Cool Space Stuff for Older Kids

 The ISS as seen from the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2005, with planet Earth in the background

Today, 15 different countries participate in the ISS project.  But, it wasn't always that way.

It started out as the brainchild of U.S. President Ronald Regan, in 1984.  It was built in pieces, or modules.  The first module was set in orbit in 1988.  And other modules were added as they were built.  Each time a new module was built, it was  then  taken up into space by either an American space shuttle or a Russian rocket.  Modules were then attached to the existing modules already in orbit.

The first human inhabitants arrived in November of 2000 and there has been someone living there ever since.  Not the same person the whole time, of course!  Astronauts usually stay for around six months or so before their replacement arrives.

Spacecraft from several nations take supplies up. But, since the retirement of the shuttle fleet, astronauts can only get there (and return to earth) in the crew capsule of a Russian Soyuz rocket. 

In the video that follows, Expedition Commander Suni Williams shows you some views out into space ant of the earth through the windows on the ISS, and shows you how astronauts there get some exercise in space. That's very important, because of the effect that prolonged weightlessness can have on your muscles. Watch her have a lot of fun doing some things we can't do on earth.

By Ke4roh (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons  -  The entrance to Space Camp, in Hunstville, AL.  At left is the Habitat, the living quarters for campers.  

Space Camp is a wonderful experience for youngsters interested in science in general, or in career with NASA in particular.  I know, because my grandson went one year when he was young, and it was the absolute high point of his summer.  He had a fabulous time, and learned a great deal.

My grandson got to be part of mission control, and oh, my goodness, was that ever exciting for him.  He had such incredible stories to tell when he returned, that it made me wish I could have been there, too.  With the family program, I could have been.  I missed that, but you don't have to!

Although the program he enjoyed is not currently being offered, there are other options available, at both the Huntsville facility and at Kennedy Space Center in Florida

  Space Camp Multi Axis Trainer

THREE and FOUR DAY FAMILY ADVENTURES

Family Space Camp will be a memorable family experience for everyone.  

At the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the  visitor center for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, your family will spend three or four days of unforgettable mission training, rocket construction and on-site space history.  This one is for families with children ages seven and up.  You'll get to see and use some of the actual astronaut training equipment, including the 1/16 gravity chair.  

WEEK LONG SPACE CAMPS FOR KIDS

There are programs at three different levels, designed for age groups:

• Space Camp for ages 9 - 11
• Space Academy for ages 12-14
• Advanced Space Academy for ages 15 - 18

To see what is involved in each, just click on one of the three links in the above list.

The programs are absolutely out of this world!

 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame

DAY CAMP FOR KIDS

Camp Kennedy Space Center is a day camp  that lasts five days, and takes place at the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, just outside the gates of Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

 See space shuttle Atlantis, meet a real astronaut, and do hands on learning about space travel, including a simulated shuttle mission.  

 This day programs is open to kids entering grades two through eleven.  There are half a dozen space themed teams, each for a specific age group.

OVERNIGHT ADVENTURE

KSC also offers its Overnight Adventure at various times throughout the year, for children aged 7 - 14, with special sessions for boy scouts and home schooled students.  Overnight Adventures are held at either Space Shuttle Atlantis or the Apollo/SaturnV Center.

Interested in the Family Space Camp mentioned above?  Here's a video, showing some of the highlights. 

You can watch the International Space Station move across the sky, if you know its schedule and where to  look.  You don't even need a telescope! 

 It will look like a bright white dot going across the sky. But, how will you know when and where to watch for it?

HERE'S HOW:

NASA has a web site, Spot the Station , that will tell you.  Here's how it works:

1 - Go to the site and click on the blue LOCATION LOOKUP button.  

2 - Choose your location. Choose your country, state or region (if any) and then choose your city, or the one nearest you.

3 - Click the blue NEXT button.

By paul [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Here's a sample of what you will see.  The sample is for Houston, on a day in June, 2015.  You will see more days.  They will be for the city you chose. 

Date                           Visible      Max Ht      Appears          Disappears 

Tue Jun 2, 8:42 PM      6 min         79°        11 above SW      12 above NE

What do these things mean?

First, we know that the station will appear at 8:42 pm on Tuesday, June 2, and can be seen for five minutes.

The next number tells us that the highest it will get in the sky is 79 degrees. (that's pretty high!)

The last two items tell you which way to look to see it come into view, and where it will be when it disappears from view.  In the example, you would watch towards the SOUTHWEST  for it to appear low in the sky.  After moving for five minutes, it will disappear over your NORTH EAST horizon.

The horizon is the line where the land and sky meet.  ZERO degrees is right at the ground.  NINETY degrees is straight above your head.  So, that means that in the above example it will actually get pretty high in the sky.  (79 degrees) 

• Super Cool Space Tools

  A 33 page on line book with nice photographs on every page. (Turn the pages with your mouse) Introduction to cool stuff. Learn about historic tools, like astrolabes and sextants, as well as modern ones, like orbiting telescopes, space probes,and landers.

• Make a Bubble Powered Rocket

  Instructions for making a bubble powered rocket

• Explore the Solar System

  Go on an online mission to explore the planets of the solar system in this fun on line course.

• Sally Ride's Legacy Lives On

  Dr. Sally Ride was America's first woman in space. She was a national heroine. Other women followed her into the final frontier, and she left behind books for kids about real space travel.