Subject: Physics

Spacecraft Materials Kit

Brief description:  Pupils can use the ESA Spacecraft Materials Kit to experimentally investigate a variety of different materials. A set of five activities enables pupils to get acquainted with the properties of different materials, comparing and grouping everyday materials based on: electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, mass, magnetism, and resistance to impact. Pupils will consider which materials are best […]

Up up up! Build and launch your own rocket

Brief description: In this set of four group activities pupils build three different rockets. The first is a simple paper rocket powered by blowing into a straw, the second is a more complex paper rocket powered by squeezing a water bottle, and the third is a chemical rocket. Pupils will launch their rockets to investigate […]

Extracting Water from Lunar Soil – Learning about filtration and distillation

Brief description: In this resource, students will learn about changes of state of matter using water on the Moon as an example. They will interpret data from a pressure vs. temperature graph for water to enable a discussion about how changes of state are different on the Moon compared to what we are used to […]

Power from Water – How to produce oxygen and hydrogen on the Moon

Brief description: In this set of three activities, students will learn about electrochemistry. In the first activity, they will build a voltaic pile – a simple battery. This invention marked the beginning of electrochemistry. Students will then study electrolysis. Electrolysis uses electric current to split water into its components: hydrogen and oxygen. These products can […]

Landing on the moon – Planning and designing a lunar lander

Brief description: 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 […]

3… 2…1… Lift off! – Building your own paper rocket

Brief description: In this set of 3 activities, students will design and build their own paper rockets and launch them. They will learn what it takes in order for a rocket to be stable and they will calculate the rocket’s trajectory and velocity. They will learn about the velocity required to leave Earth in a […]

Power from Sunlight – Powering space exploration with solar energy

Brief description: In this set of activities, students will learn about two concepts that influence solar panel design for space missions: the inverse square law and the angle of incidence. Students will perform two simple investigations using a photovoltaic cell (solar cell) and a light source. First, they will measure how the power produced by […]

Moon Rover – Building a solar powered rover

Brief description: In this activity, students will compare the advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy sources and non-renewable energy sources and study simple electrical circuits. Using the Moon as context, students will build a small motor and a solar cell. They will also identify the main features their rover must have in order to go […]