1. How to survive in space: Lecture 1: Lift off!
Lesson summary
Step 1: The lesson starts as a short immersive experience The classroom tone is set to provoke imaginative consideration of what it might be like to be an astronaut on the launch pad through role play, then hearing from real life astronauts about their experiences of launch.
Step 2: Developing awareness through picture & text matching Pupils are introduced to the dangers of a launch by matching statements about some of the dangerous aspects of a rocket launch to images of familiar objects and how they might be affected by a rocket launch.
Step 3: The main section of the lesson involves an investigation in role as a safety engineer Pupils investigate making changes to a simple toy pushchair to improve the safety of the passenger, similar to a rocket engineer thinking of the safety of
Step 4: Lesson plenary takes a fun activity using SPACE as an acronym Pupils try to think of the roles involved in a space mission by making team badges.
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Image credit: Paul Wilkinson

2. How might it feel to be an astronaut at lift off?
Imagine you are strapped in tight for eight and a half very dangerous minutes.
Where are you?
Are you alone?
What are you thinking about?
Who are you thinking about?
How are you feeling?
What are you excited about?
Pupils enter a classroom climate that is different to the normal lay out- example lights off- chairs all near to each other (a smaller space than usual) possibly belts as straps. Use the questions as prompts.
One option is to use real time: 8.5 minutes for this activity- start the clock from the bell and not once settled down as time will be pressing. This is the same time from lift off to leaving the earth’s atmosphere.
Clip link
Now watch the video clip to hear from 2 astronauts about what it was like for them
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Image credit: Paul Wilkinson

3. How does knowing the problem help to find a solution?
Match the key words to the pictures
Sound vibration causes damage
Delicate skin is damaged by pressure
Protection is vital wherever you go
Images are provided from contexts likely to be familiar to pupils. The slide raises some of the challenges of launch, noise, pressure human fragility. Pupils are simply asked to match the three images to the three statements.
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4. How does knowing the problem help to find a solution?
Look closely at the spacesuit and space-seat
How do space engineers protect astronauts…
against vibration?
against high pressure?
throughout the journey?
Link the problems to the solution. Use the video link to appreciate the importance of the seat and space suit at launch.
Video link
Watch the video to hear astronaut Helen Sharman talking about her launch seat
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5. How do engineers work to improve safety?
Investigate how to improve the safety of a toy pushchair going from one place to another.
What will you change? Why select this change?
What will you measure?
Suggest changes to the equipment
Visualise what will happen if something is changed
Create and test your new idea or solution to the problem
Using a small doll in a children’s toy push chair as the context, show video of this moving steadily. Pupils are required to write the commentary of the doll thoughts.
Take the push chair to the playground and sprint over rough terrain or free-flow on a hill. Ideally the doll falls out. What is the dolls commentary now?
Think about all the things that could be changed on the push chair to improve the safety of the doll in transit at speed. How can the chair be changed to make the doll safer?
Ask the pupils to select one of their options and to describe why the push chair would be better if a change was made.
Next, ask the pupils to plan and describe what they would do to test and measure the influence of the change that they’ve suggested. Then carry out the investigation. Teachers may consider splitting this activity over a couple of sessions if carrying out the investigation with pupils.
In this activity the focus is on pupils ‘thinking’ as an engineer. For instance, if they choose to change the seatbelt, what would they change it to? They could research different types of seatbelts from a range of seats, or if they decide to change the shape of the seat, what would they change it to?
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Images credit: Paul Wilkinson

6. Who might work in a space mission team?
MEDIC
Start with an example of an acronym, such as SCHOOL, to explain the simple task. Ask the pupils to identify a range of job roles associated ‘school’ that begin with each letter of the word – e.g. S for student, C for caretaker, H for home-link, O for Ofsted, O for Office Manager, L for Learner
Now give pupils badges that spell out SPACE (5 in a group). Pupils write on their badge a role that begins with their letter that would be a job role needed in a space mission team?
Once completed individually, ask all the pupils with the same letter to see if they can think of any additional job roles that they have missed. Create new SPACE teams to illustrate the range of job roles possible.
Extension: A range of other words could be used for this activity, e.g. PLANET, SOYUZ, ROCKET (note: Y, K and Z are quite challenging!)
Create a job role for each of the letters that make up a SPACE mission team c e
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7. Acknowledgments The Authoring team (www.fascinate.manchester.ac.uk)
Hannah Champion, Monteney Primary School, Sheffield
Shelley Kinman, St Mary’s RC Primary School, Salford
Sam Redfearn, Meadowbank Primary school, Atherton
Christina Whittaker, SEERIH Professional Development Champion
Dr Lynne Bianchi, Head of SEERIH, The University of Manchester
Photography
Paul Wilkinson
Images
NASA/NIH/Jürgen Schoner/Will Murray via Wikimedia Commons
The Association for Science Education for hosting the activities on