NASA Wavelength Resources Collection

NASA Wavelength is a collection of resources that incorporate NASA content and have been subject to peer review. You can search this collection using key words and/or the drop down menus to pinpoint resources to use with your audience of learners.
1604 result(s)

Unsung Heroes of Science

In this lesson, students identify and describe unfamiliar scientist heroes who contributed to the field of science until the year 1929.
Keywords: History of science, Reading
Audience: Middle school, Grades 6-8, Middle school, High school
Topic: The nature of science
Materials Cost: 1 cent - $1
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M101: The Pinwheel Galaxy

The Hubble Space Telescope image of M101 showcasing a spiral galaxy's well-known features is the subject of the M101: A Star-studded Galaxy lithograph. The lithograph text describes the features that are common to all spiral galaxies.
Audience: High school, Informal education, General public, High school programming, Middle school programming, Middle school
Topic: Earth and space science, Astronomy, Stars, nebulae and galaxies
Materials Cost: Free
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Determining the Altitude of Iridium Flares

This series of example calculations applies basic trigonometry to to calculate the altitude of satellites and Iridium satellite flares.
Keywords: Trigometry, Altitude, Tangent, Specular reflection
Audience: High school
Topic: Mathematics
Materials Cost: Free
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The Most Powerful Explosions in the Universe

One of the greatest mysteries of all is what causes gamma ray bursts. These bursts are the most powerful explosions in the Universe and occur about once a day. Their origin is unknown, although there are several theories.
Audience: Middle school
Topic: Physical sciences, Light and optics
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Graphs and Functions

Students will learn about NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), Earth's van Allen Radiation Belts, and space weather through reading a NASA press release and viewing a NASA eClips™ video segment.
Audience: Middle school, Grades 6-8
Topic: Mathematics, Algebra, Mathematics, Problem solving
Materials Cost: Free
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Down to Earth: Colors

Students identify the actual colors of objects bathed in monochromatic light and learn how three colors of light can be combined to produce colors ranging from black to white. Students see how space observatories make use of monochromatic filters to collect data on the color of objects in space.
Keywords: Light and color
Audience: Elementary school, Grades 3-5, Middle school
Topic: Physical sciences, Light and optics
Materials Cost: Over $20
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NASA eClips™ Real World: What is Soil Moisture?

In this video clip, see how NASA measures soil moisture from space with the Soil Moisture Active Passive Mission (SMAP). Learn to calculate soil moisture in your own backyard and discover the real world applications for this data. NASA eClips™ are short, relevant educational video segments.
Keywords: Soil moisture, Careers
Audience: Middle school
Topic: Earth and space science, Earth processes, Climate, Earth and space science, Earth processes, Weather, Mathematics, Data collection, analysis and probability, Mathematics, Measurement, The nature of technology
Materials Cost: Free
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Constructing a Barometer

This experimental activity is designed to develop a basic understanding of the relationship between temperature and pressure and that a barometer can be constructed to detect this relationship.
Keywords: Barometer, Scientific instrumentation, Air pressure
Audience: Elementary school, Grades 3-5, Middle school, High school
Topic: Earth and space science, Earth processes, Weather, Earth and space science, Earth structure, Atmosphere, Mathematics, Measurement, The nature of science, The scientific process
Materials Cost: $1 - $5
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Big Sun, Small Moon?

If you’ve ever seen a picture of a solar eclipse, you may have noticed that the Moon comes very close to covering the entire Sun. Learners will use a coin and a plate to investigate why the Sun and Moon look like they’re the same size, though the Sun is much bigger.
Audience: Informal education, Elementary school programming, Informal education, Middle school programming, Informal education, Families, Informal education, Parents/caregivers
Topic: Earth and space science, Solar system, The sun
Materials Cost: 1 cent - $1
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Investigating Magnetic Storms

This is a lesson to introduce the Kp index, a common numerical indicator of magnetic storminess. Learners will access and analyze Kp index plots of magnetic storm strength and determine the relative frequency of stronger versus weaker magnetic storms.
Audience: High school
Topic: Earth and space science, Earth structure, Earth's magnetic field, Earth and space science, Solar system, The sun, Solar-terrestrial interactions
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