Unit 8: Practical Astronomy, mini-project requirements

Hi all,

We are doing one last project - a presentation on objects in space using a night sky simulator.

Here are the requirements.  The project presentation will be on Tuesday, May 20th.

You may use stellarium or google sky.

Current Events in Astrobiology

Hi students,

Today you are going to find a current events article relating to the search for alien life in space.

You may use google or any search engine you wish.  You may also use http://phys.org/space-news/ or http://www.astrobiology.com/ to find an article that interests you.

Read your article, write a one paragraph summary, and email me the LINK to the article and the summary at james_trainer@dpsk12.org.

Here are some articles from students (you may not use these!)..

Kiki: In this article it states that 1,000 new exoplanets have been found. And because of the Kepler telescope in space has detected 3,588 planets in total! Thats only with one telescope, so there is a possibility of life on other planets. Also, this article is mainly just stating that the Kepler telescope is just searching a patch in the sky, that beyond our reach there is ET life out there.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/09/29/number-confirmed-alien-planets-nears-1000/

Juan: A group of British researchers sent up an balloon up to the stratosphere above England and when the balloon came back down they found living microbes on the balloon and the microbes were being supported by the environment of the stratosphere.  Other bacteria and lifeforms have been found high above planet earth. This alone can tell us that lifeforms can live in a more space condition with a very small fraction or poor like earth condition.

New Alien Life Claim Far from Convincing, Scientists Say

Nora:    In this article, they are investigating about the existence of life on exomoons. There has not yet been a discovery of an exomoon but they predict there is a possibility for life to exist if it has the right conditions, in the habitable zone. They believe there could me more exomoons than exoplanets. They are investigating how the climate of an exomoon will be affected by tidal stresses which provide a source of internal heating for the exomoon as it is stretched and deformed by the gravitational pull of its planet. They are also investigating how light reflected from the exoplanet, and eclipses by the exoplanet, can also subtly alter the exomoon’s climate.

http://www.space.com/25645-move-over-exoplanets-exomoons-may-harbour-life-too.html

Ashley:  Sceinetists have found what seems to be an ocean on Saturn's moon, Enceladus, and that gives them a possible thought that alien life could be there.Thought it is not the only moon to have water on it and possiblely extraterrisetial life. Jupiters largest moon is capable to have life as well.Though sceintists wonder "What coniditons are there suppose to be for life?" They still dont know the ocean's temperature. So it's still a mystery.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/apr/03/ocean-enceladus-alien-life-water-saturn-moon

Astrobiology: Finding other Earths

Hi students!  Today we are going to learn about the search for exoplanets (planets beyond our solar system) that may support life.

Objective: SWBAT describe how the Kepler mission finds exoplanets and describe the criteria by which we assess the habitability of exoplanets.

Today's assignment:  You will be assigned a topic to research in a small group.  Visit the links below for your topic, gather information according to the guiding questions you are given, and prepare a very short presentation to describe your topic to another group.  Your presentation should contain at least one image, answers to the guiding questions, definitions for key vocabulary, and examples of scientific discoveries pertaining to your topic.  You should expect to speak to a group about your topic for 1 or 2 minutes.

Exoplanets
http://www.space.com/17738-exoplanets.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140417-exoplanet-interactive/#

Kepler Mission
http://kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/QuickGuide/howKeplerFindsPlanets/
http://astro.unl.edu/naap/esp/detection.html

Habitable Zone
http://www.pbs.org/lifebeyondearth/alone/habitable.html
http://www.hzgallery.org/

Goldilocks
http://phys.org/news/2013-12-goldilocks-clue-habitable-planets.html#nRlv
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/29mar_goldilocks/

After your research and preparation time is up, you will get sorted into different groups to share your information.  During that time, you will complete this graphic organizer.

Unit 7: The Search for Alien Life, Day 1 - Fermi's Paradox

Hi students!

Now we are learning about aliens.  Awesome.

Today we are learning about Fermi's Paradox.  Enrico Fermi was a famous physicist who figured out that there has been enough time for intelligent alien life to colonize the galaxy, yet we cannot detect their presence today.  This is a paradox, which is a self-contradictory idea.

