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~I PACKUP FORA TRIPTO THEMOON I

~ ACTIVITY 1-3GRADE LEVEL:6-9+

Source: Reprinted with permission of WQED/Pittsburgh from The SPACEAGE Activity Guide.Copyright @1992by QED Communications Inc. Original funding from the Corporationfor Public Broadcasting and the National Science Foundation. The actvity guide is avail-able for $5.00 from SPACEAGE Educational Materials, WQED, 4801 Fifth Avenue,Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

What's This Activity About?

Suppose you are stranded on the Moon-what would you need in order to survive? Thisis a fun, fast activity with lots of science under-neath. It can be repeated for other planets orobjects in the solar system to help studentsapply their knowledge of surface and atmos-pheric conditions.

What Will Students Do?

Students rank and discuss what they wouldtake from a supplied list of items if they werestranded on the Moon. The list includes critical

items (oxygen, water), useful ones (maps, rope),and some useless ones as well (matches, compass).

What Will Students Learn?

ConceptsSurviving on the MoonLunar surface conditions

Tips and Suggestions. Precede this activity with a discussion, and atleast one video about the Moon, includingfootage of Apollo astronauts walking abouton the Moon and riding in the Lunar Rovervehicle.

. Students can be tremendously creative withthis activity. Consider linking it with a writingexercise or an art project. Depending on thelist of items, the activity can also be used forearlier grades.

Big IdeasSimulations

Inquiry SkillsApplyingEvaluatingImagining

24PROJECT ASTRO RESOURCE NOTEBOOK/ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC

1-3,Pack up for a Trip to tbe Moon

SPACEEXPLORATIONAND SET!

PackUpfor a trip to theMoonToapply problem-solvingskills to a consideration

of living on theMoon.

Theactivity gives participants a list ofitems available to a fictional crew after

a crash landing on the Moon and has

them rank the items in importance.

Materials Needednone

StrategiesBeforebeginning this activity, haveyour group make a list of everythingthat a four-person crew would needin order to live on the Moon for a

two-week period. Later, either whileyou conduct the activity orafterwards, review the list. Does itaccount for some of the problemareas identified by the activity andthe SPACE AGE program "To theMoon and Beyond"?

The problem-solvingactivityhasbeen used by many differentgroupsand is adapted from one on NASASpaceLink,an electronicinformationsystem for educators. Whileno officialsolution to the problem exists,the chartpresents rankings and rationalesgivenby various "experts."

Individual student rankings canbe compared with a group ranking orexpert rankings. Error points can becalculated as the absolute difference

between an individual and the groupor between the group and expertrankings.

Extension

Have students pretend they areamong the first people to live andwork on the Moon. What rules will

the Moon community follow? Howand by whom will these be deter-mined? How will they be enforced?

@1992 QED Communications Inc.

Will a leader be selected? How?

What environmental issues are likelyto confront them? What occupationswill be needed?

Invite students to produce the firstnewspaper or television newsmagazine show originating from theMoon. How will they describe dailylife? What will their view be like?

. What discoveries will be made?

hem (Ranking)Explanation

RelatedResources

Collins, M. Liftoff, The Story ofAmerica's Adventure in Space.NewYork: NASA/Grove Press, 1988.

The EagleHas Landed:The Flight ofApollo 11. Video (28 minutes). 1969.Available from: NASA CORE,Lorain

County Joint Vocational School,15181Route 58 South, Oberlin, OH44074.

LunarPhenomena.Slides on importantaspects of the Moon. Availablefrom: MMI Corporation, 2950Wyman Parkway, P.O. Box 19907,Baltimore, MD 21211.

