National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA eClipsTM Educator Guide NASA LAUNCHPAD: Satellite Orbits Educational Product Educators & Students Grades 9-10 EG-2010-06-009-LaRC www.nasa.gov eClips SATELLITE ORBITS Grade Level: National Standards: 9-10 National Science Education Standards (NSES) Subjects: Earth and Space Science Earth and Space Science, Structure of the Earth system Algebra, Geometry Physical Science Motion and forces Teacher Preparation Time: Science and Technology 30 minutes Understanding about science and technology Lesson Duration: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Two 55-minute class (NCTM) meetings Measurement Time Management: Understand measurable attributes of objects Class time can be reduced and the units, systems, and processes of if some work is completed measurement at home. Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements Representation Create and use representations to organize, record and communicate guide mathematical ideas Geometry Specify locations and describe spatial relationships using coordinate geometry and other representational systems Use visualization, spatial reasoning, and geometric modeling to solve problems International Society for Technology in Education: National Educational Technology Standards (ISTE/NETS) Creativity and Innovation Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes educator NASA eClips™ 1 NASA’S LAUNCHPAD: SATELLITE ORBITS Lesson Overview: Materials List Students first learn about the purpose, function, and orbits of satellites. Then, they plot positional data of EXPLORE several satellites to investigate different satellite orbits. Per student Students use a globe and scaling to visualize the orbit • Student Guide and altitude of the International Space Station. Using • protractor real-time data, students record, plot, and analyze • straight edge • colored pencils positional information of different satellites to categorize the satellites’ orbits. This lesson follows the 5E model Per group of 2 or 3 of learning. • globe Note: inflatable globes may be used Icons flag five areas of interest or opportunities for teachers. Per class TECHNOLOGY highlights opportunities to use • enlarged diagram from page 5 of the Student technology to enhance the lesson. Guide MODIFICATION denotes opportunities to differentiate the lesson. EXPLAIN RESOURCES relates this lesson to other NASA Per group of 2 or 3 educator resources that may supplement or extend • globe (inflatable globes the lesson. may be used) • rubber band large enough CONNECTIONS identifies opportunities to relate to stretch around the globe the lesson to historical references and other topics or • ruler disciplines. • meter stick CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING suggests quick, • protractor formative assessment opportunities. • piece of yarn long enough to wrap around the Essential Questions equator on the globe • scotch tape • Why don’t all satellites fly in the same orbit? • How does a satellite arrive in an orbit and stay there? EXTEND • What drives scientific and technological advancement? • computers with Internet access guide Instructional Objectives • class world map Students will • learn about the purpose, function, and orbits of satellites through readings and a video segment; • describe at least four different shapes and types of satellite orbits and the purpose of each; • plot data and become proficient in measuring angles using a protractor; • use a globe and scaling to investigate the orbit and altitude of the International Space Station; and educator NASA eClips™ 2 NASA’S LAUNCHPAD: SATELLITE ORBITS 5E Inquiry Lesson Development ENGAGE (15 minutes) 1. Have the class complete a KHWL chart to organize what your students KNOW, HOW they know this information, and what they WANT TO KNOW about satellite orbits. Use these questions can help guide the discussion: a. What do you KNOW about satellite orbits? (Answers will vary. Students may suggest ideas that are incorrect. Do not correct these ideas at this time. You will come back to this KHWL chart at the end of the lesson to correct any misconcep- tions and add more facts. One general student misconception is that an object in orbit needs thrust to maintain its orbit. This is incorrect. Once an object is in orbit it keeps going.) b. Ask students to explain HOW they have learned the information stated about satellite orbits. (Answers will vary. This is the time to help students consider the validity of their sources for information.) c. What do you WANT TO KNOW about satellite orbits? (Answers will vary. Encourage students to seek answers to their questions beyond this lesson.) (MODIFICATION) You may choose to have students complete the KHWL chart individually in a science notebook before sharing their thoughts with the class. EXPLORE (25 minutes) 1. Prior to class, enlarge and post the drawing from page 4 of the Student Guide. 2. Divide the class into groups of two or three. Distribute the necessary materials for the Explore activity to each group. 