WEB QUEST
(Grades 5 and 6)
INTRODUCTION:
The Space Age began soon after
the end of World War II. At this time, many countries, including the United
States, entered into a “cold war” with the Soviet Union. It was the hope of
these countries to stop the further invasion of Soviet troops into European
countries. As tensions increased, each side accused the other of wanting to
dominate the world. This caused each side to continue to increase the strength
of their military forces. America had already shown superiority in warfare by
using nuclear weapons during WW II, and it became an important goal of the
Russians to improve their own ability to produce nuclear weapons. This
determination on their part created a fear that the Soviet Union would surpass
the United States in rocket superiority. Both countries turned their attention
to space exploration as a method of demonstrating their superiority.
From the aftermath of World War
II there emerged two new technologies, the liquid fuel rocket and the digital
computer. Originally developed as weapons of war, these tools were refocused by
a human spirit that saw a better role for man in the universe. The rocket
provided the muscle, the computer the precise control, and humans the wisdom
and curiosity to seek their destiny among the stars. (www.imagine5.com)
You may think of space
exploration as an orderly progression from one major program to the next; the
reality is that the conquest of space has been a combination of large
overlapping programs as well as individual events of singular importance.
In this web quest, you will
follow the progression of the United States Space Program from its beginning to
the present. You will learn what events pushed the United States into entering
the space race and how these two new technologies made it possible for us to
learn what we know today about space, the final frontier.
TASKS:
Task 1: Use the World Wide Web to learn
about the major events that shaped the United States Space Program and record
your answers to the questions on the web quest form provided by your teacher.
Task 2: Use the information gathered to
understand the events that were important in propelling the space program
forward and the technologies that were needed to make it possible.
Some questions you will be asked
to consider when you are finished with your web quest are:
1. What major event caused the United States to enter into
the “space race?” Why was the United States so concerned about
this event?
2. What two countries were primarily involved in the “space
race” and what were they racing toward?
3. In this “space race,” what technological advances were
necessary and what major accomplishments were made in space exploration?
Task 3: In small groups, discuss your
findings with others and be prepared to
present what you have learned to
the class.
PART 1: THE DAWN OF THE SPACE
AGE
Use the following website to answer
the questions below: www.imagine5.com/TimeLine/TL50_00.html
Before answering the questions,
become familiar with the interactive time line by scrolling completely through
the information in the top window and by clicking on one of the two areas in
the bottom window to read what appears on the screen above it. Once you
understand how to use the timeline, it will be easier for you to find the
answers you are seeking.
1. What type of rocket was created in 1949 that would later be
used for space exploration?
2. After World War II, Americans and other countries faced a new
concern, the threat of Soviet invasion. In response to this threat, a treaty
was signed. What is the name of the treaty signed on April 4,
1949?
3. Who signed the treaty?
4. What organization was started with this treaty?
5. What was the purpose of the organization?
6. How did the invention of UNIVAC, the first digital computer
used for commercial purposes, help open the doors to space travel?
7. What happened on October 4, 1957, and how did it affect
American space exploration?
8. What previous invention made this event possible?
9. What was started as a result of this major event?
10. How much time passed
between the launch of Sputnik and when America was able to launch its first satellite? (Calculate
this yourself.)
11. What was the name of this
satellite launched by the United States?
12. What country put the
first man into space and what was the name of the man?
13. Who became the first
American to orbit Earth on February 20, 1962?
14. What was the name of the
spacecraft this American used to orbit Earth?
15. How much time passed
between when the first Russian and the first American orbited Earth? (Calculate this yourself.)
16. Each time the United States
made a step forward in space exploration, what had just happened? What does this tell you about the
United States?
17. What was the official name
of NASA’s manned flight experiments?
18. What did this space program
accomplish?
19. What was the purpose of the Gemini
Program?
20. What was the purpose of
the Apollo Program?
21. What event ended the
“Space Race?”
22. Where did the Lunar
Module Eagle from Apollo land?
PART 2: BEYOND THE MOON
Once the space race ended, the
United States turned its attention to learning more about the planets. Many
unmanned spacecraft were sent on missions to fly past certain planets and send
back information about the climate, temperature, surface characteristics, etc.
Answer the questions below to find out what the United States has learned about our solar system and beyond.
Use the following website to
find the answers to the questions below:
www.solarviews.com/eng/craft2.htm
Click on the names of the
planets to find the information being asked for.
1. Which spacecraft was the first successful spacecraft to fly past Venus
and enter a solar orbit?
2. When did this event occur?
3. What was the first U.S. spacecraft to fly by Mars? On what date did
this occur?
4. What information about Mars did this spacecraft send back to Earth?
5. Between the years of 1973 and 1975, Mariner 10 flew past Mercury
three times producing over 10,000 pictures with 57% planet coverage. It also
recorded data about the temperatures and atmosphere of Mercury. What were the recorded
surface temperatures? What information was sent back about the surface
of Mercury?
6. List three spacecraft that have traveled to Jupiter or beyond.
7. What information did the Titan Probe send back to
Earth?
8. Which spacecraft flew to Uranus and Neptune on the same
trip?
9. When do we expect a flyby of Pluto?
10. What types of spacecraft are we presently using to do work in
space? (besides space probes)
11. What new spacecraft has been designed to eventually replace
what is being used today?
12. What other space travel do you think will occur in the
21st century?
13. How was the Space Race between the United States and the
Soviet Union helpful to space exploration?
EVALUATION:
Remember the questions from Task
2 that you were asked to think about? With your cooperative group, discuss the
answers to the web quest questions and then answer the questions from Task 2.
Then think of a way you can present what you have learned about the United
States Space Program to the rest of the class. A few possible ways to present
your information are:
1. A poster timeline showing each major step taken by the Soviet Union
and the United States and the dates when each occurred (with pictures)
2. An oral presentation where each group member tells about one of the
important steps taken by each country.
Have each group member wear a label, hat, or costume that indicates
which country he or she is representing and show a picture of the event.
3. A report such as PowerPoint or HyperStudio presentation and/or poster
about the technology of the rocket and the computer and how each was vital
to the success of the space program. Show how the computer and rocket were
used in each major step of the space program: launching a satellite, putting
a man in space, having an astronaut orbit the Earth and safely return, landing
on the moon, sending probes to planets and sending back information, the use
of a reusable spacecraft like the space shuttle, and the creation of the International
Space Station.
Other Planets, Other Moons Home Page
and relevancy of the information on all other site pages are entirely
the responsibility of the webmaster of the sites visited.
Louisiana
Public Broadcasting's Telecommunications Center, 7733 Perkins Road, Baton
Rouge, LA 70810
For additional information, contact us at edserv@lpb.org
or
Educational
Services at 225 767-5660 or 800-272-8161.