Search Results

“Exploring the Universe: Orbiting Objects” is a hands-on activity that invites visitors to experiment with different sized and weighted balls on a stretchy fabric gravity well.

This fun and simple hands-on astronomy activity lets learners experiment with marbles and weights to discover some basics about gravity and black holes.

In this activity, learners set up an experiment to investigate the effects of hot air on the path of a laser beam.

In this activity, learners construct their own spectroscope as they explore and observe spectra from familiar light sources.

In this activity, learners construct a simple air pressure launcher for paper rockets.

In this activity about the solar system, learners use various light sources to examine ice with different components to understand how NASA studies planets and moons from space.

In this activity, learners construct hand-held altitude trackers. The device is a sighting tube with a marked water level that permits measurement of the inclination of the tube.

In this activity, learners observe colors in the flame of a burning candle to explore connections between matter, light, color and temperature -- basic concepts of matter and energy.

In this fun and simple hands-on astronomy activity, learners construct a model of our place in the Milky Way Galaxy and the distribution of stars, with a quarter and some birdseed.

This fun and simple hands-on astronomy activity illustrates the value of supernovae in the universe.

In this design challenge activity, learners build a shock-absorbing system that will protect two “astronauts” when they land.

In this activity, learners shrink the scale of the vast solar system to the size of their neighborhood.

In this activity (page 7 of PDF), learners will identify the general two-dimensional geometric shape of the uppermost cross section of an impact crater.

In this small-group activity, learners assume the roles of pilots, air traffic controllers, and NASA scientists to solve five Air Traffic Control (ATC) problems.

This fun and simple hands-on astronomy activity illustrates the path of light as it reflects off of mirrors and how this is used in telescopes.

By tossing, collecting, and sorting beanbags, learners understand how the IBEX spacecraft uses its sensors to detect and map the locations of particle types in the interstellar boundary.

In this activity, learners build a simple pinhole viewer. They use this apparatus to project images from a variety of light sources, including a candle, the Sun, and the Moon.

Discover how a refracting telescope works by making one from scratch using common items. This telescope won't have a tube so the learner can see how an image is formed inside the telescope.

In this activity (on page 14 of PDF), learners use a pan full of flour and some rocks to create a moonscape.

This simple and engaging astronomy activity explains nuclear fusion and how radiation is generated by stars, using marshmallows as a model.