Space Lab Students Create Mini Comets!
Most people only get the opportunity to view comets from afar as they blaze past the earth’s orbit. Today, the students had the opportunity to view these celestial bundles of ice and dirt up close with a simulated comet activity in Space Lab. Using soil and dry ice, the students formed small objects that simulate the materials and appearance of comets. When heat is applied, the mini-comets grow tails like those that appear when real comets get close to stars.
The students continue their study of the moon this semester in Space Lab. While discussing the different space objects that affect the moon’s surface, one of the students questioned the difference between asteroids, meteors, and comets. Ms. Elaine Lewis, a former NASA-Goddard educator who has been leading Space Lab at TCS since last year, decided to show the students first-hand with this comet lab.
With this hands-on knowledge, the students are more informed and equipped for this semester’s space lab project. The students are designing a habitat for living on the moon. In building this habitat, they must take into account the various factors that make the moon inhospitable. They are learning how radiation from the sun and objects like meteors constantly bombard the surface of the moon. The students must design a habitat that protects from these elements, because there is nothing on the moon or in the moon’s atmosphere that protects from these elements naturally. Thank you Ms. Elaine for providing the informative and fun comet activity!