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Transcript
The Space Files: The Outer Solar System INTRODUCTION TO THE AIMS TEACHING MODULE (ATM) Rationale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Organization and Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 INTRODUCING The Space Files: The Outer Solar System Jump Right In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 PREPARATION FOR VIEWING Introduction to the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Introduction to Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Discussion Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 AFTER VIEWING THE PROGRAM Suggested Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 All Outer Solar System Programs Vocabulary Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 All Outer Solar System Programs Word Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Outer Solar System Fact Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Outer Solar System: Jupiter Checking Comprehension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Outer Solar System: Jupiter Jupiter’s Fourth Largest Moons: Which is Which? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Outer Solar System: Jupiter Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Outer Solar System: Saturn True or False . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Outer Solar System: Saturn Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Outer Solar System: Neptune and Uranus Checking Comprehension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Outer Solar System: Neptune and Uranus Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Outer Solar System: Pluto Checking Comprehension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Outer Solar System: Pluto Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Outer Solar System: Comets Checking Comprehension: Filling in the Blanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Outer Solar System: Comets Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Outer Solar System: Asteroids Checking Comprehension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Outer Solar System: Asteroids Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 ADDITIONAL AIMS MULTIMEDIA PROGRAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 ANSWER KEYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 2 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Congratulations! You have chosen a learning program that will actively motivate your students and provide you with easily accessible and easily manageable instructional guidelines and tools designed to make your teaching role efficient and rewarding. The AIMS Teaching Module (ATM) provides you with a video program correlated to your classroom curriculum, instructions and guidelines for use, plus a comprehensive teaching program containing a wide range of activities and ideas for interaction between all content areas. Our authors, educators, and consultants have written and reviewed the AIMS Teaching Modules to align with the Educate America Act: Goals 2000. This ATM, with its clear definition of manageability, both in the classroom and beyond, allows you to tailor specific activities to meet all of your classroom needs. RATIONALE ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT In today’s classrooms, educational pedagogy is often founded on To facilitate ease in classroom manageability, the AIMS Teaching Benjamin S. Bloom’s “Six Levels of Cognitive Complexity.” The Module is organized in three sections: practical application of Bloom’s Taxonomy is to evaluate students’ I. Introducing this ATM thinking skills on these levels, from the simple to the complex: will give you the specific information you need to integrate the program into your classroom curriculum. 1. Knowledge (rote memory skills), 2. Comprehension (the ability to relate or retell), 3. Application (the ability to apply knowledge outside its origin), II. Preparation for Viewing 4. Analysis (relating and differentiating parts of a whole), provides suggestions and strategies for motivation, language 5. Synthesis (relating parts to a whole) preparedness, readiness, and focus prior to viewing the program 6. Evaluation (making a judgment or formulating an opinion). with your students. The AIMS Teaching Module is designed to facilitate these intellectual III. After Viewing the Program capabilities, and to integrate classroom experiences and assimilation provides suggestions for additional activities plus an assortment of of learning with the students’ life experiences, realities, and consumable assessment and extended activities, designed to broaden expectations. AIMS’ learner verification studies prove that our AIMS comprehension of the topic and to make connections to other Teaching Modules help students to absorb, retain, and to demonstrate curriculum content areas. ability to use new knowledge in their world. Our educational materials are written and designed for today’s classroom, which incorporates a wide range of intellectual, cultural, physical, and emotional diversities. AIMS Teaching Module written by Patricia A. Peirson. © Copyright 2002 AIMS Multimedia All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted without written permission of AIMS Multimedia with these exceptions: Persons or schools purchasing this AIMS Teaching Module may reproduce consumable ATM pages, identified in Section 4, for student or classroom use. AIMS Multimedia is a leading producer and distributor of educational programs serving schools and libraries since 1957. AIMS draws upon the most up-to-date knowledge, existing and emerging technologies, and all of the instructional and pedagogical resources available to develop and distribute educational programs in videocassette and CD-ROM. Persons or schools interested in obtaining additional copies of this AIMS Teaching Module, please contact: AIMS Multimedia at: Toll Free: 1-800-367-2467 Fax: 818-341-6700 Web: www.aimsmultimedia.com Email: [email protected] 3 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 FEATURES INTRODUCING THE ATM Introduction To The Program After Viewing the Program Introduction to the Program is designed to After your students have viewed the enable students to recall or relate prior program, you may introduce any or all of Your AIMS Teaching Module is designed to knowledge about the topic and to prepare these activities to interact with other accompany a video program written and them for what they are about to learn. curriculum content areas, provide reinforcement, assess comprehension skills, produced by some of the world’s most credible and creative writers and producers Introduction To Vocabulary or provide hands-on and in-depth extended of educational programming. To facilitate Introduction to Vocabulary is a review of study of the topic. diversity and flexibility in your classroom language used in the program: words, and to provide assessment tools, your AIMS phrases, and usage. This vocabulary Teaching Module features these components: introduction is designed to ensure that all learners, including learners, limited will English Themes proficiency have full This section tells how the AIMS Teaching understanding of the language usage in the Module is correlated to the curriculum. content of the program. Themes offers suggestions for interaction with other curriculum content areas, Discussion Ideas enabling teachers to use the teaching Discussion Ideas are designed to help you module to incorporate the topic into a assess students’ prior knowledge about the variety of learning areas. topic and to give students a preview of what they will learn. Active discussion stimulates Overview interest in a subject and can motivate even The Overview provides a synopsis of content the most reluctant learner. Listening, as well covered in the video program. Its purpose is as to give you a summary of the subject matter Encourage your students to participate at the and rate they feel comfortable. Model sharing to enhance your introductory speaking, is active participation. personal experiences when applicable, and preparation. model listening to students’ ideas and opinions. Objectives The ATM learning objectives provide guidelines for teachers to assess what Focus learners can be expected to gain from each Help learners set a purpose for watching the program. After completion of the AIMS program with Focus, designed to give Teaching Module, your students will be able students a focal point for comprehension to demonstrate dynamic and applied continuity. comprehension of”” the topic. Jump Right In Preparation for Viewing Jump In preparation for viewing the video instructions for quick management of the Right In provides abbreviated program, the AIMS Teaching Module offers program. activity and/or discussion ideas that you may use in any order or combination. 4 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Critical Thinking SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES In The Newsroom Critical Thinking activities are Each AIMS Teaching Module designed stimulate contains a newsroom activity activities you can direct in the classroom or learners’ own opinions and designed to help students make the have your students complete independently, ideas. These activities require students to use relationship between what they learn in the in pairs, or in small work groups after they the thinking process to discern fact from classroom and how it applies in their world. have viewed the program. To accommodate opinion, consider their own problems and The purpose of In The Newsroom is to your range of classroom needs, the activities formulate draw actively involve each class member in a are organized into skills categories. Their conclusions, discuss cause and effect, or whole learning experience. Each student will labels will tell you how to identify each combine what they already know with what have an opportunity to perform all of the activity and help you correlate it into your they have learned to make inferences. tasks involved in production: writing, The Suggested Activities offer ideas for possible to solutions, researching, producing, directing, and classroom curriculum. To help you schedule your classroom lesson time, the AIMS Cultural Diversity interviewing as they create their own hourglass gives you an estimate of the time Each AIMS Teaching Module classroom news program. each activity should require. Some of the has an activity called Cultural Awareness, Cultural Diversity, activities fall into these categories: Extended Activities or Cultural Exchange that encourages These activities provide students to share their backgrounds, opportunities for students to These activities are designed cultures, heritage, or knowledge of other work separately or together to to aid in classroom continuity. countries, customs, and language. Meeting Individual Needs Reluctant learners conduct learners acquiring English These are experimental or activities geared to enhance comprehension tactile activities that relate of language in order to fully grasp content directly to the material taught benefit from Many of the Link to the World in the program. Your students These activities offer ideas for connecting learners’ and formulate ideas on their own, based on suggested media or content areas. will have opportunities to make discoveries meaning. Curriculum Connections research, apply what they have learned to other Hands On these will further explore answers to their own questions, or and classroom activities to their what they learn in this unit. community and the rest of the world. Writing Culminating Activity activities are intended to ART integrate the content of the ATM program into other Every AIMS Teaching Module To wrap up the unit, AIMS content will Teaching areas of the contain an activity Modules cross- designed for students to use suggestions connections turn the classroom teaching the writing process to express reinforce what students have their ideas about what they have learned. learned and how they can use their new The writing activity may also help them to knowledge to enhance their worldview. classroom experience experience. curriculum. into a These whole learning make the connection between what they are learning in this unit and how it applies to other content areas. 