Exploring Mars: Landers

These images, from NASA, show crafts that have been used in the surface exploration of Mars. They illustrate space exploration including the Mars Viking lander which looked for signs of life on Mars.

Mars Viking Mission

This video clip from NASA examines space exploration by the Viking missions to Mars and considers if life can exist on the Red Planet. After describing the components of the Viking orbiters and landers, the programme notes how scientific experiments performed on the surface of Mars revealed a lack of organic...

Solar System: Relative Size of the Planets

From NASA, this image presents the approximate sizes of the planets relative to each other. Outward from the Sun, the planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The planets are not shown at their relative distances from the Sun.

Solar System Reader

Produced by NASA, this resource contains five activities, teaching tips, fun facts and short narratives in which the sun and each planet introduce themselves. They can be used to help students improve their reading as well as learn about the solar system.

Solar System Puzzle Kit

Produced by NASA, this activity contains information about the planets of the solar system. The main activity allows students to create an eight-cube paper puzzle of the solar system. In assembling the puzzle, students colour images of the Sun, planets and asteroids. In addition to puzzle pieces, the kit contains...

Dwarf Planets as a New Way of Thinking about an Old Solar System

From NASA, this resource looks at how bodies in the solar system are classified. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined the terms "planet" and "dwarf planet". The IAU's decision created an opportunity for students to understand the solar system better by considering the definitions of planet,...

Solar System Image and Information Set *suitable for home teaching*

From NASA, this is a set of high quality images and information about the solar system. The set of materials features the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Earth’s Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, asteroids, comets, meteors and meteorites, the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud, and moons of the solar system...

Spacecraft Engineer

Simon Meek is a spacecraft engineer, designing, building and tracking satellites. This Department for Education clip shows how studying science and mathematics open the gateway to interesting careers. Simon studied maths, physics and English at A-level and went on to study for a degree in Physics.

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Activity Case Study 14: Vicki Hodges

This STEMNET activity case study describes the work of Vicki Hodges as a STEM Ambassador. In a wide range of activities, she has helped to build a space station in an infant school, worked at careers fairs for older students and lectured at universities. Vicki has worked with all age groups and enjoys sharing her...

Developing a Blog-Style Webquest to Support Independent Skills

Published by LSIS, this research report describes a project undertaken by New College Nottingham. The project describes the creation of a webquest to aid the learning of space exploration for a BTEC first diploma.

Using a blog facilitated a dialogue between the students themselves and also with the class...