This book contained content parallel to the u of edinburgh coursera astrobiology course taught by charles cockell, who suggested it as supplementary reading. Differentiated video guides, worksheets and quizzes for eyes of nye videos. The goddard center for astrobiology is composed of scientists who are dedicated to mentoring the next generation of researchers as they explore the field of astrobiology. It tells the story of some of the most important people and events that have shaped the science of exobiology and astrobiology. Virtual planetary laboratory games, quizzes, and demonstrations on finding and understanding habitable environments. These lab activities have been designed to teach students from middle school to high school on various topics associated with astrobiology. What is the future of life on earth and in the universe. Four activities are in pdf format and one in interactive html format. To familiarize students with the nasa ueet student web site and improve their knowledge of aeronautics. Astrobiology lesson plan collection teaching resources. During the semester you will be required to complete nine astrobiology lab activities.
The activities are targeted for 512 year olds, with separate instructions for the differ ent age groups when appropriate. The astrobiology field began in 1996, when nasa held its first astrobiology meeting as an outcrop of its exoplanet program, which searches for earthlike planets within habitablezones. This is a collection of lesson plans in astrobiology for secondary schools. From the origin of life on earth to life in the universe andr brack 1. Published by the association pro issi no 16, july 2006. Explore topics related to astrobiology using the activities adapted for afterschool programs with elementaryaged students. Statement of task for the national academies planetary science and astrobiology decadal survey feb. Using chemistry, biology, physics, geology and astronomy, astrobiology investigates the cosmic environments that could potentially generate life forms, in the past or in the future. The lesson plans cover a variety of areas of the biology, physics and chemistry curriculum. Click here to download the pdf of the exoplanet worksheet. Using real data from nasas grace satellites, students will track water mass changes in the u. The lesson plans in this astrobiology collection are designed to cover a wide diversity of topics in biology, chemistry and physics that encompass some of the most fascinating questions in science such as. The site includes links to the overview, course description, sample activities with teacher guide, student guide and worksheets, and other astrobiology links.
Life and the universe searching for life everywhere planets, stars, galaxies, big bang conception of size. After completing the activities in this guide, students will understand more about the nature of life, the. Understanding life in the universe is an introductory text which explores the structure of living things, the formation of the elements for life in the universe, the biological and geological history of the earth and the habitability of other planets in our own solar system and beyond. An introduction to astrobiology, edited by iain gilmour.
Ask students why it is important to learn about extremophiles. Although over a thousand studies have been conducted that specifically examine the issue of students understanding of broad. These include advancements in our understanding of the potential. When earth formed, it was devoid of life, but now it is completely covered with life forms, from the desert to the ocean floor.
A number of teachers consider these activities a good resource for homework and classwork assignments, to work out the activities online, and also. At only 50 years old, this field is relatively young. Astrobiology is a rapidly evolving discipline and, in order for its information to be passed on, it is urgent and necessary for astrobiology to be integrated into the curricular domain, as well as. Astrobiology astrobiology is the branch of astronomy dedicated to the study of the origins and evolution of life in the universe. What role could comets and meteorites have played in. Chicxulub geochemistry impact impact cratering impact craters impact ejecta kuiper belt mars martian meteorites meteorites moon nasa stardust mission noble gases olivine presolar grains shock metamorphism stardust mission comet 81p. Nasa astrobiology institute nai at the ames research center in moffett field, california. Science learning activities for afterschool educator. An earlier free text is available to download from rice u, but it is the. Astrobiology is a subject which has arisen to enclose the diverse range of investigations within science that have relevance to discovering life beyond the planet earth. The collection contains a variety of lesson plans, including trump cards.
The goddard center for astrobiology focuses on the formation of complex organic materials on ice grains to the delivery of those primordial materials to the earth, moon, and mars, starting in the early bombardment period and continuing until today. Astrobiology introduction astrobiology consists of eight activities, each of which may be completed in about one hour. Oliver botta, nasa goddard space flight center and international space science. These five activities can be used wisely by teachers in several different ways to reinforce each group of concepts being learned. Is there life beyond earth and, if so, how can we detect it.
