Exoplanet Travel Kits: Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
About Educational Resource
Participating classes receive a traveling box, which include resources to teach students all about the exciting worlds outside our Solar System – exoplanets. Students are expected to design a human habitat for one of these worlds, a location where humans can live long-term. These designs are returned to the museum, where they are put on display in an exoplanet art gallery. Guests vote on their favorite habitat design and the top two habitats have their designs 3D printed and the students win a field trip to the museum, where they get the chance to ask questions of content experts.
This Program Model was developed and authored by Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, with minimal editorial input and review from NASA's Universe of Learning. NASA's Universe of Learning has contributed astrophysics content and subject matter expertise to support the creation of this material.
Other organizations may adapt these materials to meet the needs of their specific audiences. While this Program Model was designed to serve the local audience of the authoring institution, it is shared here as an example for broader use. Users should adjust it as needed and use all or some of the content, as appropriate, for their own needs.
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Goals and Recommendations
Goals
The goal of the travel kits is to excite and educate learners about current space science, giving educators the necessary tools to teach their learners about worlds outside our own Solar System. While many activities are included in the kit, the objective of the main activity is for learners to learn about the engineering process and to use it to design a human habitat on or near an exoplanet.
Recommendations
The hardest part is assembling the kits. Bring in a team or switch responsibilities to make it easier for everyone!