Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror

In August 2012, an unmanned rover touched down on the surface of Mars. NASA's Curiosity Rover was sent to take measurements of the atmosphere and martian terrain in an effort to understand more about the history of Mars and whether the planet ever sustained life. This video shows an animation of the incredible...

Rocket Game

This space themed maths game provides an opportunity for children to practice working with number bonds to 10. It can be played either as a board game in pairs or used within an interactive whiteboard page.

To play the game the 10 number cards are shuffled and placed face-down near the board. Players take it...

ATV – Johaness Kepler

This video explains the historical context of observations and the different models of the solar system, that led to Kepler’s theories of elliptical planetary orbits. Both the Copernican and Ptolemaic models required the use of epicycles to explain retrograde motion. Kepler spent six years developing his three...

ATV – Jules Verne

The book, From the Earth to the Moon written by Jules Verne, describes firing the explorers from a canon to reach the Moon. This video explores Newton’s equation for gravitational force and how these forces change over distance. Anu Ojha explains how the International Space Station is in freefall, and how this...

What is a Light Year?

This film, from Twig World, looks at what a light year is, how it is measured and why we measure distance in terms of time?

The key points made in the film are:

•Light travels through space at 300 million metres per second

•A light year is the distance that light travels in one year

•...

The Search for Dark Matter

This film, from Twig World, looks at the work of scientists, deep underground in a disused mine in Yorkshire, searching for particles that can't be seen and have never been detected, but might bind our Universe together.

The key points made in the film are:

•Dark matter is believed to make up about...

Telescopes

This film, from Twig World, looks at who invented telescopes and how they have developed throughout history.

The key points made in the film are:

•The first optical telescopes were made around 1608. •Early telescopes consisted of a convex lens and an eyepiece.

•Later telescope designs used...

Scale of the Universe

This film, from Twig World, looks at how big the universe is.

The key points made in the film are:

•The Universe is constantly expanding.

•The Universe is already billions of light years across.

•Our Solar System is part of the Milky Way galaxy.

•Beyond our galaxy lie many more...

Milky Way's Black Hole

This film, from Twig World, looks at how scientists study black holes. Scientists believe there is a supermassive black hole 26,000 light years away at the centre of our Galaxy. But how do they know, when they can't see it?

The key points made in the film are:

•Black holes are formed when massive...

Kittinger: First Man in Space

This film, from Twig World, tells the story of Joe Kittinger who made the first journey beyond Earth's atmosphere.

The key points made in the film are:

•Project Excelsior III was the American Air Force’s mission to test high altitude bailouts.

•As part of this mission Colonel Joe Kittinger...