Here is a great visual explanation of Fermi's Paradox:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2apGYUX7Q0

Later on, another physicist checked Fermi's math and developed this formula:

This is the Drake equation.  When it was initially solved, using what we knew about the milky way galaxy in the 60's, the solution estimated that there should be 10,000 intelligent civilizations in the milky way galaxy.  Today, we know more about the milky way and the current solution is that there should be 0.08 intelligent civilizations in our galaxy.  This is weird because we know of at least 1.

Here is a great visual explanation of the Drake Equation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AnLznzIjSE

Mission to Mars Part 2

Hi students,

Today we are going to conclude watching History Channel's The Universe - Mars: The Red Planet.  Please continue developing your opinion as to whether or not a manned mission to Mars is feasible and likely to happen.

Here are a couple more resources to consider:

1. An article about a deal between Mars One and Lockheed Martin (an aerospace engineering firm): http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/one-way-manned-mission-mars-just-got-closer-reality

2. An article about a panel meeting in Congress to discuss proceeding with a manned mission to Mars:
http://phys.org/news/2014-03-house-panel-discuses-mars-flyby.html

By the end of class, please type a two-paragraph essay giving your opinion.  Make sure it answers the following questions:  Is a manned mission to Mars feasible?  What obstacles need to be overcome?  Do you think that this will happen in your lifetime?  Why do you think so?  Email or share your essay with me at james_trainer@dpsk12.org.  As always, you will be graded using the common core rubric for your grade level.  This is a 50-point quiz assignment.

Mission to Mars

Hi all,

One of the next logical steps in manned space exploration is to land on Mars.  This was the expected next step after we won the Space Race by landing on the Moon, but as we have learned, President Nixon opted to direct NASA's efforts towards the space shuttle instead.  There is now a renewed interest in pursuing the goal of sending a manned mission to Mars, but this will be an extremely expensive, difficult, and dangerous mission.

Objective:  Student will assess the feasibility of a manned mission to Mars in writing by considering the technological, financial, and medical obstacles that stand in the way of mission success.

Start by reading about the feasibility of the mission here: http://www.space.com/24268-manned-mars-mission-nasa-feasibility.html

Now, let's read about Mars One, a non-profit corporation that aims to establish a semi-permanent human colony on Mars in the 2020's.  Start with the "Risks and Challenges" page and then move on to familiarize yourself with their missions and timeline:  http://www.mars-one.com/mission/risks-and-challenges

After we have read these resources and discussed them briefly, we will get some basic background information on Mars and the trip there by watching the Nature Channel's The Universe - Mars: The Red Planet in class (you can also watch it on your own here).

Modern Space Exploration: The Hubble Telescope

This is our last week in Unit 6: Space Exploration.  We will be learning about modern (post-shuttle) efforts to explore space.  Our objective of the week is students will be able to describe current and future efforts to explore space, both within the solar system and in the universe beyond.

Today we are going to learn more about the Hubble telescope.  As we have learned, the Hubble owes its existence to the space shuttle program.  Only the shuttle could have launched, assembled, and repaired this remarkable instrument.  But why is the Hubble so special?  What has it taught us?  Let's take a look.

First, let's examine HubbleSite's Hubble Essentials page to learn the basics. How does the Hubble work?  Why did it need to be repaired?  Who uses it?  http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/hubble_essentials/

Now, let's learn more about the instruments aboard Hubble.  How are they different from one another?  What do they allow us to see? http://www.spacetelescope.org/about/general/instruments/

Finally, let's learn about some of the achievements of the Hubble.  What have we learned using the Hubble?

The famous XDF image: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/49168911/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/hubble-telescope-reveals-farthest-ever-view-universe/#.UzA6fqhdVyw

Finding exoplanets, which is important for our next unit on extraterrestrial life (you will want some headphones for this).  What are some of the different techniques for finding planets orbiting far-away stars?: http://hubblesite.org/hubble_discoveries/discovering_planets_beyond/ 

The Hubble has advanced our understanding of the origins of the universe, of how galaxies develop and change, and of how stars are born.  Learn about one more discovery of your choice here: http://hubblesite.org/hubble_discoveries/breakthroughs/

We will stop periodically to discuss your findings.  In the last 10 minutes of class, you will be asked to complete this mastery check.