Asteroid Activities
The lessons below are teacher-favorite lessons focused on asteroids. For more search options or to search by other science target, missions and other criteria, visit our Fast Lesson Finder. You can also search by curriculum standards on our popular Curriculum Standards Quilts.
Asteroids Lessons:
Alka-Seltzer Rockets
Topic: Modeling Solar System Objects
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Comets, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud, Earth's Moon
Short Description: Using baking soda and vinegar, propel an object across the floor to introduce the idea of how things move through space.
Analyzing Elemental Abundances
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Comets, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud
Mission: Genesis (Our Solar System)
Short Description: Participants will practice and understand the use of ratios in describing the abundances of isotopes.
Asteroid Resources (Edible Asteroid Mining)
Topic: Solar System Exploration
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: Participants map and core an edible asteroid. This is part of a sequence that explores the potential resources available to space travelers.
DPS Slide Set: Asteroid Detected Before Impact
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Asteroids
Short Description: This four-slide powerpoint by the Division of Planetary Science includes basic information for college-level introductory courses.
Dwarf Planets as a New Way of Thinking About an Old Solar System
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Our Solar System, Asteroids, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: This middle school activity utilizes a researched-based instructional strategy called direct vocabulary instruction to help students understand the new definitions of planet and dwarf planet.
Edible Rocks
Topic: Modeling Solar System Objects
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Hayabusa (Asteroids)
Short Description: Participants observe and describe physical characteristics of an edible sample in preparation for describing rock or meteorite samples.
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Lesson 4 The Meteorite-Asteroid Connection: Orbits in the Inner Solar System
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Asteroids, Meteors & Meteorites
Short Description: This lesson allows students to understand how meteorites get from the asteroid belt to Earth and how rare it is for the Earth to be hit by a large asteroid. The students will build an exact scale model of the inner solar system.
Mars Pathfinder: Egg Drop and Landing
Topic: Modeling Solar System Objects
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Comets, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud, Earth's Moon, Pluto
Mission: Mars Pathfinder (Mars)
Short Description: Design, build, and test a system for landing on the surface of Mars without breaking the cargo, an egg.
Measuring Solar Activity
Topic: Light and Spectra
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Our Solar System, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Comets, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud
Short Description: Measuring Solar Activity is a multi-part exercise in math and physics for high school students and above. Students will learn graphing, pattern recognition by looking at satellite images and 250 years worth of data, making predictions, and recognizing spacial relationships.
Modeling Asteroid Vesta in 3-D
Grade Level: K-4
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: Students create a 3D model of Vesta using images, clay and other materials.
Modeling the Solar System
Topic: Modeling Solar System Objects
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Comets, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud, Earth's Moon
Short Description: This PDF contains four lessons:
1) Modeling Orbits in the Solar System. This lesson models the orbital distances between the planets and shows that the solar system is mostly empty space.
2) Modeling Sizes of Planets. This lesson compares the relative sizes of the planets to those of familiar fruits and vegetables. It also uses size to calculate density and planet composition.
3) Looking Inside Planets. This lesson involves modeling the interior structures of the planets and shows that the solid cores of the gas giants are similar in size to the Earth or Venus.
4) Search for A Habitable Planet. This lesson looks at the characteristics of planets that make them livable, their temperature, and compositions of atmosphere and surface instead of size
or orbit.
Mud Splat Craters
Topic: Planetary Surface Processes
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Comets, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud, Earth's Moon, Pluto
Short Description: Observe crater formation in mud to introduce the idea of fluidized craters as seen on the surface of Mars.
Planetary Magnetics
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Cassini (Saturn)
Short Description: Participants demonstrate magnetism and its measurements and then apply these concepts to understanding the structure of surrogate planets.
Searching for Meteorites
Topic: Solar System Exploration
Grade Level: K-4, 5-8
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Hayabusa (Asteroids)
Short Description: Participants model the distribution of materials after meteorite impacts with the help of water balloons filled with flour and pebbles.
