Astronaut or Satellite?

This activity introduces the idea of remote sensing and some of the difficulties of obtaining images from orbit by asking students to match photographs taken from the ground with early astronaut photographs.

Viva Las Vegas

This activity shows how Earth observation can be used to study human geography by comparing the satellite images of Las Vegas over the last few decades. Linking to measurement of irregular areas and addition and multiplication of fractions, it asks children to measure the area of Las Vegas at three separate times...

Seeing Temperatures

This activity allows students to investigate how images are produced from data streams by using first a spreadsheet and then an image-processing program. They then go on to see how the usefulness of such a monochromatic image may be enhanced by using lookup tables and calibration. The materials used focus on the...

Where Would You Photograph? (14-16)

In this activity students take on the role of Earth observation scientists submitting a request for an image they would like for their research. This gives them the opportunity to consider the possibilities of pictures taken from orbit (and the limitations) and to write scientifically for a specific audience. It...

What Can We See From Space?

This short activity introduces students to the ideas of the footprint and resolution of an image, asking them to choose and use appropriate methods to calculate how these quantities would change as they moved a camera to a series of vantage points above the surface of the Earth

Building Images

In this activity, students create colour images from satellite data. This allows them to study how different surfaces reflect different wavelengths of light, how coloured images are created using an RGB model, and how band combinations can be chosen to examine a particular landscape effectively.

Making Shadow Puppets

In this cross curricular activity, children learn about light and shadows by creating shadow puppets which tell the story of a myth or legend. Teacher’s notes provide a step by step guide to creating the shadow puppets, showing how to create moving parts; it also shows how to set up a shadow theatre to tell the...

Did Man Really Walk on the Moon?

This Triple Crossed activity from the Centre for Science Education and supported by the Astra Zeneca Teaching Trust starts with a quiz asking students to answer questions about the history of space exploration.

They are then asked to consider the evidence provided and use it to establish an argument for...

Mission X: train like an astronaut *suitable for home teaching*

Mission X is supported by the UK Space Agency, ESA and NASA. It is a free education programme developed by NASA scientists and fitness professional working with astronaut and space agencies across the world. Mission X uses the excitement of space exploration to inspire...

Faye Cashman: Spacecraft Engineer

Faye Cashman is a Systems Engineer at Astrium in Portsmouth. In this video, Faye describes her work with all sorts of spacecraft systems such as communication satellites and the Mars Rover. She is currently working on a new telescope which will, in time, replace the Hubble telescope and uses infrared to see...