What's New at NASA's Space Place Website
The Space Place isn't just a great place to find material for formal school lessons, it also has exciting hands-on activities and fun interactive Web games for after school, too. Check out the Do and Play menus and start planning your after school activities today.
What's New? Space Volcanoes
Did you know that there are volcanoes all around our solar system? From the dormant volcanoes of Mars to the mysteriously active cryovolcanoes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, there’s a whole lot of cool volcanism in our solar system. Space Place has a new “Space Volcano Explorer” that lets students and teachers alike navigate through the solar system to find images and descriptions of some of the coolest volcanic features around. Check it out at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/
Spotlight on Solar Fun
The sun is vitally important for literally every aspect of life, yet many students and educators know very little about how it actually works. Space Place’s newest Web game, “Solar Tricktionary,” aims to fix that in characteristically silly fashion. In this game, the student is given a term to define and four possible answers. Three of the answers are hilariously incorrect. Obviously solar wind is not “what happens when the sun eats too many beans,” but at least students will be entertained as well as educated as they follow a chain of incorrect answers to the correct one. http://spaceplace.nasa.
Spotlight on Comets
With Comet ISON fast approaching its brightest stage in our night sky in late November, now’s a great opportunity to teach a little something about why scientists care about comets in the first place. One big reason is that the water in our oceans may have come from the ice that makes comets. Space Place’s article “Thirsty? Have a Comet!” explains why scientists think this could be the case and how incredibly precise telescopes can actually identify subtle chemical clues to figure out where these ocean-forming comets could have come from. http://spaceplace.nasa.
For Out of School Time
Figure out what’s inside a closed box by creating a handmade topographic map of its contents. This clever activity is a fun way to keep students entertained and educated outside of the classroom. Have your students challenge each other to figure out what each of them put inside their boxes. As they get more and more invested, they will become intimately familiar with how topographic maps work. Use an important lesson that feels like a fun game. Take a look:http://spaceplace.nasa.
Special Days
Nov. 28, 2013: Thanksgiving DayDid the pilgrims on the Mayflower navigate by the stars? With our starfinders, they could have. http://spaceplace.nasa.
Nov. 28, 2013: Comet ISON makes closet approach to the sun.
What’s inside a comet anyway? http://spaceplace.
Dec. 4, 1973: Pioneer 10 flew past Jupiter.
Play “JunoQuest,” a game about a new mission to Jupiter. http://spaceplace.
Dec. 14, 2013: Geminids meteor shower at maximum early this morning.http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/
Dec. 25, 2013: Christmas DayIf you get an iPad or iPhone for Christmas, we have some more gifts for you. http://spaceplace.nasa.
