Training in Space

In this activity pupils will be able to discuss various ways of simulating gravity in space and the importance for maintaining a healthy body for the return to Earth. Working in teams of four, pupils should choose their favourite exercise or sport and adapt it for space. They should identify the forces required for...

What Keeps Us Stuck to the Earth?

Alice wonders why we don’t float out into space. Their thoughts lead on to the idea that gravity is an acceleration and that they may need Einstein’s ideas of space-time to explain why they are accelerating. This clip could provide a lead in to topics such as relativity, acceleration and gravitational force. 

Special Relativity

This animated clip describes Einstein’s theory of special relativity: if the speed of light is constant then time and space must be experienced differently, depending on the observer. Richard Feynman showed how this can be proved using a moving light clock compared to stationary clock. 

The Earth in Space Teachers’ Guide (Ages 5-7)

This Nuffield Primary Science Teachers’ Guide for teaching the Earth in Space topic, to students aged 5-7, is divided into three chapters:

*Chapter 1: Planning - showing how to use the resources to plan a topic and, in the second edition, more guidance on how to implement the SPACE approach

*Chapter 2...

The Sun and Stars

Produced by Teachers TV, as part of the Teaching Astronomy and Space series looks at the Sun before exploring other stars. Solar physicist Lucie Green explains her keen interest in the sun, our nearest star. Modern space telescopes now allow scientists to see it in great detail and recent solar missions have...

The prospects for life on small islands

In this set of activities children learn about the causes and potential impacts of sea-level rise while developing working scientifically. They use data from satellites which observe the Earth and collect information as the basis of evidence for this.

Activities are:

• reading a story about how...

Landing on the moon - Planning and designing a lunar landing

In this set of activities, students will plan, design, and build a landing module to secure the survival of the crew (in the form of an egg-naut) landing on the Moon. They will explore which factors should be considered when landing on the Moon, in comparison to landing on Earth. In the design of the lunar lander,...

Abbie Hutty - ExoMars Delivery Manager

Abbie is an engineer working at Airbus Defence and Space.  She is in charge of ensuring that all the parts of the ExoMars Rover come together on time and to the right specification. 

Abbie sets two challenges for students: to write an algorithm for a rover to avoid rocks on a grid and to come up with ideas...

Cluster: the UK View

Produced by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), this A4 colour brochure describes the leading role played by UK scientists and engineers at universities, observatories and research council establishments in the Cluster mission that is currently exploring the Earth's space environment. The European...

Radius and Volume of Exoplanets

This activity, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, uses data from NASA’s Kepler space probe to determine the size of an exoplanet, and provides students with an insight into the advantages and disadvantages of the transit method of exoplanet detection.