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Gail S Hennessey
Gail Skroback Hennessey taught for over 33 years, teaching sixth grade in all but two years. She earned a BA in early secondary education with a concentration in social studies and an MST in social...
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Using the News in the Classroom: NASA Plans Live-In Moon Station within 10 Years!

 
   Photograph from NASA.gov
 
 
Using the News in the Classroom:
 
Astronauts may be back on the moon within a decade and they will be taking up housekeeping.  NASA is planning on a live-in moon station. Called the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway facility, it is from the moon where manned mission into outer space will eventually take place. Without gravity, it would be a much easier launch. Such a permanent facility would also make commercial opportunities, such as mining the moon for resources, much easier to do. After a number of Apollo missions to the moon, manned missions from the USA stopped back in 1972. In recent years, water sources have been discovered on the moon which would help in establishing a moon station. Did you know that it was 1969, when the Apollo 11, landed on the moon, and the very first human walked on the moon? 
 
Did You Know?
  1. Did you know that we only see one side of the moon?
  2. Did you know that in Japan, instead of the "man in the moon", it is the "rabbit in the moon”?
  3. US Astronauts have left six American flags on the moon.
  4. The scientist, Galileo Galileo, was the first person to make maps of the moon.
  5. Notice the moon getting smaller and smaller in the sky? This is called waning.  When the moon appears to get larger and larger in the night sky, this is called waxing.
  6. Scientists say the moon is moving away from the Earth at about 3.8 cm (or 1 1/2 inches) each year!
  7. Only 12 people have ever walked on the moon, starting with Neil Armstrong, in 1969. All were American astronauts.
  8. With no wind, any footprints made will last forever, unless walked over by further visitors to the moon.
Your Turn:
1. What are 3 character traits which you would give to an astronaut and why?
 
2. If you were on a moon mission which would be a long term stay at a lunar station, what would be three things you’d want to bring along? (Remember, they would need to be light in weight)
 
3. What would be one thing you’d want to see if you were stationed on the moon?
 
4. What might be two fears you would face if you were on the moon?
 
5. What are three things (other than friends and family) that you would most miss being away from Earth?
 
Teachers:
Before giving the students this worksheet, ask students to share any prior knowledge they may have on the moon.
  1. Have students discuss what they wrote down for the “Your Turn” section of the worksheet.
  2. Have students illustrate one of the facts they found most interesting.
  3. Write a poem about the moon.
Resources for Teachers:
 
 
Learn about the history of space with this informative web quest.
There are 12 web questions, comprehension questions and extension activities.  Space: The Final Frontier (Webquest/Extension Activities)