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Space Technology in Your Classroom by: Mark Spencer Education & Technology Program Director. Objective. To illustrate ways to bring space into the classroom easily, effectively, and at little or no cost. These are suggestions to stimulate ideas. Many standards and benchmarks are addressed - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Space Technology in Your Classroom
by: Mark SpencerEducation & Technology Program Director
Objective
• To illustrate ways to bring space into the classroom easily, effectively, and at little or no cost.
• These are suggestions to stimulate ideas.– Many standards and benchmarks are addressed– Many connections between content areas
• It is up to the teacher to fill in the details and make it happen.
Tiered Approach
1. Start with: Satellite prediction software
2. + Police scanner
3. + Display software
4. + Dedicated satellite receiver
Step 1Satellite Prediction Software
• Get a surplus computer that is not being used, place in back of your classroom
• Download satellite predication software from the WEB– DOS Satellite Tracking Programs:
• http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ftpsoft.html#pc-trk
– Windows Satellite Tracking Program: • http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ftpsoft.html#win-trk
Satellite Prediction Software
• Update computer clock to correct time– http://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/service/its.htm
• Update software with current Keplerian data (data elements used for satellite position calculations)– 2-Line Keplerian elements:
• http://www.space-track.org/perl/login.pl
Satellite Prediction Software
• Select satellites to display– Hubble Space Telescope– International Space Station– Global Positioning System Satellites– Ham Satellites– NOAA Low Orbiting Weather Satellites
• Let the program run
Sample of Standards Addressed
• K-2– Things move in many different ways, such as straight, zig zag, round and
round, back and forth, and fast and slow.
• 3-5– The earth's gravity pulls any object toward it without touching it.
• 6-8– The motion of an object is always judged with respect to some other
object or point and so the idea of absolute motion or rest is misleading.
• 9-12– Mathematical models and computer simulations are used in studying
evidence from many sources in order to form a scientific account of the universe.
Step 2Police Scanner
• Place a standard police scanner near the computer• Tune scanner to one of the NOAA Weather
Satellite frequencies:– 137.50 MHz
– 137.62 MHz
– 137.9125 MHz
– 137.100 MHz
• An outside antenna will help reception
Police Scanner
• When satellite within range, the students will hear the signal being transmitted
NOAA Weather Satellite Hardware
Weather Satellite Signal Format
Sample of Standards Addressed
• K-2– Tools are used to do things better or more easily and to do some things that could
not otherwise be done at all. In technology, tools are used to observe, measure, and make things.
• 3-5– Communication technologies make it possible to send and receive information more
and more reliably, quickly, and cheaply over long distances.• 6-8
– Technology is essential to science for such purposes as access to outer space and other remote locations, sample collection and treatment, measurement, data collection and storage, computation, and communication of information.
• 9-12– Almost any information can be transformed into electrical signals. A weak
electrical signal can be used to shape a stronger one, which can control other signals of light, sound, mechanical devices, or radio waves.
Step 3Display Software
• Download display software from the WEB:– http://www.wxtoimg.com/
• You will need a higher-end computer with sound card for most effective displays– Feed audio from receiver into soundcard– Basic police scanner will give marginal results
Display SoftwareScanner Results
Sample of Standards Addressed
• K-2– Some events in nature have a repeating pattern. The weather changes
some form day to day, but things such as temperature and rain (or snow) tend to be high, low, or medium in the same months every year.
• 3-5– Light travels and tends to maintain its direction of motion until it interacts
with an object or material. Light can be absorbed, redirected, bounced back, or allowed to pass through.
• 6-8– Something can be "seen" when light waves emitted or reflected by it enter
the eye.• 9-12
– A great variety of radiations are electromagnetic waves. Their wavelengths vary from radio waves, the longest, to gamma rays, the shortest. In empty space, all electromagnetic waves move at the same speed - the "speed of light."
Step 4Dedicated Satellite Receiver
• Scanner receiver IF is too narrow (15KHz)
• Scanner antenna not optimized for satellite reception
• Big improvements will result from:– Dedicated satellite receiver (50KHZ IF)– Circularly Polarized antenna– Pre-amplification of received signal
Dedicated Satellite Receiver
• Cost on the order of $250 for receiver
• Preamplifier costs on the order of $60
Dedicated Satellite Antenna
• Circularly Polarized “Turn-style” antenna, home made costs on the order of $25
Dedicated Satellite Receiver
Dedicated Satellite Receiver
Dedicated Satellite Receiver
Dedicated Satellite Receiver
Dedicated Satellite Receiver
Indiana Snow Cover Thanksgiving 2004
• Applications … Hurricane Study and More!– Hurricane Architecture
– Cloud structure
– Land/Sea surface temperatures
– Coastal weather patterns
• Applications …
• Rita and Max– Composite of shared
imagery
– East Coast-West Coast
• Applications …– Sea Surface Temperatures
– Fuel for weather systems
• Applications …– Tip of Baja
– Spawning ground for tropical depressions and hurricanes
• Applications …– Surf’s-Up, tracking
hurricanes
– Hurricanes a source of monsoonal moisture
• Applications …– Mountain range rain
shadow
• Applications– Volcano Activity
Volcano
Augustine Volcano (4025 Ft)
Cook Inlet
Anchorage, AK
Volcanic plume as it rises to altitude and is picked up by upper level winds, driven SSE.
Life of a Hurricane
ALEX
August 2004
August 2, 2004
August 3, 2004
August 4, 2004
August 5, 2004
August 6, 2004
Alex, no longer a hurricane. No longer a factor.
Sample of Standards Addressed
• K-2– Some events in nature have a repeating pattern. The weather changes
some form day to day, but things such as temperature and rain (or snow) tend to be high, low, or medium in the same months every year.
• 3-5– Things that give off light often also give off heat. Heat is produced by
mechanical and electrical machines, and any time one thing rubs against something else.
• 6-8– There are a variety of different land forms on the earth's surface (such as
coastlines, rivers, mountains, deltas, and canyons).• 9-12
– The observed wavelength of a wave depends upon the relative motion of the source and the observer. If either is moving toward the other, the observed wavelength is shorter; if either is moving away, the wavelength is longer.
Conclusion
• Free - Satellite tracking software on spare computer
• Police scanner to monitor signals• Free - Display software• Dedicated inexpensive receiver and antenna
Equates to loads of learning opportunities for students!
Resource Materials (FREE!) and Grant Opportunities
• Curriculum, Aquatic Applications of Satellite Imagery. Very good on-line (and free) resource:– http://octopus.gma.org/surfing/space.html
• Curriculum, Wireless Technology Literacy. Good basic science of radio (and free) resource:– http://www.arrl.org/curriculum-guide
• ARRL Grant Opportunities (and free):– http://www.arrl.org/etp-grants
ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology
• Four-day in-service training opportunity:– Science of radio and wireless technology literacy– Bringing space into your classroom– Microcontrollers and programming basics– Basic robotics
• Expenses covered:– Lodging– Meals– Instructional resources (circuit boards, robot, library)– Travel stipend
• Two-hours of graduate level credit
• More info and application procedures: