Space Exploration


Space Exploration
BSA Supply No. 35953

Space is mysterious. We explore space for many reasons, not least because we don't know what is out there, it is vast, and humans are full of curiosity. Each time we send explorers into space, we learn something we didn't know before. We discover a little more of what is there.

Requirements

  1. Tell the purpose of space exploration and include the following:
    1. Historical reasons
    2. Immediate goals in terms of specific knowledge
    3. Benefits related to Earth resources, technology, and new products
  2. Design a collector's card, with a picture on the front and information on the back, about your favorite space pioneer. Share your card and discuss four other space pioneers with your counselor.
  3. Build, launch, and recover a model rocket.* Make a second launch to accomplish a specific objective. (Rocket must be built to meet the safety code of the National Association of Rocketry. See the "Model Rocketry" chapter of the Space Exploration merit badge pamphelt.) Identify and explain the following rocket parts.
    1. Body tube
    2. Engine mount
    3. Fins
    4. Igniter
    5. Launch lug
    6. Nose cone
    7. Payload
    8. Recovery system
    9. Rocket engine
  4. Discuss and demonstrate each of the following:
    1. The law of action-reaction
    2. How rocket engines work
    3. How satellites stay in orbit
    4. How satellite pictures of Earth and pictures of other planets are made and transmitted
  5. Do TWO of the following:
    1. Discuss with your counselor an unmanned space exploration mission and an early manned mission. Tell about each mission's major discoveries, its importance, and what we learned from it about the planets, moons, or regions of space explored.
    2. Using magazine photographs, news clippings, and electronic articles (such as from the Internet), make a scrapbook about a current planetary mission.
    3. Design an unmanned mission to another planet or moon that will return samples of its surface to Earth. Name the planet or moon your spacecraft will visit. Show how your design will cope with the conditions of the planet's or moon's environment.
  6. Describe the purpose, operation, and components of ONE of the following:
    1. Space shuttle
    2. International Space Station
  7. Design an inhabited base located on the Moon or Mars. Make drawings or a model of your base. In your design, consider and plan for the following:
    1. Source of energy
    2. How it will be constructed
    3. Life-support system
    4. Purpose and function
  8. Discuss with your counselor two possible careers in space exploration that interest you. Find out the qualifications, education, and preparation required and discuss the major responsibilities of those positions.

* If local laws prohibit launching model rockets, do the following activity: Make a model of a NASA rocket. Explain the functions of the parts. Give the history of the rocket.

Resources

Scouting Literature

Astronomy, Atomic Energy, Aviation, Chemistry, Computers, Electricity, Electronics, Engineering, Geology, Photography, and Radio merit badge pamphlets

Books

  • Berger, Melvin, et al. Can You Hear a Shout in Space? Questions and Answers About Space Exploration. Econo-Clad Books, 2001.
  • Chaikin, Andrew, and James A. Lovell. Space. Carlton, 2002.
  • Dethloff, Henry C., and Ronald A. Schorn. Voyager's Grand Tour: To the Outer Planets and Beyond. Smithsonian Press, 2003.
  • Dyson, Marianne J. Home on the Moon: Living on a Space Frontier. National Geographic, 2003.
  • --------. Space Station Science: Life in Free Fall. Scholastic, 1999.
  • Engelhardt, Wolfgang. The International Space Station: A Journey Into Space. Tessloff/BSV Publishing USA, 1998.
  • Furniss, Tim. The Atlas of Space Exploration. Sterling, 2001.
  • Lee, Wayne. To Rise From Earth: An Easy-to-Understand Guide to Spaceflight. Second edition. Facts on File, 1999.
  • Mullane, R. Mike. Do Your Ears Pop in Space? And 500 Other Surprising Questions About Space Travel. John Wiley & Sons, 1997.
  • Reich, Tony, editor. Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years—the Astronauts' Experiences in Their Own Words. DK Publishing, 2002.
  • Sagan, Carl, and Carol Sagan. Pale Blue Dot. Random House, 1997.
  • Voigt, Gregory, and Alwyn T. Cohall. Space Exploration Projects for Young Scientists. Scholastic, 1995.
  • Voit, Mark. Hubble Space Telescope: New Views of the Universe. Harry N. Abrams, 2000.

Organizations and Web Sites

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500
Reston, VA 20191-4344
703-264-7500
http://www.aiaa.org

European Space Agency
Web site: http://www.esa.int

Galileo 1/45 Scale Model
Web site: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ galileo/model.html

Goddard Space Flight Center
Web site: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov

Great Images in NASA
Web site: http://grin.hq.nasa.gov

Jet Propulsion Laboratory
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109
Telephone: 818-354-4321
Web site: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Johnson Space Center
Space Center Houston
1601 NASA Road 1
Houston, TX 77058
Telephone: 281-244-2100
JSC Web site: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov
Web site about jobs at NASA: http:// www.jsc.nasa.gov/people/jobs.html
SCH Web site: http://www.spacecenter.org

Junior Engineering Technical Society
1420 King Street, Suite 405
Alexandria, VA 22314-2794
Telephone: 703-548-5387
Web site: http://www.jets.org

Kennedy Space Center
Telephone: 321-452-2121
Web site: http://www.ksc.nasa.gov

Marshall Space Flight Center
Web site: http://www.msfc.nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Telephone: 202-358-0103
Web site: http://www.nasa.gov

National Association of Rocketry
P.O. Box 177
Altoona, WI 54720
Toll-free telephone: 800-262-4872
Web site: http://www.nar.org

National Space Society
600 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Suite 201
Washington, DC 20003
Telephone: 202-543-1900
Web site: http://www.nss.org

Planetary Society
65 North Catalina Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91106-2301
Telephone: 626-793-5100
Web site: http://www.planetary.org

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Seventh and Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20560
Telephone: 202-357-2700
Web site: http://www.nasm.si.edu