Satellites- Understanding How They Work! MS
Topic outline
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Satellites- Understanding How They Work !
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Written By: Frances Dellutri, Middle School/Intermediate Level EIS Education Team, April 2016
EIS Topic: Atmosphere, Centripetal Force, Computers, Mathematics, Micro-gravity, Free-fall, Orbital Mechanics, Physics, Satellites, Spacecraft, Weightlessness
Grade (Age) Level: Grades 5-8 (Ages 10-13)
Key Topics Associated with Standards: Collecting, Analyzing and Interpreting Data; Gravitational Interactions; Forces and Motion, Relationship between Energy and Forces
This project will acquaint you and students with what satellites are, the forces that act on satellites, types of orbits satellites can be found circling Earth, and how to track satellites from the ground.The NSS Enterprise orbiter will be tracked upon launch in 2020 carrying 100+ student experiments! Learn about tracking satellites by using the Trek-A-Sat Activity.
Index:
1. What do you know about gravity?
2. Introduction to forces and gravitational pull here on Earth!
3. Understanding Centripetal Force
4. What is Weightlessness all about, anyway!
5. Satellites
6. Understanding satellite orbits.
7. Exit slip - Let's find out what you learned.-
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What is a satellite?
Satellites are a common occurrence in today's world and are very important for humankind. A satellite is defined as anything that has been captured by the gravity of a larger object, and is in orbit around that object (the moon is a satellite of Earth). A satellite can be as small as a grain of sand or as big as the moon and these would be called natural satellites.
You may be familiar with man-made satellites. These items have been launched into orbit for various purposes which range from providing a living area for astronauts, communications, a study of our oceans/land/atmosphere, and military surveillance/spy satellites.In the previous projects you have explored the forces that contribute to centripetal force which are the forces satellites encounter. Below are some models of important satellites. The NEAR Schoemaker satellite traveled to the NEO (Near Earth Asteroid) Eros to study it, landed on it and is there today. Have fun making a model of the New Horizons satellite which visited Pluto in July, 2015 and is headed out into the Kuiper Belt now! Neither NEAR or New Horizons are not visible to the naked eye. The template and instructions for the model follow. There is also a crossword puzzle about the different types of satellites that can now be found orbiting Earth.
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