Unit 1 Earth’s Place in the Solar System Lesson 7 Space Exploration
Honour Roll
How has space exploration evolved?
1 What term describes the words NASA and CSIRO?
What do the letters stand for? Why are they written this way?
Vocabulary
Galileo Newton CSIRO red light
Einstein Hubble Hubble Telescope blue light
Slipher Cassini exploration gravity
NASA Sagan discovery universe
Copernicus telescope dark energy space race
Kepler explorer galaxy
Year 5 / 6 Science Earth and Space Sciences 1
Unit 1 Earth’s Place in the Solar System Lesson 7 Space Exploration Honour Roll
Humans have always looked towards the sky and
wondered about what they see. Early astronomers in
the 16th and 17th centuries studied the night sky and
developed ways to learn about objects in space.
2 Choose one of the early astronomers to research and investigate their theories,
discoveries and contribution to what we now know about space and the solar system.
Nicolaus Copernicus Galileo Galilei Sir Isaac Newton
Tycho Brahe Johannes Kepler Henrietta Swan Leavitt
Edwin Hubble Carl Sagan
Use the weblinks from you teacher to do your research, then create a social media
profile for your astronomer and add two posts they could have written.
You Home Create ?
Name:
Timeline About Friends Photos
Birthdate Create post
Lives in
Education
Workplace
Post
Family Create post
Post
Year 5 / 6 Science Earth and Space Sciences © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 2
Unit 1 Earth’s Place in the Solar System Lesson 7 Space Exploration Honour Roll
3 Find a person in your class who studied a different scientist and complete the
Venn diagram below to compare and contrast.
Year 5 / 6 Science Earth and Space Sciences © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 3
Unit 1 Earth’s Place in the Solar System Lesson 7 Space Exploration Honour Roll
Humans have always been fascinated by space. Modern technology and space
exploration have allowed humanity to create spacecraft that can land on planets
and fly far out into our universe.
4 Use the link to create a timeline of eight key moments in modern space
exploration. Don’t forget to add your dates in order.
Year 5 / 6 Science Earth and Space Sciences © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 4
Unit 1 Earth’s Place in the Solar System Lesson 7 Space Exploration Honour Roll
In 1961, the first human to be sent to space was Yuri Gagarin, a Russian
cosmonaut. He orbited the Earth in his spacecraft for eighty nine minutes.
The Russians and the Americans saw the exploration of space as a competition,
it was called the space race.
The first successful Moon mission was in July
1969 and an American, Neil Armstrong, was the
first person to walk on another celestial body
in our solar system.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA), along with other space agencies around
the world (including Russia and Australia) now work
together in space missions and explorations.
Neil Armstrong
5 Listen to the sound clip of Neil Armstrong when he first stepped onto the Moon.
“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Neil Armstrong
a Describe what you think Neil Armstrong meant when he spoke these historic words?
b What would you say if you were to land on the Moon?
Year 5 / 6 Science Earth and Space Sciences © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 5
Unit 1 Earth’s Place in the Solar System Lesson 7 Space Exploration Honour Roll
Australia’s contribution to modern space exploration is significant. Australian
Nobel Prize winner, Professor Brian Schmidt made a discovery about space that
changed the understanding of the expanding universe and further galaxies in our
solar system.
6 Use the website to explore some of the other key milestones in Australia’s
exploration of space. Choose a significant person AND event to report on.
Person:
Significant date:
Why is this significant in space exploration?
Event:
Significant date:
Why is this significant in space exploration?
Year 5 / 6 Science Earth and Space Sciences © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 6
Unit 1 Earth’s Place in the Solar System Lesson 7 Space Exploration Honour Roll
7 Only 12 humans have walked on the Moon. No-one has been there
since December 1972.
How do you feel about this statement?
What are the advantages of space exploration?
What are the disadvantages of exploring space instead of our
own planet?
Black
Design a device that would allow humans to further explore
space as well as the deep oceans.
Year 5 / 6 Science Earth and Space Sciences © Inquisitive Pty Ltd. 7