5 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 for offer ways to ADDITIONAL ATM FEATURES Test After Viewing The AIMS Teaching Module Test permits you • Select Suggested into Activities Vocabulary to assess students’ understanding of what integrate Every ATM contains an activity that they have learned. The test is formatted in curriculum. reinforces the meaning and usage of the one of several standard test formats to give materials or resources. vocabulary If your that classroom applicable, gather the your students a range of experiences in test- program content. Students will read or find taking techniques. Be sure to read, or the definition of each vocabulary word, then remind students to read, the directions work on each activity. Some activities use the word in a written sentence. carefully and to read each answer choice work best for the whole group. Other before making a selection. Use the Answer activities are designed for students to Key to check their answers. work independently, in pairs, or in words introduced in Checking Comprehension • small groups. Whenever possible, Checking Comprehension is designed to help you evaluate how well your students Additional understand, Programs retain, and recall the Choose the best way for students to AIMS encourage students to share their work Multimedia with the rest of the group. information presented in the AIMS Teaching After you have completed this AIMS Module. Depending on your students’ needs, Teaching Module you may be interested in you may direct this activity to the whole more of the programs that AIMS offers. This Vocabulary, Checking Comprehension, group yourself, or you may want to have list includes several related AIMS programs. and consumable activity pages for your students work on the activity • students. page independently, in pairs, or in small groups. Answer Key Students can verify their written answers Reproduces tests and work pages with through discussion or by viewing the video a answers marked. • You may choose to have students take consumable activities home, or complete them in the classroom, second time. If you choose, you can independently, or in groups. reproduce the answers from your Answer Key or write the answer choices in a Word Duplicate the appropriate number of JUMP RIGHT IN • Bank for students to use. Students can use Administer the Test to assess students’ this completed activity as a study guide to Preparation comprehension of what they have prepare for the test. • Read Title Themes, Overview, and learned, and to provide them with Objectives to become familiar with practice in test-taking procedures. program content and expectations. Reproducible Activities • The AIMS Teaching Module provides a • Use Use the Culminating Activity as a forum Viewing for students to display, summarize, to specifically reinforce the content of this suggestions to introduce the topic to extend, or share what they have learning unit. Whenever applicable, they students. learned with each other, the rest of the selection of reproducible activities, designed Preparation for school, are arranged in order from low to high difficulty level, to allow a seamless facilitation of the learning process. You may a organization. Viewing • or Set up viewing monitor so that all students have a clear view. choose to have students take these activities home or to work on them in the classroom independently, in pairs or in small groups. • Depending on your classroom size and learning range, you may choose to Checking Vocabulary have students view Title together or in The checking Vocabulary activity provides small groups. the opportunity for students to assess their knowledge of new vocabulary with this word game or puzzle. The format of this • Some students may benefit from viewing the video more than one time. vocabulary activity allows students to use the related words and phrases in a different context. 6 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 local community The Space Files: The Outer Solar System Themes Beginning with the largest of the Jovian through mathematical predictions rather planets, Outer Solar System: Jupiter exam- than through regular observations of the sky. These six programs focus on the outer solar ines the giant gas ball which first lies beyond Smallest of the gas giants, its volume could system, the celestial region from the Asteroid the vast ring of rocky fragments known as still hold sixty Earths. Belt and its closest gas giant, Jupiter, to dark, the Asteroid Belt. Composed mainly of diminutive Pluto and the region of icy debris hydrogen, this magnificent planet is larger Outer Solar System: Pluto explores the small- known as the Kuiper Belt. A close-up look at than all the other planets of our solar system est, coldest, and most distant planet from the comets and asteroids is also featured, with combined. With its numerous moons and Sun, discovered in 1930 by American an examination of the latter’s likely role both several rings, the Jupiter system is a “mini- astronomer Clyde Tombaugh - the last per- in altering Earth’s geological history and in solar system.” Water has been detected in son thus far to find a new planet. His labori- the evolution of life on our planet. As their the planet’s turbulent atmosphere and below ous search for “Planet X” and the excitement central theme, the SpaceFiles: Outer Solar the glacial surface of its three largest moons, of the scientific discovery are vividly por- System programs provide in-depth examina- suggesting the intriguing possibility of life. A trayed, as is the subsequent discovery of tion of the orbits and rotation, atmosphere, proposed exploratory mission by the Jupiter Pluto’s dark moon, Charon, by astronomer climate, topography, and relative position of Icy Moons Orbiter would make detailed James Christy in 1978. Though no space- each Jovian planet, as well as the origins, studies of the moons’ makeup, history and craft have visited Pluto as yet, NASA is cur- composition, and cosmic movement of potential for sustaining life. rently considering a mission called New comets and asteroids. Likelihood of the Horizons that would explore both Pluto and potential for or existence of life on the moons Next, Outer Solar System: Saturn takes us to the Kuiper Belt region, often called our solar of Jupiter and Saturn is also discussed. the sixth planet from the Sun and second system’s “final frontier.” Graphic animation and the latest telescopic, largest in the solar system. Taking nearly radar, fly-over, and surface images provide thirty years to complete its solar orbit, Saturn Outer Solar System: Comets presents the students with up-to-date images. The excit- spins so quickly on its axis that its day spans cosmos’ wandering nomads. Travelers from ing format of each program serves to foster less than eleven hours. With no solid sur- the farthest reaches of the solar system, an interest in space exploration and appre- face, the planet is composed of five cloud comets catch our attention when they blaze ciation of this diverse corner of the universe layers surrounding a liquid metallic core of across the night sky. Some are never seen within reach of our own remarkable planet. hydrogen, and encircled by the dramatic again, while others - such as Halley’s Comet ring system - the most extensive and com- - revisit us periodically. On a collision course plex in our solar system - extending hun- with destiny, comets plunge towards the dreds of thousands of kilometers from the planets and the Sun. Some are immolated in planet. planetary atmospheres, while others strike Overview The SpaceFiles Series encompasses the fundamentals of space and astronomy. The six the surface, forming craters to mark their Outer Solar System titles deal with the non- Outer Solar System: Neptune and Uranus passage. They are among the least-changed terrestrial planets, or gas giants, asteroids brings us first to the seemingly bland Jovian objects in our solar system and, as such, and the Asteroid Belt, and comets. planet of Uranus, discovered in 1781 by may yield important clues about its forma- astronomer William Herschel. Spinning tion. Note: Many of the activities and assessments backwards at a crazy tilt, this third-largest contained in this teaching module may be planet is a surprisingly dynamic world with Outer Solar System: Asteroids takes a close used with all six programs in the SpaceFiles no solid surface, some of the brightest clouds look at the Asteroid Belt - the vast ring of - The Outer Solar System series. Other addi- in the outer solar system, and eleven rings. rocky fragments found between Mars and tional activities and consumables are meant Neptune is revealed as a cold, windy place, Jupiter. Without Jupiter’s gravitational pull, for specific Outer Solar System videos, and with temperatures of minus 220( Celsius and these fragments of ancient space rubble are labeled as such. constant cyclonic storms. Eighth planet from might pull together and form a planet. the Sun, Neptune was the first planet located Collisions between asteroids send fragments 7 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Introduction to the Program Discussion Ideas planet’s surface. The extinction of the Ask students to share what they know about Ask one or more of the following questions dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago has the origins of the Sun and planets in the to prompt discussion about space explo- been linked to a devastating impact near the solar system. Review with students the names ration: Why do you think we study the plan- Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. NASA and the of the nine