DMNS : Space Odyssey Online Teacher's Guide

Solar System

Exhibits

Map and Overview (PDF: 900kb)
Download and print an overview and map of the entire exhibition experience.

Candor Chasma Base Station in Space Odyssey
Step up to the window and look out on Mars. You'll get an up-close view of Candor Chasma, with 15,000-foot cliffs looming in the distance under a greenish yellow sky. At any moment an astronaut may enter the scene, carrying out research while you ask questions via walkie-talkie.

Carving Landscapes
Did Mars once have liquid water on its surface? You be the judge. Use water to carve landforms in simulated Martian soil, then see if you can find similar patterns in photos of Mars.

Cratering
Fire a ball into a giant bin of sand and what do you get? Your own crater! Then watch slow-motion video of the impact to see how craters shape the surface of a planet and give clues to its age.

Experiment Bar
Become a space scientist by performing experiments to learn about Mars. Analyze rocks with a video microscope, hunt for water using radar, and search for signs of life.

High-Altitude Probe
Your mission: Search for and analyze key features in the terrain on Mars. Your spacecraft: A digital probe that you pilot over actual images of Mars while photographing the planet’s craters, dunes, and channels. Once you’ve collected the data, report back to Mission Control with your results.

Infrared Experiments
Seeing is believing, and these experiments will allow you to “see” light outside the visible spectrum. Experience how different surfaces reflect and absorb heat and how scientists use these principles to learn about distant objects in space.

Life of a Star
Red dwarf, planetary nebula, black hole—which will it be? Build your own star and find out. Compare your creation to real pictures of similar stars while you watch it cycle from birth to death.

Mission Board
Get on board with the latest space missions. Watch as astronauts work in space. Monitor the progress of ongoing missions.

Museum Galaxy Guides
Museum Galaxy Guides are your hosts to the universe, bringing the human touch to space. Join them as they demonstrate zero gravity, broadcast the most current space news, share folktales about the night sky, read your astronomical “fortune,” and much more!

Orbits Explorer
Orbits are the highways of our solar system. Planets, moons, asteroids, and spacecraft encircle other objects, maintaining their orbital paths due to gravity. Create your own solar system or flight path, and learn how what goes around, comes around.

Robotic Rover
The objective is set: Maneuver a robotic rover across rocky Martian terrain to achieve its targets. Can you complete the mission? Find out while you learn about the important role robots play in space exploration.

Seeing the Sun
Your mother always told you not to look directly at the Sun. Well, now’s your chance! View up-to-the-moment images of sunspots, coronal mass ejections, and solar wind. You’ll learn the whats, wheres, and whys of our nearest star without even having to put on your sunglasses!

Space Screen
A giant, high-resolution screen will take you into space with images from the Hubble Space Telescope, robotic orbitors and landers, and astronomy observatories. The Space Screen will also bring you major space events broadcast live from NASA.

Science Shows

These programs are offered on a flexible schedule and may not be available during your visit.

Astronaut on the Surface of Mars
Talk to an astronaut as he or she explores the Martian surface. Space-suited performers bring the Candor Chasma diorama to life several times a day.

Astronomy in the Time of the Incas
As descendents of the Sun, the Inca held astronomy in high regard. In this narrative, you will take on the role of Inca students learning the astronomy of Cuzco and Machu Picchu.

Meteorites Cart
Debris from outer space is constantly entering Earth’s atmosphere. Find out more about these meteorites and the impact craters they form with our meteorite cart.

EarthSmart Training
Pretend you’re an astronaut cadet and get a mission briefing. You’ll learn how astronauts recognize Earth’s weather patterns, geologic features, fires, and volcanic eruptions from space.

Find the Sun
Using software, view the planets and Sun from different angles in outer space. Does the Sun look the same from Mars as it does from Earth? Do planets have “phases” just like the Moon?

Gas Tube Spectroscopy
A Museum Galaxy Guide will teach you about spectra and why they help us better understand space.

Jumbo Big Dipper
Wander among the stars of the Big Dipper in this three-dimensional model that allows you to see a well-known constellation from many different angles.

Make Your Own Sundial
How does a sundial work? Use shadow and light to make your own, and find out why it doesn’t take a watch to know the time!

Moon Phases
What causes the phases of the Moon? When can you see an eclipse? Would it be better to visit the Moon when it’s light or dark? Learn the answers to these questions with the hands-on Moon Phases model.

Saturn and the Cassini-Huygens Mission
What does Saturn look like from Earth and why do Saturn's rings seem to disappear? What does a gas giant like Saturn look like close up? Find out the answers to these questions and get an update on the Cassini-Huygens mission.

Storytelling

The Librarian Who Measured the Earth
Discover how Eratosthenes measured the circumference of the Earth 2,000 years before Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World.

Planetarium Shows

To get information on current Planetarium shows, please visit the Planetarium page in our School Groups section.

Pre/Post Activities

Previsit Activities
Solar System Scale Models (PDF: 92k)

Postvisit Activities
How Big Is Our Earth? (PDF: 88k)
Solar System Tic-Tac-Toe (PDF: 108k)

Programs at Your School

Current Events in Space
Grades 3-9
Science 1,3-6

Choose one of two module investigations in space science: Meteors: Fireballs in the Sky and Missions and Stations
Distinguish a meteorite from a "meteor wrong."
Receive your mission update on recent space travel and exploration.

Science Background Information

Solar System (PDF: 96k)

Requires the free PDF viewer to read.