Unit 8.

12 Exploring the Solar System

Key terms

Overview of the unit

gravity the cause of the force that pulls everyday

objects (and us!) towards the ground; really, it pulls
us towards the centre of the Earth

This unit builds on previous units on forces (units 6.4

and 7.11) and space (units 6.6 and 7.13). Students
will learn about the effects of gravity, and how to
differentiate between mass and weight. They then
apply what they have learned about gravity to
consider the science behind planetary orbits, satellite
technology, and manned and unmanned space
travel.
Concept strands
In completing this unit students will work towards
Learning outcomes E5 and E6.
Learning

Emerging

Developing

Mastered

outcome
E5 Explain

Outline the

Describe

Explain

the effect of

movement

the effect

the effect

gravity in the

of bodies

of gravity

of gravity

solar system.

in the solar

in our solar

in the solar

system.

system.

system.

E6 Compare

Identify

Describe

Compare

advantages

ways in

one way

advantages

and disad-

which

in which

and disad-

vantages

humans

humans

vantages

of different

learn more

learn more

of different

methods of

about space.

about space. methods

space explo-

of space

ration.

exploration.

Investigating scientifically strands

The work in this unit will allow students to practice
and improve the following process skills:
Investigating Emerging

Developing

Mastered

Record

Construct an

skills
S8 Construct

Record

an

observations/ observations/ appropriate

appropriate

data in some data in a

and

and complete kind of

simple

complete

table to record systematic

table.

table to

observations/ way.

record

data.

observations/
data.

lenses curved pieces of glass used to focus or

enlarge an image, for example in a magnifying glass
mass the amount of matter in an object (every
object is made up of atoms, and each atom has
atomic mass; the mass of an object is the total of
these atomic masses)
moon a moon is a natural satellite of a planet (in
English, we use the same word as the name of our
moon; because its a name, we give it a capital M
the Moon!)
orbit the circular or elliptical path of a planet
around the Sun, or a moon or artificial satellite
around a planet
probe a probe is an unmanned craft, often small,
which is sent into space or to other planets, moons
or comets for scientific research; we also send probes
deep into the ocean
shuttle a reusable spacecraft, designed to survive
a trip to space in good enough condition to be used
many times; although the shuttles themselves were
reused, they were lifted to space by a one-use rocket
Soviet Union a country that was made up of
Russia, Ukraine and several other modern countries
the Space Race the competition between the USA
and the Soviet Union to be the first to achieve various
goals in space exploration
telescope a device that allows us to look at distant
objects in detail
tide the regular change in sea level (when the sea
level is highest in a day, it is a high tide; when the
sea level is lowest, it is a low tide)
universe everything that exists: all of the planets
and stars, and everything on them and between them
weight the weight of an object is a measure of the
gravitational force that pulls it to another object;
this depends on the mass of both objects, and the
distance between them (the same object weighs more
(is heavier) on Earth than on the Moon)
Common misconceptions

Equipment and resources required

Weight and mass are the same.

newton meter, clamp stand, slotted masses, graph

paper, 1-m length of string, tennis ball, 5-cm length
of dowel, glue or sticky tape, sharp knife

Gravity is proportional to the height of an

object.

Gravity only acts on Earth.

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Introducing the big idea in the unit

engaging the students
How do humans explore our Solar System?
Introduce by asking students if humans have
traveled to any part of the Solar System apart from
Earth. They will probably be aware of the Moon
landings from the 1960s and 1970s. This can lead to
a discussion of why there have not been any recent
missions to the Moon, and why manned missions
to the planets have not happened. Ask what other
methods have been used for space exploration
they will probably have heard of the Hubble Space
Telescope and the International Space Station.
Explain that in this unit they will find out about some
of the problems associated with space exploration
and how scientists are pushing the boundaries.
Team, individual and class activities
Getting started
Introduce the unit by asking students what they can
recall from earlier units about the Solar System and
about human exploration of space.
What do we use satellites for in our everyday lives?
(Students should recall from Grade 6, Unit 6 that
satellites are used for communications, navigation,
weather forecasting, astronomy, etc.)
When a car travels at constant speed (The forces
acting are balanced)

