From Earth, a geostationary satellite looks like it is standing still since it is always above the same location. "The school has been open for 10 months, so we are still learning. But orbits can change over time. - aluminium foil Solar panels make power by turning sunlight into electricity. - toilet roll * Telecommunications, Artemis: An artist’s impression of Artemis. Billions of people around the globe watch television, surf the internet, use phones, and use maps or navigation systems. Radar can provide information about surface features by way of reflectivity, and it can also penetrate the ground to determine subsurface features such as cracks and voids. Show the video ‘What are Satellites?’//youtu.be/54MSV2B399o. - plastic cups Students will build their own model satellite to recognise the components and engineering challenges of building satellites. "Our experience also enables us to firm up on the concept of a satellite school. Building something like this, for this amount of money, simply wouldn’t have been possible even a couple of years ago. The Solar Panels need to move to be able to track the sun. Landers make observations on their landing spot and do more in-depth science at one location. * Research, Hubble space telescope: This illustration shows the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope in its high orbit, 600 kilometres above Earth. * Why is it useful to build models? NOTE: If you don’t have access to the videos, you can start the activity by discussing the topics from the background information. Let me know how you make out. This will be the receiver antennae for your satellite. - Parts of a Satellite http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Satellites/Sci-Media/Video/Parts-of-a-satellite. In order to encourage student design, do not use a fully built satellite model. Review the quality assurance worksheet with the class. Each instrument is designed, tested and assembled by different teams of engineers and scientists. Encourage students to sketch their initial design ideas in their engineering journals. NASA sends three types of robotic explorers into our solar system: satellites, landers and rovers. Make Magazine 24: Space released in Oct. 26, 2010 included the article: Making Your Own Satellites by Chris Boshuizen, who described how to "build … A geostationary satellite travels from west to east over the equator. Whoa. For example, Earth is a satellite because it orbits the Sun. Mars satellites currently employ solar power. Each mission gathers data that inspire more questions — questions scientists hope to answer using scientific instruments on board robotic explorers. Thousands of artificial satellites orbit Earth. * What can we learn from this model? Most satellites are launched into space on rockets. It keeps watch over weather on Earth. * How is it important to the society? This is because they fly above the clouds, dust and molecules in the atmosphere, which block certain wavelengths of light from reaching the ground. Materials (per satellite): Satellites come in many shapes and sizes. With satellites, TV signals and phone calls can be sent up toward a satellite and almost instantly bounced back to different locations on Earth. NASA missions collect scientific data to help scientists and engineers better understand the features and environment of Earth and other planets and objects in our solar system. Occasionally, Mars spacecraft use radioisotope thermoelectric generator power sources. This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. This enables them to collect more data quicker than instruments on the ground. My parents bought me a paper back book that had paper templates inside which you were supposed to cut out and build into a model satellite. A satellite is an object (e.g., Moon, planet or machine that orbits a planet or star). Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech, Diagram of the parts and science instruments on NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. Making a toy prop like this on your own can save costs over purchasing a similar item from a toy store. Satellites carry instruments (sometimes called “detectors,” “probes,” or “sensors”) to make their observations. The point is not whether you can build, but whether you can conceive and outline an idea that is worth building in the first place. Each type of robotic explorer has its merits and is used for different purposes depending on the planet being observed and the types of observations desired. Satellites also can see into space better than telescopes on Earth’s surface. Design and build your own spaceship, space station or satellite. ), including at least three science instruments, two of which deploy (pop out or unfold) upon release from the rocket fairing after launch. - buttons or other decoration materials, Videos: (optional) But did you know that you can build your own versions of many of these missions? These missions inform future exploration. Determine the Math behind using GPS Satellites Students will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their model satellite and describe the importance of building models. Social, or “sticky,” spaces are key to building a sense of place on satellite campuses. Once the design is approved, have teams construct their satellite model. Their final design should be represented in a reasonably accurate two-view sketch on the student worksheet. Sometimes these instruments point toward Earth to gather information about our land, air and water. The Global Positioning System (GPS), a key navigation tool, is a group of more than 20 satellites. Developing and using models, Communicating information, Interactive Lecture, Discussion Groups, Modelling, Communications, Orbital Mechanics, Remote sensing, http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Satellites/Sci-Media/Video/Parts-of-a-satellite, http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-is-a-satellite-58.html, http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/space/satellites.html. The Earth and Moon are examples of natural satellites. * What aspects of a satellite does the model represent well, and what can be improved? Some take pictures of Earth to help meteorologists predict weather and track hurricanes, while others take pictures of other planets, the Sun, black holes or faraway galaxies. ... How to Build a Model of a Roman Home for a School Project. NASA and its international partners operate several Earth-observing satellites that closely follow one another along the same orbital “track.” This coordinated group of satellites is called the A-Train and its near-simultaneous scientific observations play a key role in advancing our knowledge of Earth science and applying it for the benefit of society. Satellites, fly-by or orbiting spacecraft, explore the features of a planet from a distance, making observations of large swaths of the planet.