Activity 4: Build a Satellite

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Concepts
Learning Objectives
Set-Up
How To Demonstrate
Questions To Ask
Sample Dialogue
What's Next?


Concepts
  • Satellites have different components that allow them to travel in space, communicate with Earth, and perform scientific measurements to complete missions that teach us more about our world.
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Learning Objectives
  • The visitor will build a model satellite, choosing components that will allows the satellite to travel and communicate in order to complete the mission of measuring carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.
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Set-Up
  1. Make sure the satellite components are in their correct compartments, matching the parts to the pictures.
  2. Make sure the tablet is charged.
  3. Take out the satellite component box, metal cube, blank mission report, and a wet-erase pen.
  4. Have the complete mission reports, the tablet and the medium paper for Spacecraft 3d ready.
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How To Demonstrate
  • Attract visitors by asking them questions like, “Want to build a satellite?” or “Want to complete a mission with me?”
  • Give the visitor the blank mission report, letting them know that we have a scientific mission. We want to know how much of a certain type of gas, carbon dioxide, is in our atmosphere. To do this, we need to build a satellite.
  • Give the visitor the metal cube, letting them know that this is the bus of the satellite. The bus holds most of the equipment the satellite will need, but for this activity we will attach a lot of this equipment to the outside so we can see it. Ask them what they think the satellite will need, opening the components box to show them their options. Let them choose their own components, asking why they chose each as they add it to their satellite. If they don't know what to add, use the steps below to guide them. They do not need to use all the components; they can make their satellite however they choose.
  • Ask them what they can use to power their satellite. Have them take out the solar panels, explaining that satellites can get power from the Sun so that they can last a long time. If they want, they can add the battery, in case the satellite travels around the Earth and is blocked from the Sun. (If they have not yet done the remote sensing activity, transition to explain polar orbiting satellites versus geostationary.)
  • Ask them how their satellite will get to space, and once it's there, how it will travel around. Explain that the rocket motors are so the satellite can get into space. Once it's there, Earth's gravity will cause it to orbit. It can use thrusters to keep it in a particular position or travel over Earth's poles. Because it's far enough away that Earth's gravity isn't pulling it down, a satellite can easily be knocked out of position by small meteorites or even solar winds, causing it to drift for a long time. A satellite needs a flight computer to calculate its position and correct its course.
  • Show the visitors the thermal control components. Satellites face extreme temperatures in space because there is no atmosphere to keep it warm or protect it from the Sun. The thermal blanket keeps the electronic equipment insulated so that it doesn't freeze or get too hot. The radiator is very similar to a radiator in a car--it protects the inner electronics from over-heating.
  • Ask the visitors how they think the satellite can communicate with Earth. The antenna sends and receives signals. It's very far away so it needs transponders, which amplify the signal. Most satellites also have a computer that scientists and engineers can command from the ground.
  • Remind the visitors of their satellite's mission. The equipment that performs the scientific mission of the satellite is called the payload. The payload is the reason the satellite was launched in the first place, and may include anything from taking pictures, to receiving and sending signals to cell towers, to taking measurements. Let the visitor decide what they might need. A laser will be necessary for active sensing. (If they have not yet done the remote sensing activity, transition to explain active versus passive sensing.) A spectrometer will measure wavelengths of light. (If they have not yet done the spectroscopy activity, transition to explain how a spectrometer can be used to detect carbon dioxide.) A digital camera will take pictures, but might not tell us much about carbon dioxide.
  • Once the visitor has added all the components they want to the satellite, have them fill out their mission report. They can name their satellite whatever they want. Ask them when they want to launch their satellite, having them think about how long it might take to build or whether the technology they want to use exists yet. (Scientists are still working on the equipment necessary for active sensing of carbon dioxide.) Ask how long their satellite will need to be in space to collect the information they want, how their satellite will orbit, and whether they want to take their measurements actively or passively. The payload is the equipment they added to complete the purpose of the satellite.
  • Take out the other mission reports and have the visitors compare their report to other NASA missions. Take out the tablet, explaining that they can learn more about these NASA missions and other satellites using the Earth Now and Satellite 3d apps. Using Earth Now, they can see information that current satellites are collecting. Take out the medium paper for Spacecraft 3d, demonstrating how they can see a model of a real satellite on the medium paper. Get them to compare the real satellites to the satellite they made.
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Questions To Ask
  • What is a satellite?
  • Why do we have satellites?
  • What different things can a satellite do?
  • How do satellites get into space?
  • Why do you think so many satellites use solar power?
  • Why do satellites have antennae?
  • Why do you think it's better to measure some things from space?
  • What NASA satellite do you like the best?
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Sample Dialogue

Key:
  • P    Presenter
  • G    Guest
  • Bold italics indicate action.
  • Italics indicate a note to the presenter.
  •    □ indicates a cue


