When the Space Race began in the 1960s, a generation of children dreamt of becoming an astronaut. Over 50 years later and that fascination hasn’t changed. Although there won’t be field trips to outer space anytime soon, these 5 Topics will be sure to inspire your students to reach for the stars.
You’ve fallen asleep on the couch on this warm afternoon in July 1969—and then your big sister pokes you. She says, “Wake up or you’ll miss it!” You sit up and look at the TV screen as an astronaut in a spacesuit steps onto some rocky ground. “That’s one small step for a man,” he says, “one giant leap for mankind.”
Would You Like to Be an Astronaut?
Imagine what it would feel like to be weightless.You would float through the air, bouncing off the walls and ceiling. If you were outside, you would have to hold on to something to keep from flying into the sky. This doesn’t happen to us in everyday life, thanks to the pull of the Earth’s gravity.
The Earth and the moon are like most siblings. One is older than the other, and one is bigger than the other — yet both are made from the same material. And, like many siblings, they hang around together and affect each other. The moon is significantly smaller than the Earth, but it has a big effect on us and our planet.
What makes stars twinkle? The raging motion of the atmosphere, caused by wind and daily temperature changes. The atmosphere is the thin blanket of air and gases that surrounds Earth. We need the atmosphere for breathing, but it makes work hard for astronomers.
Out of 300 applicants, three were picked to fly the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon. Mike Collins, an Air Force pilot, passed the tough physical, mental, and mechanical tests. He was made the pilot of the spaceship. It took a lot of hard work to get ready for the flight. Collins practiced flight operations in a simulator (a model of the actual rocket). He had to know every technical detail and understand everything about the spaceship’s performance.