Size and Shape Imaged
Topic: Life
Body: Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Comets, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud, Earth's Moon
Short Description: This activity contains a series of images of very small things. Students will view the images, hear the information from a script, and make some observations and connections. They will see Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) images of small living organisms and rock surfaces. Then, using their new perspective, they will view unidentified samples and speculate about the surfaces and the origins of the features in the images. The goal is to get the students to think about looking at very small objects and to realize
that observations are a great way to start scientific research.
Solar System Exploration Mission Timeline Activity
Topic: Modeling Solar System Objects
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Our Solar System, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Asteroids, Meteors & Meteorites, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Dwarf Planets, Comets, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud, Earth's Moon, Europa
Mission: ARTEMIS (Earth's Moon), Cassini (Saturn), Dawn (Dwarf Planets), DSN (Our Solar System), GRAIL (Earth's Moon), Hubble (Beyond Our Solar System), Huygens (Saturn), IBEX (Our Solar System), InSight (Mars), Juno (Jupiter), Lunar Recon Orbiter (Earth's Moon), MESSENGER (Mercury), NEAR Shoemaker (Asteroids), New Horizons (Dwarf Planets), Phoenix (Mars), Stardust (Comets), Venus Express (Venus), Viking 01 (Mars), Viking 02 (Mars), Voyager 1 (Our Solar System), Voyager 2 (Our Solar System)
Short Description: Extreme Exploration -- Solar System Exploration Missions Timeline involves students in the wide range of mission events of 2008-2015+. Using the Solar System Exploration Timeline poster as a guide, student teams research assigned missions and record events such as launch and landing, etc. It is expected that students will be drawn into the excitement of mission events as they follow along with NASA's Solar System Exploration -- past, current, and future.
Space Math: Close Encounters of the Asteroid Kind!
Topic: Math
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Asteroids
Short Description: On September 8, 2010 two small asteroids came within 80,000 km of Earth. Their small size of only 15 m made them very hard to see without telescopes pointed in exactly the right direction at the right time. In this problem, based on a NASA press release, students use a simple formula to calculate the brightness of these asteroids from their distance and size.
Space Math: So..How big is it? -- Asteroid Eros surface
Topic: Math
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Asteroids
Mission: NEAR Shoemaker (Asteroids)
Short Description: Students calculate the scale of an image of the surface of the asteroid Eros from the NEAR mission, and determine how big rocks and boulders are on its surface.
Space Math: The Dawn Mission -- Ion Rockets and Spiral Orbits
Topic: Math
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: Students determine the shape of the trajectory taken by a spacecraft using a constant-thrust ion motor using differential and integral calculus for arc lengths.
Structure and Properties of Matter: Ion Propulsion Module (Main Portal)
Topic: Designing Spacecraft
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: This module is intended to engage students and the interested public in the propulsion technology that is necessary for Dawn to complete its mission. As students interact with this module, they will gain an understanding of charges and relative charge, momentum and frames of reference, ionization and plasma, how an ion propulsion system works, and they will experiment with designing an ion engine to determine optimal conditions.
The Aster's Hoity Toity Belt (Educator Activities (PDF))
Grade Level: K-4
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: "The Aster's Hoity-Toity Belt," a compelling tale set in the Great Carousel of the Skies, tells of two friends, the gentle giant Ceres and feisty Vesta, as they find their place in the skyberhood. In addition to a supplemental activity, the Aster's story is available as a booklet handout, a story with space for imaginative illustrations and a version with learning notations.
The Aster's Hoity Toity Belt (Illustrator's Version (PDF))
Grade Level: K-4
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: "The Aster's Hoity-Toity Belt," a compelling tale set in the Great Carousel of the Skies, tells of two friends, the gentle giant Ceres and feisty Vesta, as they find their place in the skyberhood. In addition to a supplemental activity, the Aster's story is available as a booklet handout, a story with space for imaginative illustrations and a version with learning notations.