25 PROJECTASTRa RESOURCE NOTEBOOK/AsTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC

matches (15) No air on Moon so matcheswill not burn

food (4) Efficient means of supply-ing energy requirements

rope (6) Useful in scaling cliffs oruse in case of emergency

parachute (8) Possible use as sun shield

heater (13) Not needed unless on darkside

pistol (11) Possible means ofself-propulsion

milk (12) Bulkier duplication ofenergy source

oxygen (1) The most pressing survivalrequirement

constellation Primary means ofmap (3) navigation

rah (9) Carbon dioxide bottlepossible propulsion source

compass (14) Useless; Moon has noglobal field

water (2) Replacement oftremendous liquid loss onlighted side of Moon

flares (10) Distress signal whenrescue ship is sighted

first aid kit (7) Needles for medicinesand vitamins fit specialaperture on suit

FMtransceiver For communication with(5) rescue ship on line of sight

Program 1 2 3 4 5 6

*

Subject S M SS T LA

* * * *

SPACEEXPLORATIONAND SETI

1-3, Pack Upfor a Trip to the Moon

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Youare a memberof a crew on a trip to the Moon. Yourspaceshipcrash lands on the Moon.A rescue craft ison its way to get you but it will be severaldaysbefore itgets there and you will have to meet it at anotherlandingsite. Theitemslisted at the right are the onlythings youhave beenable to save from yourspaceship.How important is each item to you in helpingyouto survive and reach the rendezvouspoint? Ranktheitems from 7-75using 7to meanmost important and 75to meanleast important

Discussyourreasonfor eachranking.Forexample,youmightgivethe compassa relativelylow rankingbecauseitwouldbe worthlessfor findingdirection(theMoonhasnoglobalfield).Its transparentcovercouldbeusedasareflectivesignalingdevice,however.

Items

- boxofmatches- foodconcentrate

- 50feet ofnylonrope- parachute- portableheatingunit- caseofdehydratedmilk- two 700lb. tanksofoxygen- Moonconstellationmap- self-inflatingliferaft thatusesa carbondioxidecanister- magneticcompass- 5gallonsof water- pistolwith6bullets- self-ignitingsignalflares- first aidkit with hypodermicneedles- solar-poweredFMtransceiver

~

@1992 QED Communications Inc.

26PROJECT ASTRO RESOURCENOTEBOOK/AsTRONOMICAL SOCIETYOF THE PACIFIC

1-3,Pack up for a Trip to tbe Moon

SPACEEXPLORATIONAND SETI

* What will be needed for

long-term living on theMoon?

* What resources are alreadyavailable on the Moon for apermanent Moon base?

(91992 QED Communications Inc.

Before the 1960s,most peoplethought that humans could not liveanywhere other than Earth. Sincethat time, more than 200humanshave lived in space for varyinglengths of time, including 12astronauts who lived on the Moon,

some for as long as three days.A permanent base on the Moon

might be used for extractingmaterials from the Moon,

conducting scientific research, orlaunching other space missions, suchas a mission to Mars or an

astronomical observatory.The Moon is not a hospitable place.

No food or water exists.Temperaturesrange from 120 degrees centigradeduring the day to minus 180degreescentigrade at night. Because theMoon has no atmosphere to absorbor deflect it, the Sun's radiation isdangerous. Long-term settlements onthe Moon will require major life-support systems, new constructiontechnologies, and many otherscientificadvances.

Sometimes low technologysolutions will work as well as or

better than high technology ones.Although a compass on the Moon isuseless because of the lack of a globalfield, Apollo astronauts were able touse a gnomon (sun compass), whichwas used on Earth to find direction

for hundreds of years beforemagnetism was discovered.

Current thoughts for a lunar basecall for building living quartersunder the Moon's surface to protectthe crew from space radiation. Somebuilding materials will be developedfrom resources available on the

Moon. Lunar soil, for example, hasbeen found to contain oxygen,silicon, glass, iron, aluminum, andmagnesium. Robotic craft with avariety of capabilities andresponsibilities are scheduled tobuild many of the structures. Theywill not need life support or as muchprotection from radiation. Finally,scientists are trying to develop aclosed ecosystem that wouldgenerate food, water, and oxygen onthe Moon.

27 PROJECTASTRO ReSOURCENOTEBOOK/AsTRONOMICAL SOCIETYOF THE PACIFIC