planets and their positions rela- ets and other celestial bodies (such as USAF monitor the skies, devising methods to tive to the Sun. Ask students to explain the asteroids and comets) in our solar system? ward off impact should another potentially basic difference between terrestrial planets (Sample answers might include: to discover deadly visitor approach. and non-terrestrial planets, or gas giants. how the solar system came into being; how Ask students what area in our solar system it is changing; how it might end, etc.) How lies between Mars and Jupiter (the Asteroid do you think we can relate what we learn hurtling through space. When their trajectories cross Earth’s orbit, some strike the Objectives • • Belt). Explain to students that the programs about our own solar system to the rest of the To explore the non-terrestrial planets, or they will be viewing involve comets, aster- universe? What are the necessary compo- gas giants, of the solar system oids, and the planets and moons of the outer nents to sustain life as we know and under- solar system - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, stand it? (atmosphere, light, heat, cold, Neptune, and Pluto. water, soil, and air, all occurring in delicate To examine the unique surface and balance) What can study of the solar system atmospheric features of each celestial Introduction to Vocabulary body tell us about formation of life on Earth and the potential of life elsewhere? What would • To learn about the size, relative Write the following words on the board and be your reaction if we found proof of life on position, and orbit of each planet in the explain that they will be referenced in the other planets in other solar systems? outer solar system video. Ask the class to discuss the meaning of each word, and review the terms that are • • • • • Focus To discuss the potential for life on the unfamiliar to students. You may wish to have moons of Jupiter and Saturn students look up terms in a dictionary or Help students review basic data concerning encyclopedia. Earth’s size, atmosphere, topography, orbit and rotation, tilt, distance from the Sun, rel- To provide up-to-date information on space probes, and the planned purpose axis ative size of Earth’s moon, etc. Encourage of future probes Celsius (a measure of temperature; 32∫ F = 0 students to watch for similarities and differ- ∫ C [freezing point]; 212∫ F = 100∫ C [boil- ences between other planets and Earth or To examine the origins and physical ing point]) Earth’s moon. Ask them to keep in mind components of the Asteroid Belt, as well diameter each Jovian planet’s position relative to the as the important relationship between elliptical Sun and the significance of the elemental asteroid trajectories and planet Earth kilometer (a measure of distance; 1 kilome- composition of these planets and/or their ter equals 0.6214 miles; 1 mile = 1.609 moons. For the programs on comets and To explore the origins and physical kilometers) asteroids, ask students to keep in mind the components of comets Kuiper Belt (disk-shaped region of icy debris dangerous interaction that these objects beyond the orbit of Neptune; source of have had, or yet may have, with Earth. To encourage a deeper appreciation of short-period comets) astronomy and further exploration of moon the solar system and beyond orbit Oort Cloud (a vast shell of icy bodies about 50,000 times farther from the Sun than the Earth) planet rotation solar system 8 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES All Outer Solar System Programs Meeting Individual Needs Following the viewing of each program, ask students to recall some of the highlights and specific information presented. List their responses on the board. Clarify information as needed. If necessary, provide suggestions of your own to trigger additional responses and stimulate discussion. 30 Minutes All Outer Solar System Programs SO CI AL ST UD IE S Connection to Social Studies There is an on-going controversy concerning the value of space exploration. Some people believe that such exploration is a needless waste of money, a drain on our Federal budget, and has produced little that benefits the dayto-day life of the individual. Others would argue that valuable information is being gathered regarding the 45 Minutes formation of our solar system, how life formed on Earth, the potential for life elsewhere in the universe, how life on Earth may end, etc. Have students research the pros and cons of space exploration. Organize a class debate to discuss these issues. All Outer Solar System Programs Connection to Language Arts LA NG UA GE AR TS Mythology: Our ancestors believed that the sky was the home of gods, goddesses, and other supernatural beings. The planets themselves were thought to be these immortal creatures. We use their names for the planets and moons today. 30 Minutes Using library, Internet or other resources, have students research the myths associated with Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto. (Useful keyword: planetary mythology.) More advanced students may wish to research how the early Greeks attempted to explain the movement of heavenly bodies through their myths. Some students may enjoy researching the names of the Jovian planet moons, which draw from both mythology and literature. Have students share their findings in an informal discussion or through presentation of oral reports. Discuss with students how such myths originated as our ancestors attempted to understand the world. All Outer Solar System Programs Connection to Music Appreciation M US IC Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” (composed during World War One) is a classical interpretation of the worlds which compose our solar system. It is an orchestral showpiece that takes the listener on a journey to seven planets (four of which are relative to this series). As planets in the series are studied individually, or upon completion of the series, introduce students to the corresponding piece(s). Following each piece, allow time for students to jot down their 20 Minutes impressions of the music - the images or emotions inspired by it. Mythology and astrology served as inspiration for Holst’s music. Does scientific exploration and discovery detract from the enjoyment of such artistic expression? 9 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 All Outer Solar System Programs Extended Activity Provide students with the names of the space probes mentioned in the programs (list provided below). Individually or in small groups, have students prepare a multimedia presentation that includes pictures of the space probe or Extended its concept design, the significance of its name, the launch date (actual or proposed), its purpose, and - if applicable - its discoveries and some images sent back to Earth. Conclude with an analysis of the success or failure of the completed space probe, or the potential significance of the planned probe. Galileo spacecraft Cassini spacecraft Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter Cassini orbiter/ Huygens Probe Voyager I Voyager II New Horizons Stardust Deep Impact All Outer Solar System Programs Creative Writing Using the information gathered in the above research on life forms which exist under extreme conditions, discuss the possibility of life therefore existing in some form on one of the other planets or moons (such as Europa or Extended Callisto) explored in this series of programs. Ask them to consider also whether the chemical elements that might “seed” life elsewhere might somehow arrive within the fragments of an asteroid or comet striking the surface of another planet. Next, ask students to write a short fiction story with this topic as its theme. Have students present finished stories to the class. Teachers may wish to compile and photocopy the stories to create a class science fiction short story booklet. Outer Solar System Programs - Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus, Pluto EA RT H SC IE NC E Connection to Earth Science The chances of Earth being unique in the universe keeps shrinking as astronomers continue to raise the estimate on how many planets are out there. The newest findings estimate that twenty-five percent of Sun-like stars have plan- 45 Minutes ets - meaning that, in our galaxy alone, there are at least one hundred million stars with planets. Considering the hundred billion or so galaxies in the observable universe, the idea of life on other planets is not so far-fetched. Recent discoveries on our own planet have revealed that life exists on the Earth under the most “unlifelike” conditions. For example, we have discovered anaerobic life, and life existing in all temperature extremes, in toxic gas environments, inside a rock, or in a pool of acid. Using the library and Internet resources, have students research recent discoveries of life-forms which exist under unexpected and extreme conditions on Earth, and have them present their findings to the rest of the class. This may be done during a general class discussion or as a formal oral report. 10 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Outer Solar System: Jupiter Connection to Space Science SPACE SCIENCE Review information presented in the program regarding NASA’s planned Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, including the questions that scientists will seek to answer. (How did the moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa evolve? Do they have oceans? Can they sustain life? Where is the thinnest ice on Europa?) Ask students to do some follow-up 40 Minutes research on NASA’s planned mission in preparation for discussion of the following questions: What do they believe exploration will reveal? If life similar to primitive life-forms on Earth is discovered, what impact will this have? How would such a discovery change their personal views of the universe? Outer Solar System: Jupiter Creative Writing Imagine yourself standing on Io - the closest moon to Jupiter. In contrast to standing on our own Moon, with Earth looking like a distant blue marble surrounded by space, the enormity of Jupiter would fill your whole view. It is likely that, as an inhabitant of Io, you would have no idea that anything more than that wall of clouds existed. (Like our Moon, the same side would always face the planet surface.) There would be no “beyond,” no space, no stars, 60 Minutes no “out there.” What would happen to the first inhabitant who suggested that more might exist, or who (like Columbus) set out to prove there was a “beyond,” an “out there”? Have students use this premise to write a short story. As they create their stories, encourage students to keep in mind what their world and their sky would look like - what they would and, more importantly, would not, see or suspect about the universe. Have students share their finished stories with the rest of the class. Outer Solar System: Saturn SPACE SCIENCE Connection to Space Science Have students research the specific features