"A Beautiful Planet" Educator Resource Guide
Enjoy activities to learn about the Earth, the importance of the ISS, and the work that’s being done to conserve our planet and its resources
Ants in Space
Learn about ant communication and behavior, build ant habitats with simple materials, and compare observations with videos from the International Space Station.
Bone Loss in Space: "Bag of Bones"
Using bags of cereal, students learn about factors affecting bone density, including the microgravity environment experienced by Space Station astronauts.
Butterflies in Space
Study caterpillars and butterflies in the classroom and compare your observations with a real ISS experiment!
Crystal Growth in Microgravity
Investigate the growth of crystals under different temperature conditions to better understand their growth and development
DNA Minizines
Print and fold these cute "minizines" and enjoy their simple, playful explanations of important topics in genetic research
Earth Observation from the ISS
Get a new perspective by viewing your home planet from the unique vantage point of the International Space Station
Expeditionary Skills for Life
In these activities, astronauts help students practice important life skills such as goal setting and teamwork!
Germs in Space DreamKit
Collect, grow, and study microbes. Then compare your investigations with a real experiment done on the International Space Station!
Get a Leg Up
A simple simulation that illustrates how the microgravity environment of space impacts the astronaut body
Inspector Detector
Use magnets as sensors to detect the positions of hidden objects and learn about the magnetic field of the moon
Invisible Forces
Design and build systems that use magnets to control speed and direction to learn about "gravity assist"
Keeping Your Cool
Students learn about the extravehicular mobility unit (EMU), or spacesuit, and experience the water-cooling technology that helps maintain the astronaut's…
Lunar Nautics Educator Guide
Choose one or several activities from this comprehensive guide with activities connecting students with lunar exploration - perfect for the Artemis generation!
Microgravity: Earth and Space
Simulate microgravity in the classroom so students can study the behavior of crystals, fluids, and plants. Students learn about gravity on Earth and in orbit.
Nickelodeon Slime in Space Virtual Field Trip
Nickelodeon sent its iconic slime to the ISS where astronauts performed various demonstrations and captured it all on video!
Plants in Space Teacher's Guide
Detailed teacher's guide from BioEd Online modeled after recent plant experiments on the ISS.
Rockets: 3, 2, 1, Puff!
Learn about rocket stability by constructing small "indoor" paper rockets, checking their flight stability, then launching them
Rover Parts
Introduces two of the three major components that go into every robot and how common robots really are
Space Food and Nutrition
Space food research meets the challenge of providing healthy food that tastes good and travels well in space
Space Nutrition
Detailed, well-researched information covering nutrition, exercise and other health considerations for space travel
STEMonstration 1: Exercise
Learn why astronauts on the ISS must exercise to protect their bones and muscles.
STEMonstration 2: Newton's Second Law of Motion
Astronauts demonstrate forces, mass, and acceleration.
STEMonstration 3: Newton's Third Law of Motion
Newton's Third Law explains why a rocket shoots upward when it sends a stream of exhaust downward.
STEMonstration 4: Kinetic and Potential Energy
Explore kinetic and potential energy on the ISS with astronaut Joe Acaba.
STEMonstration 5: Nutrition
See how astronauts eat and try designing a balanced astronaut menu.
STEMonstration 6: Orbits
Learn about the space station's orbit from astronaut Scott Tingle.
STEMonstration 7: Surface Tension
Ricky Arnold plays with liquids on the ISS to explain surface tension!
STEMonstration 8: Water Filtration
Astronauts on the ISS drink water recycled from their own urine and sweat! It may sound gross, but it's cleaner…
Suited for Spacewalking
Eight activities and tons of background about spacesuits and spacewalking, mostly from pre-ISS era.
Menu
ISS National Laboratory® is a registered trademark of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), used with permission. The ISS National Laboratory® is managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. under Cooperative Agreement with NASA. NASA Partner logo is used with permission. © 2011-2023 The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS), a 501 (c)(3) Corporation.