This is a lesson about using gravity to assist in spacecraft navigation. Learners will relate an elastic collision to the change in a satellite's or spacecraft's speed and direction resulting from a planetary fly-by, often called a "gravity assist"... (View More) maneuver. Both hands-on and online interactive methods are used to explore these topics. (View Less)

This is a journal article and activity/demonstration about navigation in space. Learners will learn about gyroscopes by playing with a spinning bicycle wheel to demonstrate momentum, centripal force and angular momentum. First the spinning wheel is... (View More) held perpendicular to the ground, then parallel to the ground, then it is hung from a string, and finally the wheel is held in the center by at its axle points while the person is on a swivel stool. The results are explained, specific vocabulary is introduced, and questions are presented. The article was originally published in The Technology Teacher, by the International Technology Education Association. (View Less)