of Saturn’s mysterious satellite, Titan. Then ask them to create a “travel guide” to this largest moon of Saturn, including pictures and day trips to nearby cosmic destinations, such as the Extended rings of Saturn, other satellites of interest, or the planet itself. Have students share or display their finished guides. Outer Solar System: Neptune and Uranus SPACE SCIENCE Connection to Space Science Spacecrafts Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are responsible for much of our current understanding of Neptune and Uranus. As their journeys of discovery continue, Voyager 1 has become the most distant human-made object in the universe, and Voyager 2 is close on its heels. In their continuing mission, the two spacecrafts will seek to study the 50 Minutes region in space where the Sun’s influence ends and the dark recesses of interstellar space begin. Using Internet and library resources, have students research and prepare a report on what these two crafts have discovered about the nature and compositions of Neptune and Uranus, as well as the latest information which is being sent back from their current explorations, and any future expectations for their remarkable journeys. Outer Solar System: Pluto Connection to Space Science SPACE SCIENCE Is Pluto really a planet? Recent discoveries of Pluto-like objects in the outer solar system have sparked debate about the nature of the tiniest “planet.” Using library and Internet resources, have students research this topic and prepare a report. Reports may simply discuss the dilemma, or take a position either in favor of Pluto retaining its clas- 50 Minutes sification as a planet, or of stripping it of that rank. As an alternative to written reports, teachers may wish to organize a debate on the subject. 11 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Outer Solar System: Comets Connection to Space Science SPACE SCIENCE Identification and confirmation of the region from which most short-period comets come is a fairly recent occurrence. In 1951, Gerard Kuiper hypothesized that some comet-like debris from the formation of the solar system should exist just beyond Neptune. The existence of the Kuiper Belt remained theory until 1992. The planet Pluto is 45 Minutes now considered the largest object in this region. This vast reservoir of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune holds keys to the formation of our solar system. Impacts from comets played a major role in the evolution of the Earth, primarily during its early history billions of years ago. Some scientists believe that they brought water and a variety of organic molecules to Earth. Ask students to research the latest findings in the Kuiper Belt and prepare a fact sheet. Use this as the basis for discussion of current discoveries, what may yet be discovered, and why such research is important. Outer Solar System: Asteroids SPACE SCIENCE Connection to Space Science Divide students into groups of three or four. Assign each group one of the meteorite impact sites mentioned in the program (Gosses Bluff, Australia; Meteor Crater, a.k.a. Barringer Crater in Arizona; Chicxulub - the Yucatan Peninsula impact). Additional sites of interest could be added to the list, such as Sudbury Structure in Ontario, 60 Minutes Canada; the Popigai crater in Siberia; or the Tswaing meteorite crater in South Africa, where an object half the size of a soccer field hit the Earth at four thousand kilometers per hour hundreds of thousands of years ago. Have each group research their assigned crater and prepare a report on its origins, size, impact site location and dimension, time of the impact, results, etc. Using the library and Internet as resources, ask students to provide visuals to their presentation, such as maps, photographs of the site, artist conceptions, and the like. The following website offers an excellent quick look at major impact sites. The database can be viewed by name, diameter, or location: http://www.unb.ca/passc/ImpactDatabase/CIDiameterSort.html All Outer Solar System Programs Culminating Activity If possible, arrange for students to visit a planetarium or a museum which has a space exhibit. As an alternative, ask a local astronomer to speak to the class about his or her experience and observations, or arrange for a traveling planetary show to visit your school. Following the activity of choice, discuss with students what they learned, most enjoyed or found the most interesting about the experience. 12 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Extented Name ALL OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM PROGRAMS VOCABULARY CHECK The following terms are relative to ALL of the programs on the outer solar system. Fill in the number of each term next to its closest definition. Use a dictionary or encyclopedia if necessary. (Teachers Note: This worksheet should not be used until all programs have been viewed.) 1. asteroid 2. Asteroid Belt 3. atmosphere 4. auroras (aurorae) 5. axial tilt 6. comet 7. crater 8. ellipse 9. hydrogen 10. Kuiper Belt 11. meteorite 12. Oort Cloud 13. orbit 14. rotation ________ the path followed by an object in space as it goes around another object ________ bowl-shaped depression formed by the impact of a meteor ________ the lightest and most abundant element which composes most of four of the outer planets ________ a medium-sized rocky object orbiting the Sun; smaller than a planet, larger than a meteoroid ________ a vast cloud of cometary bodies at the outer reaches of the solar system ________ a glow in a planet’s ionosphere caused by the interaction between the planet’s magnetic field and charged particles from the Sun ________ essentially a circle that has been stretched out of shape; the shape of planetary orbits ________ the turning or spinning of a body around an axis running through it ________ a chunk of frozen gases, ice, and rocky debris that orbits the Sun ________ a region of the solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in which most asteroids are located ________ a rock of extra-terrestrial origin found on Earth ________ gases surrounding any of the bodies in space; also known as air ________ a region of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune ________ the inclination angle of a planet’s rotation axis in relation to its orbital plane (Earth’s is 23.4∫) 13 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name ALL OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM PROGRAMS WORD SEARCH The following words can be found in the maze below. The letters may be arranged horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or backwards. Q W T L E B X R E P I U K Z E T X K A U R O R A E Q Y P M L P R N Q Y K G J X N W M O K L W Q A H Z D A S T E R O I D I O M X J N Y B W M H N J Q G P O Y K M E T E O R I T E W Z S R G H P W C Z Q N Y V X H K E T Q N Y K X T H G W H N Q M N W J Z M D P J O R B I T G X O C R A T E R Q Y R Z K W P Y I L O N X W V O K D Y G H Z V T O W M Q K Y V G Z N X S I X A U G P E H M N Y E D Q G H K T D K Z N T W Q M P N Y X J W O X Y E R E H P S O M T A Z Q R WORD BANK asteroid atmosphere aurorae axis crater comet ellipse hydrogen Kuiper Belt meteorite moon Oort Cloud orbit rotation trajectory 14 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM FACT SHEET - FOR USE WITH: • Outer Solar System: Jupiter • Outer Solar System: Saturn • Outer Solar System: Neptune and Uranus • Outer Solar System: Pluto Use copies of the following form to outline important information gathered on the planet(s) studied in this video. (NOTE: some information fields may not be applicable to all program topics.) 1. Planet name: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Name representing which god or hero in mythology? ______________________________________________________________________ 3. Position in the solar system relative to the Sun: ____________________________________________________________________________ 4. Position in the solar system relative to Earth: ______________________________________________________________________________ 5. Diameter: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Size and mass in relationship to that of Earth: ____________________________________________________________________________ 7. Unique features:______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Atmosphere: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. Weather:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. Major elements found on the surface and in the core: ____________________________________________________________________ 11. Temperature range: __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. Period of rotation: __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. Period of orbit (revolution around the Sun): ______________________________________________________________________________ 14. Number of rings ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15. Number of known satellites (moons) ____________________________________________________________________________________ 17. Largest satellite: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 18. Space craft and/or mission involved in exploration: ______________________________________________________________________ 19. Potential for life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: JUPITER CHECKING COMPREHENSION: Using words from the Word Bank below, fill in the blanks in the following sentences. NOTE: Some words will NOT be used. 12 Great Red Spot low clouds 3 Greek astronomers magnetic fields 5 helium moons days high clouds rotation diameter hours salty seas earths hydrogen solid Galileo liquid stars 1. The four largest moons of the planet Jupiter were discovered 400 years ago by ______________________________. 2. Jupiter is ______________________________ times farther from the Sun than is Earth, and has a solar orbit of ______________________________ years. 3. The ______________________________ of Jupiter is 12 times that of Earth, and Jupiter could hold more that 1300 ______________________________. 4. Jupiter is a ball of gas that is 90% ______________________________, and has a core of ______________________________ metallic hydrogen. 5. While Earth tilts on its axis at 23.4(, Jupiter’s tilt is only ______________________________(. Jupiter completes one spin on its axis in only 10 ______________________________. 6. The Cassini probe discovered that the weather bands of Jupiter blow in the opposite direction from the planet’s ______________________________. 7. The white and yellow weather bands of the planet Jupiter are ______________________________, and the brown and red weather bands are ______________________________. 8. The ______________________________ is an anti-cyclone three times the size of Earth that has raged for centuries. 9. Jupiter has more than 60 ______________________________. 10. Three of the largest moons may have ______________________________ below their surface crust of rock and/or ice. 11. Jupiter’s liquid interior and the planet’s rotation generate one of the largest ______________________________ in the solar system. 