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LESSON SUMMARY
Mission Scenario
Applicable to all Challenger Learning Center Missions
Application to Mission Preparation
Using the Windows on Earth online resource, students will observe a variety of features found on the planet Earth. Students will compare images from the past and present (including those from the Skylab and the International Space Station) and predict what these locations would look like in the future. Students will consider a choose area on the planet that they believe should be conserved or protected and write a justification for monitoring this location from space. Students will create videos sharing their ideas for environmental conservation and planetary stewardship. Students will share their observations; comparisons and predictions in an online forum.
This activity should follow the lesson, “How do we track the space station’s location?” and “What do astronauts photograph from space?”
The following activities are
- Whole Group/Small Group activities
- Applicable to the Navigation and Science teams
Summary
In the first activity, teachers will provide a demonstration using visual cues (images from space) to show various locations that show change over time (i.e. due to urban growth or migration, deforestation, glacial recession, change of landforms due to earthquakes, volcanoes, etc.).
Students will work collaboratively to compile a list of signs of change on our planet and choose one of ten past/present comparisons from the Windows on Earth Garriott collection for further study. As they compare past and present images taken from Skylab and the International Space Station by Dr. Owen Garriott and his son Richard Garriott, students will explain what changes they see and what they predict they would see a future photo of the same location. Students will describe their observations, comparisons and predictions in a journal and share their journals in a shared online forum.
In the second activity, teachers will provide a demonstration using visual cues (images from space of areas of environmental conservation programs) to prepare students for the activity. Using Windows on Earth, students will choose their own targets of interest to identify signs of future change on our planet (i.e. mountains, forests, glaciers, cities, etc.). Students describe their target location, why they believe it is of interest for future space photography and create a justification and an action plan for conservation in that area of the world. Students create a video of their action plan to conserve and protect this particular location for future generations. Students share their findings by posting their photos, justification and video online.
Students who complete the justification and action plan may have their requests forwarded to NASA and selected entries may be considered by NASA for future astronaut photography.
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Lesson Overview
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Lesson Summary
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Objectives and Essential Questions
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How do images from space taken over time show us change on the Earth?
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What are some of the differences seen in images from the past and present, such as from the Skylab space station and from the International Space Station?
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Windows on Earth: Explore the Earth from Space
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Teaching the Lesson
