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Requirements January 1984 until January 2005

1. Tell the purpose of space exploration including (a) historical reason, (b) immediate goals in terms of specific knowledge, (c) benefits related to Earth resources, technology, and new products.

2. Tell about main steps in humanity's movement into space and tell the contributions of these individuals: Jules Verne, K.E. Tsiolkovsky, Robert Goddard, Hermann Oberth, and Wernher von Braun.

3. Build, launch, and recover a model rocket.* Make a second launch to accomplish a specific objective. (Rocket must be built to meet the safety code of the National Association of Rocketry.) Identify and explain the following rocket parts:

(a) Body tube
(b) Engine mount
(c) Fins
(d) Igniter
(e) Launch lug
(f) Nose cone
(g) Payload
(h) Recovery system
(i) Rocket engine

4. Discuss and demonstrate each of the following:

(a) The law of action-reaction
(b) How rocket engines work
(c) How satellites stay in orbit
(d) How satellite pictures of the Earth and pictures of other planets are made and transmitted

5. Discuss what has been learned about the Moon and planets by manned and unmanned spacecraft exploration and the possible benefits of new knowledge. Do TWO of the following:

(a) Construct a data table of recent information about the planets. For each planet, give important facts, including distance from the sun, period of revolution, rotation, number of moons, etc.
(b) Make a scrapbook of magazine photographs and news clippings about planetary research.
(c) Design a spacecraft that will be sent on a mission to another planet to take samples of its surface and return them to Earth. Name the planet your spacecraft will visit; and, in your design, show how the spacecraft will work and cope with the environment of that planet.

6. Describe the purpose and operation of the space shuttle. Discuss the following:

(a) Main components
(b) Typical mission profile
(c) Payloads

7. Design an Earth-orbiting space station. Make drawings or a model of your station. Within your design, consider and plan for the following:

(a) Source of energy
(b) How it will be constructed
(c) Life-support systems
(d) Purpose and function.

8. Discuss with your counselor two possible careers in space exploration.

* If local laws prohibit launching model rockets, do the following activity: Make a model of a NASA rocket. Explain the functions of the parts. Give the history of the rocket.

Requirements January 2005 until January 2014.

1. Tell the purpose of space exploration and include the following:

(a) Historical reasons
(b) Immediate goals in terms of specific knowledge
(c) Benefits related to Earth resources, technology, and new products

2. Design a collector’s card, with a picture on the front and information on the back, about your favorite space pioneer. Share your card and discuss four other space pioneers with your counselor.

3. Build, launch, and recover a model rocket.* Make a second launch to accomplish a specific objective. (Rocket must be built to meet the safety code of the National Association of Rocketry. See the “Model Rocketry” chapter.) Identify and explain the following rocket parts.

(a) Body tube
(b) Engine mount
(c) Fins
(d) Igniter
(e) Launch lug
(f) Nose cone
(g) Payload
(h) Recovery system
(i) Rocket engine

4. Discuss and demonstrate each of the following:

(a) The law of action-reaction
(b) How rocket engines work
(c) How satellites stay in orbit
(d) How satellite pictures of Earth and pictures of other planets are made and transmitted.

5. Do TWO of the following:

(a) Discuss with your counselor an unmanned space exploration mission and an early manned mission. Tell about each mission’s major discoveries, its importance, and what we learned from it about the planets, moons, or regions of space explored.
(b) Using magazine photographs, news clippings, and electronic articles (such as from the Internet), make a scrapbook about a current planetary mission.
(c) Design an unmanned mission to another planet or moon that will return samples of its surface to Earth. Name the planet or moon your spacecraft will visit. Show how your design will cope with the conditions of the planet’s or moon’s environment.

6. Describe the purpose, operation, and components of ONE of the following:

(a) Space shuttle
(b) International Space Station

7. Design an inhabited base located on the Moon or Mars. Make drawings or a model of your base. In your design, consider and plan for the following

(a) Source of energy
(b) How it will be constructed
(c) Life-support system
(d) Purpose and function

8. Discuss with your counselor two possible careers in space exploration that interest you. Find out the qualifications, education, and preparation required and discuss the major responsibilities of those positions.

*If local laws prohibit launching model rockets, do the following activity: Make a model of a NASA rocket. Explain the functions of the parts. Give the history of the rocket.