The story of our search for life in the universe turns from telescopes to microscopes in order to examine the study prebiotic chemistry. Methods because astrobiology is a relatively new and interdisciplinary science, educational research on students prior knowledge related to astrobiology completed to date is sparse at best. An introduction to astrobiology, edited by iain gilmour and mark a. In 1997, nasa established an astrobiology program the nasa astrobiology institute nai as a result of a series of new results from solar system exploration and astronomical research in the mid1990s together with advances in the biological sciences. This book presents results from several projects in the new field of computational astrobiology, which is devoted to advancing our understanding of the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe using theoretical and computational tools. Astrobiology seeks to understand the origin of the building blocks of life, how these biogenic compounds combine to create life, how life affects and is affected by the environment from which it arose, and finally, whether and how life expands beyond its planet of origin. Life underground is an interactive outreach experience for 7th and 8th grade classrooms. There were early successes, followed by nasa s first foray into lifedetection with viking. Course hero has thousands of astrobiology study resources to help you. After viking, many countries struggled to get missions to mars. Astrobiology final web lunar and planetary institute. Both of the nasa rovers that reached mars in 2004 landed at locations that may once have been.
On the one hand, h 2o 2is made on europa from h 2oice, and so the presence of h 2o 2 strikingly demonstrates a source of potentially biogenic energy at europas surface. Students study rocket stability as they design, construct and launch paper rockets using soda straws. Astrobiology sometimes also called xenobiology or exobiology is the attempt to bring together scientists to combine their knowledge with a twofold goal. The names and dates for each lab activity are provided in the course schedule. To commemorate the past half century of research, we are telling the story of how this field developed and how the search for life elsewhere became a key component of nasas science strategy for exploring space. An eyes of nye astrobiology en01 worksheet, answer sheet, and two quizzes.
Nasas astroventure helps students ages 6 and up to explore nasa careers and astrobiology research by offering activities that allow them to search for and build a planet with the necessary characteristics for human habitation. Nasas astrobiology program addresses three fundamental questions. The students will investigate a web site and answer questions about aeronautics by reading and following. Each of the eight activities takes about one hour to complete. The nasa astrobiology institute nai was established in 1998 by the national aeronautics and space administration nasa to develop the field of astrobiology and provide a scientific framework for flight missions. National aeronautics and space administration nasa. Mention a few of the environments in which we have found them to thrive. My introduction to astrobiology openlearn open university. Understand how life on earth arose from chemical precursors is a core question of astrobiology, and essential in determining whether or not life could originate on other worlds.
The nai is a virtual, distributed organization that integrates astrobiology research and training programs in concert with the national and international. Introduction to astronomy socorro independent school. Educator guides with handson activities, curricula, lesson plans and. The new nasa astrobiology strategy document is a reflection of the many science advancements during the past seven years. In this activity, students will use sealevel rise data to create models and compare shortterm trends to longterm trends.
An eyes of nye astrobiology en01 worksheet, answer. Why is astrobiology important for the usa and nasa. That said it concentrates a great deal with life on earth so that we can first understand how it arose here and therefore have a better understanding of the conditions required. This collection of activities is based on a weekly series of space science problems. The program includes an exoevobiology grants program, two programs for development of instruments for astrobiologyrelated nasa missions, and the institute. Scientistsbegantoseetheimportance of an interdisciplinary approach to understanding life on other planets, mostly prompted by controversial interpretations. As referred in the nasa astrobiology institute homepage, astr obiology is the scientific study of the living universe. Nasa s astrobiology program teams have projected nasa sponsored research into the nations k12 schools, have stimulated public awareness of and. One way astrobiologists search for extraterrestrial life is to search for biosignatures, largescale.
The objective of these lesson plans is to teach curriculum science using the backdrop of astrobiology to encourage critical thinking, excitement and interest in many of the sciences that cut across the interdisciplinary nature of astrobiology, including physics, biology, chemistry, geosciences and astronomy. Of course nasa is not a science agency, even though many of its successes have been in science. Infrared spectra and radiation stability of h ices. Every summer since 2004 we have sponsored the undergraduate research associates in astrobiology program, which is a 10week program for undergraduates at nasa goddard space. To celebrate, the astrobiology program commissioned this graphic history. Astrobiology activities and resources for high school instructors. Astrobiology is a graphic novel series that explores the many facets of astrobiology. These include advancements in our understanding of the potential habitability of planets and moons in our solar system and beyond and a deepened understanding. It provides a little more in depth look at the subjects than a basic level cousera course was able to cover. Free astrobiology books download ebooks online textbooks. It starts with investigating life on earth, the only place where life is known to exist. Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe.
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