When the apple is falling is its speed still

zero? (Answer: No, its speed is changing it is
accelerating.)
Is the force caused by a gravitational field a contact
force or a non-contact force? (Answer: non-contact
force)
Activity 1.1
Each team will need: newton meter, clamp stand,
slotted masses
This simple experiment gives students the chance
to familiarize themselves with the equipment and
also with the terminology, particularly starting to
understand the difference between force (or weight)
in newtons and mass in kilograms.
Students plot graphs of their results, and should find
that the force in newtons is approximately 10 times
the mass in kilograms.
Support: Worksheet 12.1
What is the numerical relationship between the mass
and the force that acts on it? (Answer:
mass in kilograms is equivalent to weight in
newtons 10)
Place

Gravitational
force (N/kg)

Weight of
1 kg

0.5 kg

10 kg

80 kg

Earth

10

10N

4.9N

98N

800N

Moon

1.6

1.6N

0.8N

16N

128N

When the car accelerates (The forces acting are

unbalanced)

Mars

3.8

3.8N

1.9N

38N

304N

Sun

274

274N

137N

When the car decelerates (The forces acting are

unbalanced)

Jupiter

24.9

24.9N 12.5N

1 Why does gravity keep you on the ground? (E5, S8)

Introduce the unit by asking students how they
know that gravity is a force. Expect responses such
as the Earths gravity pulls objects and people
towards the Earth. Students may also recall that
this gravitational pull keeps the Moon and artificial
satellites in orbit and that the Suns gravitational
pull keeps the planets in orbit.
You might wish to explain that although the story
about Newton and the apple may not be true, it
illustrates an important point that good science
often involves looking at an everyday occurrence
and asking the question Why?.
Before the apple falls, what is its speed? (Answer:
zero)

2750N 21920N
249N

1992N

Can you say how people move differently on the

Moon? Can you explain it? (Students answers should
include the idea that the gravitational pull is smaller
on the Moon than on Earth, so astronauts were able
to take longer and higher leaps.)
What problem would there be for people visiting
Jupiter? (Answer: They would weigh 2.5 times as
much as they do on Earth, so moving around would
be difficult and tiring.)
What is the weight of 1 kg at these distances from
Earth?
Answers:
0m 10N
1000km 78N
10000km 1.5N

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40000km

about 0.2N

50000km

about 0.1N

Worksheet 12.4 sets a task of plotting a graph of the

number of moons versus planet size.

Worksheet 12.2 (page 172) addresses some

misconceptions about gravity by requiring students
to sort 12 statements into True or False.

Differentiation

2 How do satellites stay up? (E5)

4 Exploring the Solar System (E6)

This section introduces students to the science behind

satellite orbits and leads to an understanding of why
they do not fall to Earth. The graph in the previous
section has shown how the gravitational pull drops
to almost zero at a point 40000km above the
surface of the Earth.

How do the silica glass tiles protect the shuttle and

its crew? (Answer: As silica glass is a bad conductor
of heat, the heat generated by re-entry does not pass
through the tiles to the inner wall of the shuttle.
Silica glass has a very high melting point, so can
withstand very high temperatures.)

Activity 2.1
Each team will need: 1-m length of string, tennis ball,
5-cm length of dowel, glue or sticky tape, sharp knife

Which of the missions were manned and which were

unmanned? (The only manned mission in the list is
Apollo 11.)

Note: if in doubt about students ability to handle the

knife safely, you should make the slit in the ball.

See students own descriptions of advantages and

disadvantages some examples are given here:

Students follow the instructions to make the model.

Their hand represents the Earths surface and the ball
represents the satellite. They will notice the circular
path of the satellite and that they need to spin at a
speed fast enough to keep the ball in orbit. If they
allow the speed to drop the orbit collapses.