The Aster's Hoity Toity Belt (Main Page)
Grade Level: K-4
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: "The Aster's Hoity-Toity Belt," a compelling tale set in the Great Carousel of the Skies, tells of two friends, the gentle giant Ceres and feisty Vesta, as they find their place in the skyberhood. In addition to a supplemental activity, the Aster's story is available as a booklet handout, a story with space for imaginative illustrations and a version with learning notations.
The History and Discovery of Asteroids
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: Learners will explore scientific discoveries and the technologies as a sequence of events that led eventually to the Dawn mission. This is a series of modules which incorporate strong literacy and mathematics components.
Through the Eyes of Scientists: Around and Around - Everything is Moving
Grade Level: K-4
Body: Our Solar System, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Comets, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud, Earth's Moon
Mission: Voyager 1 (Our Solar System), Voyager 2 (Our Solar System)
Short Description: Learning about the ever-moving objects in our solar system through the eyes of Scientist-Adventurer, Dr. Edward Stone. This lesson is part of the Through the Eyes of Scientists formal education product.
Through the Eyes of Scientists: Moons - Many, Many Moons!
Grade Level: K-4
Body: Our Solar System, Earth, Mars, Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud, Earth's Moon
Mission: Cassini (Saturn), Galileo (Jupiter), GRAIL (Earth's Moon), Lunar Recon Orbiter (Earth's Moon)
Short Description: Learning about moons of the solar system through the eyes of Scientist-Moon Master, Dr. Bonnie Buratti.This lesson is part of the Through the Eyes of Scientists formal education product.
Through the Eyes of Scientists: Space Can Be a Chilly Place - Ice Is Nice!
Grade Level: K-4
Body: Our Solar System, Mercury, Earth, Mars, Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Comets, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud, Earth's Moon
Mission: Cassini (Saturn)
Short Description: Learning about ice in the solar system through the eyes of Scientist-Arctic Space Explorer, Mr. Ben Holt. This lesson is part of the Through the Eyes of Scientists formal education product.
Through the Eyes of Scientists: What is a Planet?
Grade Level: K-4
Body: Our Solar System, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Comets, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud, Earth's Moon
Short Description: Learning about the Sun and the planets as a "treasure map" through the eyes of Scientist-Treasure Hunter, Dr. Phil Chamberlin.
Vegetable Light Curves (Assembly Instructions)
Topic: Modeling Solar System Objects
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: In the activity, "Vegetable Light Curves," students will observe the surface of rotating potatoes to help them understand how astronomers can sometimes determine the shape of asteroids from variations in reflective brightness.
Vegetable Light Curves (Main Portal)
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: In the activity, "Vegetable Light Curves," students will observe the surface of rotating potatoes to help them understand how astronomers can sometimes determine the shape of asteroids from variations in reflective brightness.
Vegetable Light Curves (More Discoveries)
Topic: Modeling Solar System Objects
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: In the activity, "Vegetable Light Curves," students will observe the surface of rotating potatoes to help them understand how astronomers can sometimes determine the shape of asteroids from variations in reflective brightness.
Vegetable Light Curves (Student Activity)
Topic: Modeling Solar System Objects
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: In the activity, "Vegetable Light Curves," students will observe the surface of rotating potatoes to help them understand how astronomers can sometimes determine the shape of asteroids from variations in reflective brightness.
Vegetable Light Curves (Teacher Guide)
Topic: Modeling Solar System Objects
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: In the activity, "Vegetable Light Curves," students will observe the surface of rotating potatoes to help them understand how astronomers can sometimes determine the shape of asteroids from variations in reflective brightness.
Vesta Flipbook
Grade Level: K-4
Body: Asteroids
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: Animators build cartoons by flipping through a series of images over time. Make a flipbook using Vesta images to help you picture the asteroid spinning on its axis in orbit through space!
What is a Planet?
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Our Solar System, Asteroids, Comets, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud
Mission: New Horizons (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: Students learn about the characteristics of planets, comets, asteroids, and trans-Neptunian objects through a classification activity. Students can then apply what they have learned by participating in a formal debate about a solar system object discovered by the New Horizons spacecraft and by defining the term "planet."
