? Venus Mars Uranus Pluto Jupiter Mercury 8 Saturn Neptune LNAR ODDS AND ENDS When was the last time you looked at the moon? Perhaps it was during its so-called "full" phase. Pretty bright, wasn't it? Not really. We are fooled? Our moon has an albedo of .07. Albedo is a term used to reflect (no pun), that is, toexpress how much light is reflected by an object. A mirror, if perfect (none are), would reflect all the light hitting it and would havean albedo of 1.00. A true black surface would reflectnone and have an albedo of .000,000. So our moon reflects about as much lightas county trunk road A (as in asphalt), which makes it one of the poorest reflectors inthe Solar System. How about a sky full of moons? First of all, there would be lots of spaces so we will have to chop them a bit to stackup. It would take more than 100,000 of our moons to fill the sky.And if we did, would they provide as much light as the sun?Not quite -- all of these moons would give you one-quarter the light of the noondaysun. A full Earth is 50 times brighter thana full moon. But this fact is only relevant to people living on tnemoon (Selenites), or to people just visiting there. H.G. Wells called people who live on the moon "Selenites". Speaking of living on the moon, from there themoon, too, goes through phases. But unlike the Earth it doesn't rise and set. It goes through its phases suspended in place in the black sky ofspace. This fact made it very easy for the Apollo astronauts to talkto people on Earth. For years, navigation on the Earth was made possible bylocating the North Star. However, given enough time, this star changes. The ancient Egyptians had a different star to look at.This is because the Earth has a slow wabble to its movement throughspace. The complete cycle of this wabble takes some 26,000years and this movement is referred to as "precession". Every 26,000 years you get the same star. The moon, too, has a precession, but the completecycle takes only 181 years. Navigation on the moon for future Selenites will be interesting. There is the problem of precession, and the fact that themoon has no magnetic field, so a compass will not be ofany use. The total mass of the moon is 1/83 that of the Earth. Your weight on the moon is therefore less than on Earth. The mathematics are not simple, but the fact is that on themoon, you weigh 1/6th of what you do on Earth. 4 LUNAR ODDS AND ENDS (continued) Ever wonder how long it takes to go from one full moon to the next? Roughly 29 days, or 29.53059, to be exact.