Space Education
Our knowledge of the world around us, including our solar system and beyond, has
evolved a lot over several centuries. Did you know that a long time ago, people
refused to believe that the Earth was round? Some believed that it was simply flat,
while others even thought it might be square! When early philosophers and scientists
tried to convince people that the Earth was round, they were thought to be very
strange and even evil. Since then, a lot has changed. Throughout human history,
astronomers and physicists (even in ancient cultures, such as the Mayans) have been
fascinated with the secrets of space. They would make maps and charts of the constellations,
and later began to unveil findings of other planets that also revolve around the
sun. Even with all of that knowledge, at that time, people never believed that one
day we might actually voyage to outer space! That only came about in the 1900s after
airplane technology started to be developed.
By the 50s, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was founded
and began to develop a program to explore space. People were still skeptical and
thought it was crazy to believe that they could actually send a man to walk on the
moon! All of that changed when astronaut Neil Armstrong took his first steps on
the moon and broadcast it back to the millions of people tuning in on Earth. In
the few decades after that space exploration grew in leaps and bounds. Russia was
also developing a major space program and they raced against the Americans to make
the first achievements in space exploration. Since those days, humans have sent
up a lot of space shuttles, astronauts, satellites, remote-controlled probes, and
more. They have also found more advanced ways to capture images, video, and data
of very remote stars and galaxies from Earth. Despite all of this exploration and
knowledge, we have yet to find an answer to a single question that everyone wonders
at some point: are there other forms of life beyond our planet? So far, scientists
have determined that the other planets of our solar system are uninhabited. However,
the universe is so vast that it would take millions of years for anyone to explore
it! Perhaps in the future, humans might develop a technology so advanced that it
can achieve this purpose. For now, we have to continue to be persistent and learn
all that we can. Even kids can start to learn about space and astronomy. If it is
something that truly interests you, perhaps you might choose to study it more fully
as you grow up. There are many different careers related to space exploration apart
from being an astronaut. For example, some people are engineers and help to build
spacecrafts, while others might manage new programs, study and research other areas
of outer space, or develop new technologies to help astronauts live in space. To
start learning more about space, check out the fun links below!
Explore the
NASA Kids’ Club!
Kids’ Questions
About Space and Astronomy
NASA Resources for
Kids
Play an Astronomy
Jeopardy Game Online
Clean
Up Outer Space in the Space Janitor Game
What is Life Like for Astronauts
in Space?
Why Do Astronauts Travel in Space?
A Brief History of
the Space Shuttle Program
A Video About the
Construction of the Space Station
Design Your Own Space
Station in Cosmic Quest!
Famous People and Space Discoveries
A Video of Solar System Facts
Can There Really be
Life on Mars?
The Kids’ Astronomy
Info and Workbook Package (PDF)
Follow the Apollo 11
Journey to the Moon
An Activity to Explain
Orbital Forces
Solar System and Other Space In-Class
Activities
The Sun, Stars, Galaxies, and More!
What Exactly Is a Star?
The Life Cycle
of a Star
Complete This Worksheet on Asteroids (PDF)
How to Observe
Constellations in the Sky
Make Your Own Constellation!
Meteoroids and
Craters
Test Your Knowledge of Black Holes
An Astronomy
Dictionary for Kids
A General Quiz
On Astronomy
Watch an Animated
Video About the Solar System
A Quick
Look at Comets
Learn How the
Planets Orbit and Rotate
Exploring the Sun
What is the Moon
Made Up Of?
Travel Through
Space on a Fun Webquest!
An Illustrated Space Timeline for
Kids
A Webquest All About Comets
Astronomy and Space Animations and Videos
Explore Our Solar System
Virtually
The Differences
Between Meteors and Asteroids
Famous Names in Astronomy
and Astrophysics
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