16 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: JUPITER JUPITER’S FOUR LARGEST MOONS: WHICH IS WHICH? Read each of the following statements carefully. In the blank below each, write the name of the Jupiter moon that the statement describes. NOTE: Some descriptions may apply to more than one moon. Your answer must include all names that apply. The four large moons of Jupiter discussed in the program are: • Io • Ganymede • Callisto • Europa 1. This is the closest major moon to the planet Jupiter. ________________________________________________________________________ 2. This is Jupiter’s largest moon. __________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. This is the outermost of the four large moons. ____________________________________________________________________________ 4. Scientists believe that this moon has the best conditions for sustaining life in its warm, salty seas. __________________________________ 5. This moon is larger than the planet Mercury. ______________________________________________________________________________ 6. These moons may have seas beneath their surface crust. ____________________________________________________________________ 7. This moon has no craters.______________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. There is more volcanic activity on this moon than anywhere else in the solar system. ____________________________________________ 9. The Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter will study these moons. ______________________________________________________________________ 10. NASA will attempt to land a surface probe here in order to drill beneath the surface crust and explore the ocean below using a hydrobot. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 17 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: JUPITER TEST Circle the letter of the correct answer for each question. 1. The atmosphere of Jupiter is 90%: a) clouds. b) liquid hydrogen. c) hydrogen. d) helium. 2. Jupiter has an orbit of ______, and its rotation takes _______. a) 5 years; 24 hours b) 12 years; 10 hours c) 25 years; 5 hours d) 8 years, 60 hours 3. The Great Red Spot on Jupiter: a) is made up of cloud bands. b) is an anti-cyclone three times the size of Earth. c) is a tempest that has only recently evolved. d) has mysteriously disappeared. 4. Jupiter’s internal layer of metallic hydrogen conducts energy, resulting in: a) vast magnetic fields. b) the largest magnetic fields in the solar system. c) auroras (aurorae) at Jupiter’s poles. d) all of the above. 5. Jupiter’s moon Europa: a) may have oceans in which life could evolve. b) is Jupiter’s largest moon. c) has no craters due to constant volcanic activity. d) all of the above. 6. What questions will investigation of Jupiter’s moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa attempt to answer? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 18 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: SATURN TRUE OR FALSE Read the following statements. Place a T next to statements that are true, and an F next to statements that are false. 1. ________ Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system. 2. ________ The location of Saturn in the solar system is 5th planet from the Sun. 3. ________ The planet Saturn’s axial tilt is just slightly more than Earth’s tilt on its axis. 4. ________ Saturn’s solar orbit is 30 times longer than Earth’s solar orbit. 5. ________ Saturn is a gas giant made mostly of helium. 6. ________ Beneath the planet’s five cloud layers is a small, solid, rocky core. 7. ________ The speed at which Saturn spins on its axis causes the planet to bulge at the poles. 8. ________ Auroras (aurorae) at Saturn’s poles occur when the planet’s magnetic field traps electrically charged particles from the solar wind. 9. ________ The planet has five distinct rings. 10. ________ The planet Saturn and its rings would just fit in the distance between Earth and the Moon. 11. ________ The moons of Saturn are smaller bodies of gas similar to the planet in composition. 12. ________ The moon Phoebe goes around Saturn in the opposite direction to most other moons, as well as most objects in the solar system. 13. ________ The thick, planet-like chemical atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan could harbor some form of life. 14. ________ The Cassini orbiter launched in 1997 is scheduled to land on Saturn in 2005. 19 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: SATURN TEST Circle the letter of the correct answer for each question. 1. Saturn is the _______ planet in the solar system. a) second b) fifth c) sixth d) eight 2. Saturn has a _____ solar orbit and an ______ rotation. a) 30 year; 11 hour b) 15 year; 8 hour c) 27 year; 18 day d) 30 year; 11 day 3. Saturn is composed primarily of: a) methane gases b) helium. c) liquid metallic hydrogen. d) hydrogen. 4. Saturn’s moon Phoebe is unusual because: a) it offers a possible landing site for spacecraft. b) it orbits Saturn in reverse. c) it has a dense atmosphere. d) all of the above. 5. Saturn’s moon Titan is remarkable because it: a) is the largest of Saturn’s satellites. b) it is the only moon in the solar system known to have clouds. c) may have land and oceans. d) all of the above. 6. Methane gas breakdown has been known to produce organic molecules. Why is this significant in relationship to the moon Titan? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 20 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: NEPTUNE AND URANUS CHECKING COMPREHENSION Answer each of the following questions in one or two sentences. Please use full sentences. Please use a separate piece of paper for your answers. 1. Between which two planets is the planet Uranus positioned? 2. Which planet is farther from Earth: Uranus or Neptune? 3. What is unusual about the rotation and axial tilt of the planet Uranus? 4. What main elements are found in the atmosphere of the planet Uranus? 5. What is remarkable about Uranus’ moon Miranda? 6. What is the planet Neptune’s position in the solar system? 7. How does Neptune’s orbit affect the orbit of the planet Uranus? 8. What is the most prominent feature of the planet Neptune’s surface? 9. What main elements are found in the atmosphere of Neptune? 10. What is unusual about the magnetic field of Neptune when compared to Earth’s magnetic field? 11. Which of the two planets - Neptune or Uranus - has a solid core? 12. Which of the two planets has rings? 13. How many rings? BONUS QUESTIONS: A) How many known moons orbit each of these two planets? B) What is the name of the largest moon orbiting each planet? 21 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: NEPTUNE AND URANUS TEST Circle the letter of the correct answer for each question. 1. The planet Uranus lies between: a) Jupiter and Neptune. b) Neptune and Pluto. c) Saturn and Neptune. d) Saturn and Jupiter. 2. An unusual feature about the planet Uranus is that: a) it spins backwards at a 98∫ tilt. b) it has no rings. c) it has no surface clouds. d) all of the above. 3. The Uranus moon Miranda is remarkable because: a) it has a large magnetic field. b) it is the only moon in the solar system known to have clouds. c) there are indications that it has oceans beneath the surface crust. d) it may have been shattered and reassembled several times. 4.The planet Neptune’s most prominent feature is: a) a dark area which indicates the presence of an ocean. b) a dark spot which is a hurricane spinning counterclockwise. c) its sweeping array of rings. d) its collection of moons, which outnumber those of all other planets. 5. Neptune’s moon Triton: a) is the largest of the planet’s satellites. b) is the coldest place known in our solar system. c) has the greatest diversity of ices anywhere in the solar system. d) all of the above. 6. The gas giants are quite different from the terrestrial planets. What questions do you think exploration and study of these planets and their moons can answer? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 22 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: PLUTO CHECKING COMPREHENSION PART A: Read each statement below. Underline the word or phrase in parentheses that correctly completes each statement. Cross out the incorrect word(s) or phrase(s). NOTE: There may be more than two choices. Cross out BOTH incorrect choices. Ex: Pluto is the planet (closest to) (farthest from) the Sun. 1. Astronomer (Percival Lowell) (Clyde Tombaugh) was first to search for “Planet X.” 2. Pluto was discovered by (Percival Lowell) (Clyde Tombaugh) (James Christy) in 1930. 3. The astronomer who spotted Pluto studied images of the night sky, viewing approximately (45,000) (450,000) (45,000,000) objects before making his discovery. 4. Pluto is the (8th) (9th) planet in the solar system. 5. Pluto has a surface of (hydrogen gas) (water ice). Its core is (rocky) (liquid hydrogen). 6. Pluto’s elliptical solar orbit takes (150) (250) years. At its closest point to the Sun, the orbit is just inside the solar orbit of (Neptune) (Saturn) (Uranus). 7. Pluto’s moon (Titan) (Charon) (Miranda) was discovered in 1978 by (Percival Lowell) (James Christy). 8. Pluto is considered the largest object in the region known as the (Asteroid Belt) (Kuiper Belt) (Outer Solar System). 9. The diameter of Pluto is (smaller than) (larger than) (equal in size to) Earth’s Moon. 10. The mass of our Moon is (2 times) (4 times) (6 times) the mass of the planet Pluto. BONUS QUESTION: What is the name of the space probe planned for exploration of Pluto? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 23 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: PLUTO TEST Circle the letter of the correct answer for each question. 1. Pluto was discovered by astronomer: a) Percival Lowell. b) James Christy. c) Gerard Kuiper. d) Clyde Tombaugh. 2. Pluto may be the largest object in: a) the Oort Cloud. b) the Kuiper Belt. c) the Asteroid Belt. d) the outer solar system. 3. When Pluto’s orbit is nearest the Sun, its orbit takes it inside the orbit of ________. a) Saturn. b) Uranus. c) Neptune. d) Charon. 4. Pluto’s solar orbit takes ______ years. a) 50 b) 100 c) 150 d) 250 5. The mass of Pluto is one-sixth that of _________. a) Earth. b) Earth’s moon. c) Charon. d) Neptune. 6. Every 248 years (for about 20 years), Pluto becomes the 8th planet and Neptune becomes the 9th planet in our solar system. Why? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 24 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: COMETS CHECKING COMPREHENSION: FILL IN THE BLANK From the Word Bank below, fill in the missing information in the following statements. NOTE: Not all words will be used. Atmosphere Deep Impact dust grains Earth Formation Hale-Bopp Halley’s Comet ices Kuiper Belt least changed newest Oort Cloud solar system Stardust the Sun universe 1. Comets are dirty-ice leftovers from the formation of our ________________________ around 4.6 billion years ago. 2. They are among the ________________________ objects in our solar system, and therefore may yield important clues about the ________________________of our solar system. 