Pups in Space
The Sixth Grade of St. Anthony Grade School has attended Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama for the past twelve years. In order to prepare the students for this trip, a curriculum has been developed to teach the students about the history of space travel, current and future programs in space exploration, and the principles of microgravity and rocketry. Students will use many varied activities and resources to become familiar with these topics. These include this website, library resources, videos, and hands-on activities based on lessons provided by NASA.
I. History of Space Flight- Students will research questions about the history of space flight. Students will also watch videos about the development of rockets used in space flight and the first twenty-five years of NASA.
The following internet links can be used to research information about the space flight questions:
Fact about the International Space Station
II. Shuttle Missions- Students will each be assigned their own shuttle mission. Each student must find the name of the crew members, the name of the orbiter, launch date, landing date, and mission accomplishments. In addition, students will have questions to answer about past, present, and future shuttle missions. The answers may be found using the CD-ROM "Americans in Space", a video about the history of shuttle missions, and the following internet connections:

III. Space Flight Acronyms- Students will be given a list of acronyms for space flight that they will need to learn. These are necessary to understand much of the information about space flights. The meanings for these acronyms can be found in reference material in the classroom as well as in the following internet connection:
Glossary of Acronyms and Abbreviations
IV. Activities for Microgravity and Rocketry- Hands-on activities for the study of microgravity and rocketry will be performed by students. These activities include why astronauts need space suits, building model aircraft, and creating force to overcome gravity.

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