On October 11, 1984, a female American astronaut stepped outside her spacecraft …
On October 11, 1984, a female American astronaut stepped outside her spacecraft for the first time. Kathryn D. "Kathy" Sullivan had work to do in the payload bay of the Space Shuttle Challenger,
The American Space Program was experimenting with fitness in Space when a …
The American Space Program was experimenting with fitness in Space when a variable resistance rope friction device which was originally designed to lower people from a burning building.
This is an assessment activity for the The Cosmic Ray Telescope for …
This is an assessment activity for the The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER) educational kit. Learners will make a poster that explains possible origins of cosmic rays, how they affect people, and what protects us here on Earth. Alternately, they will make a poster describing CRaTER’s goal and how it works.
This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by …
This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:
"Spaceflight affects the human body in numerous ways, but one underexplored area is the mouth. The mouth is home to rich populations of bacteria and fungi which, studies have hinted, can undergo shifts during long and even short space missions. For the first time, researchers have tracked changes in the oral microbiome during and after spaceflight and examined how those changes might reawaken dormant viruses — a phenomenon long known to affect astronauts. The team analyzed saliva samples from 10 male astronauts for microbial makeup and for the presence of Epstein-Barr, herpes simplex, and varicella zoster virus. Only Epstein-Barr virus counts appeared to track with changes in microbial composition during spaceflight. For example, increased virus counts coincided with increased numbers of bacteria of the genus Gracilibacteria, while low counts coincided with increased numbers of members of Oribacteria and Hemophilus..."
The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.
In this lesson, students will explain CRaTER's purpose and how it works. …
In this lesson, students will explain CRaTER's purpose and how it works. They will also design (using paper and pencil) a cosmic ray detector to answer their own questions. CRaTER's purpose is to identify safe landing sites for future human missions to the moon; discover potential resources on the Moon; and characterize the radiation environment of the Moon. The lesson includes background information for the teacher, questions, and information about student preconceptions. This is lesson 4 of 4 from "The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation."
The digestive system is amazing: it takes the foods we eat and …
The digestive system is amazing: it takes the foods we eat and breaks them into smaller components that our body can use for energy, cell repair and growth. This lesson introduces students to the main parts of the digestive system and how they interact. In addition, students learn about some of the challenges astronauts face when trying to eat in outer space.
This unit covers the broad spectrum of topics that make-up our very …
This unit covers the broad spectrum of topics that make-up our very amazing human body. Students are introduced to the space environment and learn the major differences between the environment on Earth and that of outer space. The engineering challenges that arise because of these discrepancies are also discussed. Then, students dive into the different components that make up the human body: muscles, bones and joints, the digestive and circulatory systems, the nervous and endocrine systems, the urinary system, the respiratory system, and finally the immune system. Students learn about the different types of muscles in the human body and the effects of microgravity on muscles. Also, they learn about the skeleton, the number of and types of bones in the body, and how outer space affects astronauts' bones. In the lessons on the digestive, circulatory, nervous and endocrine systems, students learn how these vital system work and the challenges faced by astronauts whose systems are impacted by spaceflight. And lastly, advances in engineering technology are discussed through the lessons on the urinary, respiratory and immune systems while students learn how these systems work with all the other body components to help keep the human body healthy.
This lesson describes the major components and functions of the immune system …
This lesson describes the major components and functions of the immune system and the role of engineers in keeping the body healthy (e.g., vaccinations and antibiotics, among other things). This lesson also discusses how an astronaut's immune system is suppressed during spaceflight due to stress and other environmental factors.
This lesson describes how the circulatory system works, including the heart, blood …
This lesson describes how the circulatory system works, including the heart, blood vessels and blood. Students learn about the chambers and valves of the heart, the difference between veins and arteries, and the different components of blood. This lesson also covers the technology engineers have developed to repair the heart if it is damaged. Students also understand how the circulatory system is affected during spaceflight (e.g., astronauts lose muscle in their heart during space travel).
In this lesson about cosmic rays, students will describe why cosmic rays …
In this lesson about cosmic rays, students will describe why cosmic rays are dangerous to astronauts. Includes information about student preconceptions. This is activity 3 of 4 from "The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER)."
This lesson helps students explore the functions of the kidney and its …
This lesson helps students explore the functions of the kidney and its place in the urinary system. Students learn how engineers design instruments to help people when kidneys are not functioning properly or when environmental conditions change, such as kidney function in space.
Students are introduced to the International Space Station (ISS) with information about …
Students are introduced to the International Space Station (ISS) with information about its structure, operation and key experiments. The ISS itself is an experiment in international cooperation to explore the potential for humans to live in space. The space station features state-of-the-art science and engineering laboratories to conduct research in medicine, materials and fundamental science to benefit people on Earth as well as people who will live in space in the future.
Students learn about the unique challenges astronauts face while eating in outer …
Students learn about the unique challenges astronauts face while eating in outer space. They explore different food choices and food packaging. Students learn about the engineering design process, and then, as NASA engineering teams, they design and build original model devices to help astronauts eat in a microgravity environment --- their own creative devices for food storage and meal preparation.
This lesson covers the topic of muscles. Students learn about the three …
This lesson covers the topic of muscles. Students learn about the three different types of muscles in the human body and the effects of microgravity on muscles. Students also learn how astronauts need to exercise in order to lessen muscle atrophy in space. Students discover what types of equipment engineers design to help the astronauts exercise while in space.
This activity helps students learn about the three different types of muscles …
This activity helps students learn about the three different types of muscles and how outer space affects astronauts' muscles. They will discover how important it is for astronauts to get adequate exercise both on Earth and in outer space. Also, through the design of their own microgravity exercise machine, students learn about the exercise machines that engineers design specifically for astronaut use.
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