3. 4. Most come from a region of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune called the ________________________. Some comets come from a very distant region - from a shell of icy clouds which envelopes the solar system called the ________________________. 5. The orbit of comets is directed by the gravitational pull of ________________________. 6. The tail of a comet is ancient ________________________ vaporizing and streaming off. 7. Meteor showers are ________________________ from comets entering and burning up in Earth’s ________________________. 8. The most famous comet is ________________________, which was first photographed in 1910. 9. ________________________ is the first space mission dedicated solely to studying a comet and the first mission to return with material from a comet. 10. The ________________________ mission will blast a hole in a comet, creating a crater as big as a football field, to study the resulting icy debris, as well as the interior material exposed by the impact. 25 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: COMETS TEST Circle the letter of the correct answer for each question. 1. Comets: a) are the least-changed objects in our solar system. b) are objects which come from beyond the Oort Cloud. c) cannot penetrate Earth’s atmosphere. d) are drawn into our solar system by the gravitational pull of the planets. 2. Meteor showers are the result of: a) comets passing through Earth’s atmosphere and hitting the surface. b) the ancient ices of a comet’s tail vaporizing and streaming off. c) dust grains from a comet entering and burning up in Earth’s atmosphere. d) all of the above. 3. Halley’s Comet has an elliptical orbit of only _____ years. a) 65 b) 76 c) 35 d) 48 4. The purpose of the space probe Stardust will be to: a) create a crater in a comet. b) collect matter that pre-dates the solar system. c) bring a small comet back to Earth. d) discover the origins of comets. 5. Comets are made up of: a) icy chunks of frozen gases. b) cosmic dust. c) small rocks. d) all of the above. 6. Why can study of comets reveal information about the formation of the solar system? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 26 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: ASTEROIDS CHECKING COMPREHENSION PART A: Read the following statements. Place a T next to statements that are true, and an F next to statements that are false. 1. ________ Asteroids are rocky fragments left over from the formation of the solar system. 2. ________ Most asteroids can be found orbiting the Sun in a belt region just beyond Pluto. 3. ________ The largest known asteroids would span the Pacific Ocean. 4. ________ Some asteroids are large enough to have their own satellite, or moon. 5. ________ Asteroids have never presented a hazard for our planet. 6. ________ The trajectories of asteroids can be tracked using radar. PART B: Fill In The Blank From the Word Bank below, fill in the missing information in the following statements. NOTE: Not all words will be used. Arizona Jupiter solar system Asteroid Belt Kuiper Belt trajectory Australian outback meteor universe Craters meteorite Yucatan Peninsula Eros New Mexico 1. Asteroid impacts are responsible for the ______________________ of Earth’s Moon. 2. Asteroids are rocky fragments left over from the formation of the ______________________ about 4.6 billion years ago. 3. Scientists believe that the gravitational pull of ______________________ prevents objects in the vast ring of asteroids called the ______________________ from pulling together to form a single planet. 4. 5. Collisions between asteroids will change their orbital path and ______________________. Sixty-five million years ago, an asteroid hit the ______________________, causing a cosmic winter and extinction of two-thirds of all species on Earth. 6. When an asteroid makes it through Earth’s atmosphere and hits the ground, it is called a ______________________. 7. Meteor Crater in ______________________ was gouged out of the Earth 50,000 years ago. 8. Telescopes located in ______________________ scan the sky, watching for asteroids that may be a threat to our planet. 9. In 2001, NASA guided a spacecraft to the first-ever landing on an asteroid. The name of this asteroid is ______________________. 27 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 Name OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: ASTEROIDS TEST Circle the letter of the correct answer for each question. 1. Most asteroids can be found: a) orbiting the solar system within the Oort Cloud. b) orbiting the Sun in a belt between Mars and Jupiter. c) orbiting Jupiter in the Asteroid Belt. d) orbiting just beyond Pluto in the Kuiper Belt. 2. Rocky fragments orbiting within the Asteroid Belt cannot form a single planet: a) because of the disruptive gravitational pull of Jupiter. b) because there is not enough material from which a planet could be formed. c) because of the disruptive gravitational pull of the Sun. d) all of the above. 3. When an asteroid hit Earth 65 million years ago: a) severe damage to the Yucatan Peninsula occurred. b) the Meteor Crater in Arizona was gouged out. c) it caused a cosmic winter and mass extinction. d) it formed an impact site 20 kilometers across in Australia. 4. Meteorites: a) are more dangerous than asteroids. b) are smaller and less of a threat than asteroids. c) are meteors that reach Earth’s surface. d) A and B 5. The current method for tracking asteroids that are considered a threat includes: a) an automated system of telescopes that watch for intruders. b) a radar system that tracks asteroids which have been spotted. c) use of radio waves to determine size, shape, and rotation of an asteroid. d) all of the above. 6. Four methods of deflecting an asteroid impact with Earth were discussed in the program. Choose TWO of these methods. Write an answer to the following question using complete sentences. Methods: • use of a curved sunlight reflector • a rocket-driven propeller • nuclear impact • nuclear deflection How would each method work and how effective or ineffective do you think each method would be? 28 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ADDITIONAL AIMS MULTIMEDIA PROGRAMS You and your students might also enjoy these other AIMS Multimedia programs: #2877-EN-VID Inner Solar System: The Sun #2878-EN-VID Inner Solar System: Mercury #2879-EN-VID Inner Solar System: Venus #2880-EN-VID Inner Solar System: Earth #2881-EN-VID Inner Solar System: The Moon #2882-EN-VID Inner Solar System: Eclipses and Auroras #2883-EN-VID Inner Solar System: Mars #2590-EN-VID Astronomy: Facts and Fun #8285-EN-VID Solar Activity #8480-EN-VID Space Probe and Starships #9082-EN-VID The Universe: The Vast Frontier #9084-EN-VID The Solar System: Our Neighbors in Space 29 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 12 ALL OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM PROGRAMS VOCABULARY CHECK The following terms are relative to ALL of the programs on the outer solar system. Fill in the number of each term next to its closest definition. Use a dictionary or encyclopedia if necessary. (Teachers Note: This worksheet should not be used until all programs have been viewed.) 1. asteroid 2. Asteroid Belt 3. atmosphere 4. auroras (aurorae) 5. axial tilt 6. comet 7. crater 8. ellipse 9. hydrogen 10. Kuiper Belt 11. meteorite 12. Oort Cloud 13. orbit 14. rotation 13 ________ the path followed by an object in space as it goes around another object 7 ________ bowl-shaped depression formed by the impact of a meteor 9 ________ the lightest and most abundant element which composes most of four of the outer planets 1 ________ a medium-sized rocky object orbiting the Sun; smaller than a planet, larger than a meteoroid 12 ________ a vast cloud of cometary bodies at the outer reaches of the solar system 4 ________ a glow in a planet’s ionosphere caused by the interaction between the planet’s magnetic field and charged particles from the Sun 8 ________ essentially a circle that has been stretched out of shape; the shape of planetary orbits 14 ________ the turning or spinning of a body around an axis running through it 6 ________ a chunk of frozen gases, ice, and rocky debris that orbits the Sun 2 ________ a region of the solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in which most asteroids are located 11 ________ a rock of extra-terrestrial origin found on Earth 3 ________ gases surrounding any of the bodies in space; also known as air 10 ________ a region of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune 5 ________ the inclination angle of a planet’s rotation axis in relation to its orbital plane (Earth’s is 23.4∫) 30 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 13 ALL OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM PROGRAMS WORD SEARCH The following words can be found in the maze below. The letters may be arranged horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or backwards. Q W T L E B X R E P I U K Z E T X K A U R O R A E Q Y P M L P R N Q Y K G J X N W M O K L W Q A H Z D A S T E R O I D I O M X J N Y B W M H N J Q G P O Y K M E T E O R I T E W Z S R G H P W C Z Q N Y V X H K E T Q N Y K X T H G W H N Q M N W J Z M D P J O R B I T G X O C R A T E R Q Y R Z K W P Y I L O N X W V O K D Y G H Z V T O W M Q K Y V G Z N X S I X A U G P E H M N Y E D Q G H K T D K Z N T W Q M P N Y X J W O X Y E R E H P S O M T A Z Q R WORD BANK asteroid atmosphere aurorae axis crater comet ellipse hydrogen Kuiper Belt meteorite moon Oort Cloud orbit rotation trajectory 31 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 14 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM FACT SHEET - FOR USE WITH: • Outer Solar System: Jupiter • Outer Solar System: Saturn • Outer Solar System: Neptune and Uranus • Outer Solar System: Pluto Use copies of the following form to outline important information gathered on the planet(s) studied in this video. (NOTE: some information fields may not be applicable to all program topics.) ANSWERS WILL VARY IN KEEPING WITH THE PLANET THAT IS ASSIGNED.) 