3. Use a globe to demonstrate how a polar projection is generated. a. Have students place a globe on a table with the North Pole at the top. b. Direct them to look down on the globe, placing their eye directly above the North Pole at a distance so they can see the entire globe. c. Tell them that this view of a globe, when reproduced on a flat piece of paper, is guide called a polar projection because it is a view of Earth from a pole, in this case the North Pole. Tell them that polar projections can be generated from either the North or South Pole. 4. Demonstrate how to use the protractor to plot the satellites’ location. Students align the 0° and 180° marks on the protractor with the Prime meridian and International Date Line. The circular hole or mark in the protractor that identifies the vertex of the angle and should be aligned with the North Pole. Point out to students that for the Eastern Hemisphere they will need to use the reverse scale to correctly plot the satellite’s location. If the protractor is too small to reach the outer circle, demonstrate how to use a straight edge with the protractor to mark locations. educator NASA eClips™ 3 NASA’S LAUNCHPAD: SATELLITE ORBITS 5. Assign each group four of the TDRS satellites below and have them plot each satellite’s location on the drawing on page 4 of the Student Guide. a. TDRS-1 49.0°W (black) b. TDRS-3 275.0°W or 85°E (dark blue) c. TDRS-4 41.0˚W (light blue) d. TDRS-5 174.0˚W (purple) e. TDRS-6 47.0˚W (green) f. TDRS-7 150.0˚W (yellow) g. TDRS-8 171.5˚W (orange) h. TDRS-9 170.0˚W (red) i. TDRS-10 150.7˚W (brown) (TECHNOLOGY) Students can create their own diagram using geometry software. (CONNECTIONS) NASA Space Communication and Navigation has developed an interactive demonstration that will allow you to show students how satellites relay information and communications. This interactive demonstration is available at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/3d_resources/spacecomm.html. Note: This software must be downloaded and installed on a local computer. A detailed description of each screen in the program can be found at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/3d_resources/spacecomm_508.html. (CONNECTIONS) As noted in the Student Guide, the diagram is not to scale. Challenge students to calculate the diameter of the circle representing the orbit if drawn to scale. Diameter of Earth in diagram – 5.70 cm Actual diameter of Earth – 12,740 km Distance from Earth to satellite orbit – 35,800 km guide 5.70 cm = x cm 12,740 km 38,500 km x = 17.2 cm This represents the distance the orbit must be from the surface of earth in the diagram. Diameter of orbit = (17.2 x2) + 5.70 = 40.1 cm or 15.8 inches 6. Have each group mark their satellites’ locations on the enlarged diagram in the color indicated. 7. (CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING) Lead a class discussion around the data displayed in the diagram. a. What pattern do you notice about the satellite locations in the diagram? (All but one of the satellites are in the Western Hemisphere.) educator NASA eClips™ 4 NASA’S LAUNCHPAD: SATELLITE ORBITS b. Early TDRSS satellites were located in such a way that they were visible only from the White Sands ground terminal. This created a “zone of communications exclusion” over the Indian Ocean. What caused this “zone of communications exclusion?” (Radio waves travel in straight lines, so the satellite must maintain a line of sight with the ground station to communicate with it. White Sands is in the Western Hemisphere and the Indian Ocean is in the Eastern Hemisphere. A satellite that has a line of sight to White Sands cannot “see” the Indian Ocean.) c. Which satellite was relocated over the Indian Ocean? Which ground station does it communicate with? How do you know? (TDRS-3 is the only satellite in the Eastern Hemisphere. It communicates with the Guam Remote Ground Terminal.) EXPLAIN (25 minutes) In the EXPLAIN activity, students study the orbit of the ISS. 1. Divide students into teams of three. Provide each group with the necessary materials. 2. Have students complete Part 1 of the activity and answer the questions in the Student Guide on pages 6 and 7. 3. (CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING) Have students share and explain their answers to the class. 4. Have students complete steps 1 and 2 of Part 2 on pages 7 and 8 of the Student Guide. (MODIFICATION) If individual student computers are not available, project the animation using an LCD projector. If no internet access is available, use figure 1 to explain the relationship between velocity and orbit. guide Figure 1. The relationship between velocity and orbit. Image credit: Windows to the Universe, http://www.windows.ucar.edu educator NASA eClips™ 5 NASA’S LAUNCHPAD: SATELLITE ORBITS 5. (TECHNOLOGY) Show the NASA eClipsTM video segment “Real World: Keeping the International Space Station in Orbit (5:38)” at http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/ nasaeclips/search.html?terms=”Station%20in%20Orbit”&category=0100 or http://www.youtube.com/user/ NASAeClips#p/c/887C1C3BAAD53F17/0/NpHOlmNtFTQ (MODIFICATION ICON) The video may be streamed from either web site.