Extension: Worksheet 12.4a (see page 174)

Support: Worksheet 12.4b (see page 176)

Mission type

Advantages

Disadvantages

Telescopes on

relatively cheap

dependent on

Earth

can be used

weather (need

by amateur

clear skies)

astronomers

Earths atmosphere
absorbs some

What force pulls the satellite towards the center?

(Answer: weight or gravitational force)
What would happen if it were moving more slowly?
(Answer: the satellite would move into a lower orbit
or fall to the ground)
What would happen if it were moving more quickly?
(Answer: the satellite would move to a higher orbit or
leave orbit if it reaches escape velocity)
3 The Solar System (E5)
Although students have seen diagrams of the Solar
System earlier in their study of science, this section
focuses on the relative sizes of the planets and moons
and relates these facts to our understanding of the
shapes of the orbits.
Look for the following points in students
explanations about relative masses:

the planets and moons all orbit the Sun

the larger planets such as Jupiter and Saturn
are still not large enough to cause the other
planets to move out of their solar orbit

the Sun is massive enough that its gravitational

wavelengths, e.g.
ultra violet
Telescopes in

not affected by

expensive to

space

Earths weather and

launch

atmosphere

difficult to
maintain

Probes to the

do not need to carry

difficult to

Moon and

food, water, etc. as

maintain and

planets

a manned mission

repair

would need

delay in
communication
between ground
and probe

Probes that

provide information long periods of

leave the

about outer planets

time involved

Solar System

and how our Solar

communication

System formed

is difficult very
long delay in
communication
between ground
and probe

pull can keep even very distant planets (such

as Uranus and Neptune) in orbit around it.

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Mission type

Advantages

Disadvantages

Collecting items for evidence of achievement

Manned

no delay in

expensive and

Completed worksheets

mission

communication

risky

Success criteria for the learning outcomes

between astronaut

modules need

Students will be able to:

and technology

to carry food,

the astronaut can

E5: Explain the effect of gravity in the solar system.

water, breathable

respond quickly to

atmosphere, etc.

changing situations

harmful effects of
cosmic radiation

Rovers

can make physical

can be damaged

contact and

during landing

can investigate

difficult to

composition

maintain and

of surface and

repair

atmosphere

delay in
communication
between ground
and rover

Observation

relatively cheap

Earths atmosphere

from Earth

technology can be

absorbs some

upgraded

wavelengths, e.g.
ultra violet

Differentiation
Extension: Worksheet 12.5a (page 178) compares two
different space exploration technologies. Students
cut out cards about the Hubble Telescope and a Mars
rover and place them in the correct column.
Support: Worksheet 12.5b (page 183) sets a task for
students to design a Venus rover.
6 Presentation task
Each team will prepare a presentation about space
exploration.
Assessment
Making use of peer assessment
Using Worksheet 12.2, one student from each team
chooses a true (or false) statement and asks a teammate to describe the evidence that this statement
is true (or false). They swap roles until each team
member has had an opportunity to describe evidence
for one true and one false statement.

Emerging: Outline the movement of bodies

in the solar system.

Developing: Describe the effect of gravity in

our solar system.

Mastered: Explain the effect of gravity in the

solar system.
E6: Compare advantages and disadvantages of
different methods of space exploration.

Emerging: Identify ways in which humans

learn more about space.

Developing: Describe one way in which

humans learn more about space.

Mastered: Compare advantages and

disadvantages of different methods of space
exploration.
Encouraging self-reflection and self-assessment in
students
To summarize their learning during this unit, ask
students to create a mind map with the words Space
Exploration at the centre.
Further suggestions for additional activities
and investigations
If students have access to the internet, they could
take part in galaxy zoo:
http://www.galaxyzoo.org/#/
Links, references, URLs for the students to use
There is a huge range of online material about
gravity and space exploration. These are just a few:
http://www.space.com/science-astronomy/
This NASA website has quizzes and games:
http://mars.nasa.gov/participate/funzone/
This website enables students to calculate their
weight on other planets and the Moon:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/

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