1. Planet name: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Name representing which god or hero in mythology? ______________________________________________________________________ 3. Position in the solar system relative to the Sun: ____________________________________________________________________________ 4. Position in the solar system relative to Earth: ______________________________________________________________________________ 5. Diameter: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Size and mass in relationship to that of Earth: ____________________________________________________________________________ 7. Unique features:______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Atmosphere: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. Weather:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. Major elements found on the surface and in the core: ____________________________________________________________________ 11. Temperature range: __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. Period of rotation: __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. Period of orbit (revolution around the Sun): ______________________________________________________________________________ 14. Number of rings ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15. Number of known satellites (moons) ____________________________________________________________________________________ 17. Largest satellite: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 18. Space craft and/or mission involved in exploration: ______________________________________________________________________ 19. Potential for life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 32 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 15 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: JUPITER CHECKING COMPREHENSION: Using words from the Word Bank below, fill in the blanks in the following sentences. NOTE: Some words will NOT be used. 12 Great Red Spot low clouds 3 Greek astronomers magnetic fields 5 helium moons days high clouds rotation diameter hours salty seas earths hydrogen solid Galileo liquid stars 1. The four largest moons of the planet Jupiter were discovered 400 years ago by (Galileo). 2. Jupiter is (5) times farther from the Sun than is Earth, and has a solar orbit of (12) years. 3. The (diameter) of Jupiter is 12 times that of Earth, and Jupiter could hold more that 1300 (earths). 4. Jupiter is a ball of gas that is 90% (hydrogen), and has a core of (liquid) metallic hydrogen. 5. While Earth tilts on its axis at 23.4(, Jupiter’s tilt is only (3)(. Jupiter completes one spin on its axis in only 10 (hours). 6. The Cassini probe discovered that the weather bands of Jupiter blow in the opposite direction from the planet’s (rotation). 7. The white and yellow weather bands of the planet Jupiter are (high clouds), and the brown and red weather bands are (low clouds). 8. The (Great Red Spot) is an anti-cyclone three times the size of Earth that has raged for centuries. 9. Jupiter has more than 60 (moons). 10. Three of the largest moons may have (salty seas) below their surface crust of rock and/or ice. 11. Jupiter’s liquid interior and the planet’s rotation generate one of the largest (magnetic fields) in the solar system. 33 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 16 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: JUPITER JUPITER’S FOUR LARGEST MOONS: WHICH IS WHICH? Read each of the following statements carefully. In the blank below each, write the name of the Jupiter moon that the statement describes. NOTE: Some descriptions may apply to more than one moon. Your answer must include all names that apply. The four large moons of Jupiter discussed in the program are: • Io • Ganymede • Callisto • Europa 1. This is the closest major moon to the planet Jupiter. Io 2. This is Jupiter’s largest moon. Ganymede 3. This is the outermost of the four large moons. Callisto 4. Scientists believe that this moon has the best conditions for sustaining life in its warm, salty seas. Europa 5. This moon is larger than the planet Mercury. Ganymede 6. These moons may have seas beneath their surface crust. Ganymede, Callisto, Europa 7. This moon has no craters. Io 8. There is more volcanic activity on this moon than anywhere else in the solar system. Io 9. The Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter will study these moons. Ganymede, Callisto, Europa 10. NASA will attempt to land a surface probe here in order to drill beneath the surface crust and explore the ocean below using a hydrobot. Europa 34 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 17 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: JUPITER TEST Circle the letter of the correct answer for each question. 1. The atmosphere of Jupiter is 90%: a) clouds. b) liquid hydrogen. c) hydrogen. d) helium. 2. Jupiter has an orbit of ______, and its rotation takes _______. a) 5 years; 24 hours b) 12 years; 10 hours c) 25 years; 5 hours d) 8 years, 60 hours 3. The Great Red Spot on Jupiter: a) is made up of cloud bands. b) is an anti-cyclone three times the size of Earth. c) is a tempest that has only recently evolved. d) has mysteriously disappeared. 4. Jupiter’s internal layer of metallic hydrogen conducts energy, resulting in: a) vast magnetic fields. b) the largest magnetic fields in the solar system. c) auroras (aurorae) at Jupiter’s poles. d) all of the above. 5. Jupiter’s moon Europa: a) may have oceans in which life could evolve. b) is Jupiter’s largest moon. c) has no craters due to constant volcanic activity. d) all of the above. 6. What questions will investigation of Jupiter’s moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa attempt to answer? How did these satellites evolve? Do they definitely have oceans? Can any of the oceans sustain life? Where is the thinnest ice on Europa through which a surface probe could drill to reach the ocean below? 35 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 18 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: SATURN TRUE OR FALSE Read the following statements. Place a T next to statements that are true, and an F next to statements that are false. 1. T ________ Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system. 2. F ________ The location of Saturn in the solar system is 5th planet from the Sun. 3. T ________ The planet Saturn’s axial tilt is just slightly more than Earth’s tilt on its axis. 4. F ________ Saturn’s solar orbit is 30 times longer than Earth’s solar orbit. 5. F ________ Saturn is a gas giant made mostly of helium. 6. F ________ Beneath the planet’s five cloud layers is a small, solid, rocky core. 7. F ________ The speed at which Saturn spins on its axis causes the planet to bulge at the poles. 8. T ________ Auroras (aurorae) at Saturn’s poles occur when the planet’s magnetic field traps electrically charged particles from the solar wind. 9. F ________ The planet has five distinct rings. T 10. ________ The planet Saturn and its rings would just fit in the distance between Earth and the Moon. F 11. ________ The moons of Saturn are smaller bodies of gas similar to the planet in composition. T 12. ________ The moon Phoebe goes around Saturn in the opposite direction to most other moons, as well as most objects in the solar system. T 13. ________ The thick, planet-like chemical atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan could harbor some form of life. F 14. ________ The Cassini orbiter launched in 1997 is scheduled to land on Saturn in 2005. 36 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 19 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: SATURN TEST Circle the letter of the correct answer for each question. 1. Saturn is the _______ planet in the solar system. a) second b) fifth c) sixth d) eight 2. Saturn has a _____ solar orbit and an ______ rotation. a) 30 year; 11 hour b) 15 year; 8 hour c) 27 year; 18 day d) 30 year; 11 day 3. Saturn is composed primarily of: a) methane gases b) helium. c) liquid metallic hydrogen. d) hydrogen. 4. Saturn’s moon Phoebe is unusual because: a) it offers a possible landing site for spacecraft. b) it orbits Saturn in reverse. c) it has a dense atmosphere. d) all of the above. 5. Saturn’s moon Titan is remarkable because it: a) is the largest of Saturn’s satellites. b) it is the only moon in the solar system known to have clouds. c) may have land and oceans. d) all of the above. 6. Methane gas breakdown has been known to produce organic molecules. Why is this significant in relationship to the moon Titan? Titan’s atmosphere is rich in methane gas. If the breakdown of this gas results in long chains of proteins with the potential for life, the conditions on Titan could resemble early Earth in deep freeze. 37 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 20 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: NEPTUNE AND URANUS CHECKING COMPREHENSION Answer each of the following questions in one or two sentences. Please use full sentences. Please use a separate piece of paper for your answers. 1. Between which two planets is the planet Uranus positioned? (It is positioned between Saturn and Neptune.) 2. Which planet is farther from Earth: Uranus or Neptune? (Neptune is farther.) 3. What is unusual about the rotation and axial tilt of the planet Uranus? (Uranus spins backward at a 98∫ tilt.) 4. What main elements are found in the atmosphere of the planet Uranus? (Uranus has surface clouds of methane gas, and the interior is a combination of hydrogen, helium, and slushy ice.) 5. What is remarkable about Uranus’ moon Miranda? (It has been shattered and reassembled several times.) 6. What is the planet Neptune’s position in the solar system? (It is 8th in the solar system, between Uranus and Pluto.) 7. How does Neptune’s orbit affect the orbit of the planet Uranus? (The pull of Neptune speeds the orbit of Uranus as they pass each other.) 8. What is the most prominent feature of the planet Neptune’s surface? (There is a large oval, dark storm in Neptune’s southern hemisphere - a hurricane-like “Great Dark Spot” that spins counterclockwise.) 9. What main elements are found in the atmosphere of Neptune? (It is similar to Uranus, with hydrogen and helium clouds mixed with water ice.) 10. What is unusual about the magnetic field of Neptune when compared to Earth’s magnetic field? (Its polarity is opposite that of Earth’s.) 11. Which of the two planets - Neptune or Uranus - has a solid core? (Neither; both have hot, liquid cores.) 12. Which of the two planets has rings? (Both have rings.) 13. How many rings? (Uranus has 11 rings, and Neptune has 4.) BONUS QUESTIONS: A) B) How many known moons orbit each of these two planets? (Uranus has 27 known moons, and Neptune has 10.) What is the name of the largest moon orbiting each planet? (Titania is the largest moon orbiting Uranus; Triton is the largest orbiting Neptune.) 38 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 21 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: NEPTUNE AND URANUS TEST Circle the letter of the correct answer for each question. 1. The planet Uranus lies between: a) Jupiter and Neptune. b) Neptune and Pluto. c) Saturn and Neptune. d) Saturn and Jupiter. 2. An unusual feature about the planet Uranus is that: a) it spins backwards at a 98∫ tilt. b) it has no rings. c) it has no surface clouds. d) all of the above. 3. The Uranus moon Miranda is remarkable because: a) it has a large magnetic field. b) it is the only moon in the solar system known to have clouds. c) there are indications that it has oceans beneath the surface crust. d) it may have been shattered and reassembled several times. 