Broaden students’ horizons with a thrilling journey through the science of space travel. This download includes the full KS3 physics lesson plan and seven accompanying worksheets.

A few years ago, the NASA/SpaceX Dragon capsule made a successful visit to the ISS. This was the first partnership with a private company to come this close to yielding a manned mission.

This has opened up new possibilities for space travel, with tourist visits into outer space also likely within the next few years. It may bring closer a manned mission to Mars – and so we need a new generation of astronauts ready to take their place in the stars.

Learning objectives

• Understand the challenges of space travel
• Design spacecraft and propulsion systems
• Understand life support in space
• Explore the effects of extended stays in space

KS3 physics starter activity

Introduce your students to astronaut, Tim Peake, and his mission on the ISS. Inspire them using the live video footage of the Earth from the ISS.

Why not give your pupils a few of the challenges in Tim Peake’s superb The Astronaut Selection Test Book, too?

Dr Joanna Rhodes M.Chem, D.Phil, MRSC is Head of Sixth Form at Wakefield Girls’ High School. Browse more resources for World Space Week.

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