Blast Off Into Space

Ready to be a fearless explorer? Create a spaceship flying among strange new planets, where stars have no limit!

• 1.

  Take a tour of our sun and its neighbors. Discover stars and black holes. How? Read! Research information about outer space, galaxies, and our universe. What distances are there between planets? Stars?

• 2.

  Find out about how spacecraft can fly long distances, return after landing on the moon, or remain in orbit for extended periods of time. What facts about space must engineers keep in mind? What is life like for astronauts on a mission in space and on the ground? What role do computers play in space exploration?

• 3.

  Use your imagination to draw and color a flying spacecraft with Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils. Erase some of the ship and add contrasting colors.

• 4.

  Draw the sky in the background. Erase lines coming out of the back of your rocket to show it moving through space. Use the eraser to put in stars. Color in the parts you erased.

Benefits

• Students explore the vastness of the universe and identify terms used to describe solar systems.
• Students analyze space facts that explain how spacecraft fly and what life is like for astronauts.
• Students draw an imaginary spaceship on a mission in outer space.

Adaptations

• Research the Mir International Space Station. Find interesting facts and authentic pictures. Build a replica of this space station, or one in your imagination, using recycled boxes and wrapping-paper tubes.
• The Hubble Space Telescope has helped scientists research outer space. What are some things that have been discovered with or because of the Hubble Space Telescope? Draw a picture of the Hubble.
• Draw the surface of an imaginary planet. What is the source of its light? Water? What kinds of life are evident?