4.The planet Neptune’s most prominent feature is: a) a dark area which indicates the presence of an ocean. b) a dark spot which is a hurricane spinning counterclockwise. c) its sweeping array of rings. d) its collection of moons, which outnumber those of all other planets. 5. Neptune’s moon Triton: a) is the largest of the planet’s satellites. b) is the coldest place known in our solar system. c) has the greatest diversity of ices anywhere in the solar system. d) all of the above. 6. The gas giants are quite different from the terrestrial planets. What questions do you think exploration and study of these planets and their moons can answer? ANSWERS WILL VARY. ACCEPT ANY WHICH DEMONSTRATE UNDERSTANDING OF THE TOPIC. 39 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 22 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: PLUTO CHECKING COMPREHENSION PART A: Read each statement below. Underline the word or phrase in parentheses that correctly completes each statement. Cross out the incorrect word(s) or phrase(s). NOTE: There may be more than two choices. Cross out BOTH incorrect choices. Ex: Pluto is the planet (closest to) (farthest from) the Sun. 1. Astronomer (Percival Lowell) (Clyde Tombaugh) was first to search for “Planet X.” 2. Pluto was discovered by (Percival Lowell) (Clyde Tombaugh) (James Christy) in 1930. 3. The astronomer who spotted Pluto studied images of the night sky, viewing approximately (45,000) (450,000) (45,000,000) objects before making his discovery. 4. Pluto is the (8th) (9th) planet in the solar system. 5. Pluto has a surface of (hydrogen gas) (water ice). Its core is (rocky) (liquid hydrogen). 6. Pluto’s elliptical solar orbit takes (150) (250) years. At its closest point to the Sun, the orbit is just inside the solar orbit of (Neptune) (Saturn) (Uranus). 7. Pluto’s moon (Titan) (Charon) (Miranda) was discovered in 1978 by (Percival Lowell) (James Christy). 8. Pluto is considered the largest object in the region known as the (Asteroid Belt) (Kuiper Belt) (Outer Solar System). 9. The diameter of Pluto is (smaller than) (larger than) (equal in size to) Earth’s Moon. 10. The mass of our Moon is (2 times) (4 times) (6 times) the mass of the planet Pluto. BONUS QUESTION: What is the name of the space probe planned for exploration of Pluto? The name of the space probe is New Horizons. 40 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 23 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: PLUTO TEST Circle the letter of the correct answer for each question. 1. Pluto was discovered by astronomer: a) Percival Lowell. b) James Christy. c) Gerard Kuiper. d) Clyde Tombaugh. 2. Pluto may be the largest object in: a) the Oort Cloud. b) the Kuiper Belt. c) the Asteroid Belt. d) the outer solar system. 3. When Pluto’s orbit is nearest the Sun, its orbit takes it inside the orbit of ________. a) Saturn. b) Uranus. c) Neptune. d) Charon. 4. Pluto’s solar orbit takes ______ years. a) 50 b) 100 c) 150 d) 250 5. The mass of Pluto is one-sixth that of _________. a) Earth. b) Earth’s moon. c) Charon. d) Neptune. 6. Every 248 years (for about 20 years), Pluto becomes the 8th planet and Neptune becomes the 9th planet in our solar system. Why? At the point in Pluto’s elliptical orbit of the Sun when it is closest to the Sun, the path of its orbit passes inside that of Neptune. For a while, Neptune becomes the outermost planet from the Sun in our solar system. 41 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 24 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: COMETS CHECKING COMPREHENSION: FILL IN THE BLANK From the Word Bank below, fill in the missing information in the following statements. NOTE: Not all words will be used. Atmosphere Deep Impact dust grains Earth Formation Hale-Bopp Halley’s Comet ices Kuiper Belt least changed newest Oort Cloud solar system Stardust the Sun universe 1. Comets are dirty-ice leftovers from the formation of our (solar system) around 4.6 billion years ago. 2. They are among the (least changed) objects in our solar system, and therefore may yield important clues about the (formation) of our solar system. 3. Most come from a region of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune called the (Kuiper Belt). 4. Some comets come from a very distant region - from a shell of icy clouds which envelopes the solar system called the (Oort Cloud). 5. The orbit of comets is directed by the gravitational pull of (the Sun). 6. The tail of a comet is ancient (ices) vaporizing and streaming off. 7. Meteor showers are (dust grains) from comets entering and burning up in Earth’s (atmosphere). 8. The most famous comet is (Halley’s Comet), which was first photographed in 1910. 9. (Stardust) is the first space mission dedicated solely to studying a comet and the first mission to return with material from a comet. 10. The (Deep Impact) mission will blast a hole in a comet, creating a crater as big as a football field, to study the resulting icy debris, as well as the interior material exposed by the impact. 42 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 25 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: COMETS TEST Circle the letter of the correct answer for each question. 1. Comets: a) are the least-changed objects in our solar system. b) are objects which come from beyond the Oort Cloud. c) cannot penetrate Earth’s atmosphere. d) are drawn into our solar system by the gravitational pull of the planets. 2. Meteor showers are the result of: a) comets passing through Earth’s atmosphere and hitting the surface. b) the ancient ices of a comet’s tail vaporizing and streaming off. c) dust grains from a comet entering and burning up in Earth’s atmosphere. d) all of the above. 3. Halley’s Comet has an elliptical orbit of only _____ years. a) 65 b) 76 c) 35 d) 48 4. The purpose of the space probe Stardust will be to: a) create a crater in a comet. b) collect matter that pre-dates the solar system. c) bring a small comet back to Earth. d) discover the origins of comets. 5. Comets are made up of: a) icy chunks of frozen gases. b) cosmic dust. c) small rocks. d) all of the above. 6. Why can study of comets reveal information about the formation of the solar system? Comets are dirty-ice left over from the formation of our solar system around 4.6 billion years ago. They are among the least-changed objects in our solar system and, as such, may yield important clues about its formation. 43 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 26 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: ASTEROIDS CHECKING COMPREHENSION PART A: Read the following statements. Place a T next to statements that are true, and an F next to statements that are false. 1. T ________ Asteroids are rocky fragments left over from the formation of the solar system. 2. F ________ Most asteroids can be found orbiting the Sun in a belt region just beyond Pluto. 3. T ________ The largest known asteroids would span the Pacific Ocean. 4. T ________ Some asteroids are large enough to have their own satellite, or moon. 5. F ________ Asteroids have never presented a hazard for our planet. 6. T ________ The trajectories of asteroids can be tracked using radar. PART B: Fill In The Blank From the Word Bank below, fill in the missing information in the following statements. NOTE: Not all words will be used. Arizona Jupiter solar system Asteroid Belt Kuiper Belt trajectory Australian outback meteor universe Craters meteorite Yucatan Peninsula Eros New Mexico 1. Asteroid impacts are responsible for the (craters) of Earth’s Moon. 2. Asteroids are rocky fragments left over from the formation of the (solar system) about 4.6 billion years ago. 3. Scientists believe that the gravitational pull of (Jupiter) prevents objects in the vast ring of asteroids called the (Asteroid Belt) from pulling together to form a single planet. 4. 5. Collisions between asteroids will change their orbital path and (trajectory). Sixty-five million years ago, an asteroid hit the (Yucatan Peninsula), causing a cosmic winter and extinction of two-thirds of all species on Earth. 6. When an asteroid makes it through Earth’s atmosphere and hits the ground, it is called a (meteorite). 7. Meteor Crater in (Arizona) was gouged out of the Earth 50,000 years ago. 8. Telescopes located in (New Mexico) scan the sky, watching for asteroids that may be a threat to our planet. 9. In 2001, NASA guided a spacecraft to the first-ever landing on an asteroid. The name of this asteroid is (Eros). 44 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913 ANSWER KEY for page 27 OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM: ASTEROIDS TEST Circle the letter of the correct answer for each question. 1. Most asteroids can be found: a) orbiting the solar system within the Oort Cloud. b) orbiting the Sun in a belt between Mars and Jupiter. c) orbiting Jupiter in the Asteroid Belt. d) orbiting just beyond Pluto in the Kuiper Belt. 2. Rocky fragments orbiting within the Asteroid Belt cannot form a single planet: a) because of the disruptive gravitational pull of Jupiter. b) because there is not enough material from which a planet could be formed. c) because of the disruptive gravitational pull of the Sun. d) all of the above. 3. When an asteroid hit Earth 65 million years ago: a) severe damage to the Yucatan Peninsula occurred. b) the Meteor Crater in Arizona was gouged out. c) it caused a cosmic winter and mass extinction. d) it formed an impact site 20 kilometers across in Australia. 4. Meteorites: a) are more dangerous than asteroids. b) are smaller and less of a threat than asteroids. c) are meteors that reach Earth’s surface. d) A and B 5. The current method for tracking asteroids that are considered a threat includes: a) an automated system of telescopes that watch for intruders. b) a radar system that tracks asteroids which have been spotted. c) use of radio waves to determine size, shape, and rotation of an asteroid. d) all of the above. 6. Four methods of deflecting an asteroid impact with Earth were discussed in the program. Choose TWO of these methods. Write an answer to the following question using complete sentences. Methods: • use of a curved sunlight reflector • a rocket-driven propeller • nuclear impact • nuclear deflection How would each method work and how effective or ineffective do you think each method would be? A curved reflector would involve the use of reflected sunlight to cause a surface eruption on the asteroid, changing its trajectory. A rocketdriven propeller would work like a small outboard motor, pushing the asteroid to a safer orbit. The nuclear impact would employ a nuclear warhead to blast the asteroid to pieces, resulting, however, in a possibly dangerous fragment shower. Nuclear deflection would involve a detonation in close proximity to the asteroid, thrusting the projectile from its collision course. ANSWERS REGARDING METHODS’ EFFECTIVENESS WILL VARY. ACCEPT ANY WHICH DEMONSTRATE UNDERSTANDING OF THE TOPIC. 45 © Copyright 2003 • AIMS Multimedia • The Space Files: The Outer Solar System • #2908-2913