1. SURVIVING IN SPACE
SURVIVING IN A VACUUM

2. SURVIVING IN A VACUUM
Flow of ideas through the activities (green = practical activity):
If we want to do experiments at low air pressure without going up into space, we need a way of pumping air out of a container.
Normally, on the surface of the earth, we are pushed down on by all the air in the atmosphere (‘the air pressure’)
What happens to our marshmallow astronaut when we ‘send her into space’ by pumping the air out from around her?
As we go upwards, there is less air pushing down on us (‘lower air pressure’)
(Option to research on the internet what effects this lower air pressure has e.g. for mountaineers, for releasing weather balloons…)
Can we make a space helmet that will protect her as the air is pumped out?
Learn a bit more about actual NASA space suits

3. SURVIVING IN A VACUUM Suggested Activities:
Check understanding that normally the atmosphere pushed down on us (‘air pressure’)
Check understanding that as you go upward (e.g. up a mountain) there is less air above you so there is lower air pressure
(Possible extra - Research what effects this has – e.g. this hurricane tracking balloon needs to be launched only partly inflated (46secs) because the gas inside it will expand as it goes up and has less air pressure pushing on it… or this video (3min 28s) of some mountaineers boiling water at Everest base camp… or this (2min 17s) about altitude sickness)
Check understanding that we can also create lower air pressure just by pumping out air from a container if we want to see these effects in the classroom.
Experiment to see what happens to our marshmallow astronaut as we pump air out.
Experiment to make a space helmet to protect the marshmallow
Discuss why astronauts need space suits to protect them. Look at this NASA cartoon video about why space suits are needed (2 mins then a clickable resource showing different space suit models) and this NASA interactive ‘learn about spacesuits’ resource .

4. SURVIVING IN A VACUUM Y3 Y4 Y5 Y6 Specific Curriculum Links
“notice that some forces need contact between two objects,
but magnetic forces can act at a distance”
Link to air pressure = result of air pushing down on us Y4 Y5
“explain that unsupported objects fall towards the Earth
because of the force of gravity acting between the Earth and
the falling object”
Link to the fact that gravity also pulls downwards on the air around us – keeping it around the earth and stopping it escaping into space. Link to air pressure being the result of that air pushing down on us (imagine as a carrying a column of air 12km high around on our heads!)
“understand that force and motion can be transferred through mechanical devices such as gears, pulleys, levers and springs”
… and also through fluids including air (e.g. wind blowing a boat along) Y6

5. MARSHMALLOW ASTRONAUTS - DEMO
Sea Level
Scafell Pike
Mont Blanc
Everest
Planes
Space
Surface of Mars
Everest base camp
Ben Nevis
Mexico City
Lake Titicaca
El Alto City
Put marshmallow astronaut into the vacuum jar and use the syringe to pump out the air as far as you can – noting the equivalent altitudes as you pass them (you will probably struggle to get much past Everest)
Watch how the marshmallow inflates.
(this is caused by the air bubbles trapped inside it getting bigger as the air pressure is reduced).
National Curriculum skills:
Observing over time (what observations to make, how often, with what equipment, making what records)

6. MARSHMALLOW ASTRONAUTS - EXPERIMENT
Equipment
5 x ‘foodsaver’ pumps + containers
Enough plastic shot glasses and plastic disks for one each
Various possible ways of sealing them together (plasticine, sellotape, masking tape)
Marshmallows
Show children how to use the kitchen vacuum pump to pump air out of a box.
Explain that they need to build a space helmet to protect the marshmallow by sealing in the air around it.
Let them investigate how many pump strokes are needed to get the marshmallows to inflate and think about what would be a ‘fair test’ of their helmet.
Let them have a go at making space helmets – can anyone protect their marshmallow. If they can, do a final competition in the vacuum chamber reading off the pressure at which each helmet fails and the marshmallow inflates.
National Curriculum skills:
Observing over time (what observations to make, how often, with what equipment, making what records)
Pattern seeking (more pump strokes = bigger marshmallow?)
Fair testing (how do we keep test the conditions the same for each helmet?)

7. SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR RELATED MATHS ACTIVITIES
Reading from a graph – find the heights of different cities / mountains and read from the graph what the air pressure will be
SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR RELATED ENGLISH ACTIVITIES
Research and write about how space suits have developed over time

8. ‘SURVIVING IN A VACUUM’ RESOURCE LIST
Marshmallow Astronauts (one class at a time)
Air pressure demo kit
5 x plastic containers with pumps
1 marshmallow per child
Felt tips for drawing faces on ‘astronauts’
Plus, for making helmets for the marshmallows
1 plastic shot glass per child
1 plastic disk per child
Plasticine, sellotape, masking tape… anything else from school resources that they come up with for making a good seal