P   Hi there! Want to build a satellite with me?
G   Sure.
P   First, how about you tell me what a satellite is.
G   It's like a machine in space that takes pictures.
P   Great! Lots of satellites take pictures. What else do they do?
G   Um my neighbor has a satellite TV.
P   Yeah, plenty of them relay signals. Scientists also use satellites to measure things. What type of things do you think they measure?
G   The weather?
P   Cool! Lots of satellites measure the weather. Today I want to build a satellite that measures a gas in our atmosphere called carbon dioxide. Do you think you can help me?
G   Sure.
P   Thanks! Okay, this is the bus of the satellite. The bus is a structure that will hold the satellite's equipment. Today, instead of putting things in the bus, we'll stick things on the bus so we know what's in the satellite. Take a look at these satellite parts--what do you think we might need?
G   Solar panels!
P   Good idea. Go ahead and put them on. Why do you think it might need solar panels?
G   I don't know. Satellites always have them.
P   Great. Have you ever seen solar panels on Earth?
G   Yeah.
P   What were they for?
G   Power.
P   Great. You've now powered your satellite. What else can you add to power your satellite?
G   A battery I guess.
P   Fabulous. That can help your satellite when it's on the other side of Earth. What else do you think you might need?
G   This gold stuff is cool.
P   Awesome! You might have seen something like that on real satellites. It's a thermal blanket. I wonder why a satellite might need a blanket. When do you use a blanket?
G   When I'm sleeping. Or when I'm cold.
P   Do you think it's cold in space?
G   Well it's closer to the Sun. So no.
P   Neat. Our atmosphere is like a blanket that helps us stay warm. It traps heat. But space is outside our atmosphere, so it can get really cold! Do you think that would be good for the equipment in the satellite?
G   No.
P   Cool. Let's put the blanket on. Is there anything else in here you think could help control the temperature of the satellite?
G   I don't know.
P   Maybe you've heard of a radiator. What does a radiator do?
G   My grandma had one and she said it kept her apartment warm.
P   Fantastic. We can add that to help regulate the temperature in case our satellite gets too warm or too cold. What else might our satellite need?
G   I've seen antennae on satellites before.
P   Awesome. I bet your friend with the satellite TV has an antenna. What do you think that's for?
G   To send a signal?
P   Yeah! Go ahead and stick that on. Does your satellite need anything else?
G   No, I'm done.
P   Awesome. Now we want to send your satellite into space! That means we need to create a mission. Here's your mission report. We can fill it out so we know exactly what your satellite is up to. What do you want to call your satellite?
G   Jerome.
P   Okay, now it asks us for the purpose of your satellite. Do you remember why we wanted to build a satellite in the first place?
G   To measure something?
P   Yeah! We're going to measure carbon dioxide, or CO2. You can write that in there. Hey, we didn't add any equipment to the satellite to measure CO2. What could we add?
G   Maybe rockets.
P   Great! We might need rockets to get the satellite into space. Go ahead and add those. Now, remember, we want to measure CO2, so we need a measuring tool. What do you use to measure things?
G   A ruler. A thermometer?
P   Awesome. A ruler or a meter stick is used to measure something. We're measuring a gas so we need some special equipment, but maybe you can find something in here that sounds like a meter stick.
G   How about this splendid spectrometer?
P   Excellent. Remember when we looked at the different colors different elements give off? The spectrometer can measure which colors it's receiving. Go ahead and stick it on. Okay, remember when we took pictures of the Earth--what did we use to see the Earth?
G   The flash on the camera.
P   Was that active or passive sensing?
G   Active!
P   Cool. Would you like to use active or passive sensing for Jerome?
G   Maybe passive?
P   Neat. That means you won't need the laser--the laser, like the flash, would be a light we would shine on our atmosphere and the spectrometer would measure what colors in the laser are absorbed. Is there anything you can add to your mission report?
G   I'll check the passive box.
P   Great. Do you know what the payload is?
G   No.
P   The payload is the stuff that will actually achieve the purpose of your satellite. Our purpose was to measure CO2. What did you put on your satellite to do that?
G   The spectrometer.
P   Great! Now we should figure out when Jerome will launch. How long do you think it will take to build all this equipment?
G   2 weeks.
P   Cool! Put down the date two weeks from now. Okay, how long do you think it should measure CO2
G   Maybe a day or so?
P   Okay. If you do just a day, you would be capturing how much carbon dioxide there is in the atmosphere for just that day. If you measured carbon dioxide for a longer time, you could come up with an average it might be for every day. Which do you want to do?
G   Just a day.
P   Awesome! You have planned a satellite mission! Do you want to see what some real NASA satellite missions are like?
G   Okay.
P   Neat. How are they different than yours?
G   They're all longer.
P   Okay, do they do different things?
G   Yes. This one measures water.
P   Cool! Does it have a different payload so it can do that?
G   Yeah. It has a radar.
P   Fantastic. Want to look at where some of these satellites are now?
G   Sure.
P   This NASA app on my tablet can show us where real satellites are now. You can touch ones you want to look at. Which one do you like the best?
G   OCO-2 is like Jerome.
P   Jerome is a really cool satellite, and you can hold it in your hand. Let's see if you can hold OCO-2 in your hand. Take this piece of paper, and I'm going to look for some satellites on this tablet.
G   Okay.
P   Great. This is another NASA app that lets you look at 3d models of satellites. See?
G   Whoa! That's amazing!
P   Yeah! Does it look like Jerome?
G   Kind of. Not really.
P   Yeah. Jerome has everything it needs to get into space and do it's mission, but a real satellite would have real computers and everything. Thanks for building a satellite with me!
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