Teaching a class with Orbiter

[pigasuspig]

I will be teaching a course this summer on space flight, with a heavy emphasis on Orbiter missions. The course will be 4 2-hour classes (MW two weeks) and 2 1-hour classes (the two Fridays) with about a dozen bright 6-10th graders. They will each have a computer in a computer lab.

I have read Go Play in Space, but wonder if anyone else has any experience doing this, or any ideas.

Thanks!

 

[bradfirj92]

Do one step of a flight from ksc to iss each long lesson. Spend 1 hour teaching how it works and let them try for one hour. Shorter lessons let them try their own maneuvers and help them, explaining the physics as you do.

Just some ideas

 

[ar81]

In 2005 I had a workshop for primary school kids at a private international school. I used my own material because at the time Go Play in Space did not exist. An 8 year old student of mine made it to TV and she appeared on national TV, bringing a DG to a perfect circular orbit.

The most entertaining mission was when they had 2 DGIII, one disabled and they had to pass the crew with names of their classmates to the rescue ship. They took it really serious as they said "oh no, I killed him" as they made mistakes and some astronauts drifted away.

I posted the material from my first lesson at OH.

I also have conducted demonstrations at the Planetario de San José. One of the sessions was particularly inspiring. A student with learning problems felt really well deploying HST in a stock scenario of Orbiter.

Also a presentation made at European Union Film Festival, allowed me to show an orbital flyover over Brazil to Nicolas Brown from BBC.

I can tell you that your audience, adults or kids, will be astonished. No screenshot can describe how incredible Orbiter is in motion.

 

[pigasuspig]

About how long did it take for the students to learn various skills - say, everything that goes into launching to a circular orbit? I want to figure out good goals for each day.