Educator’s GuideGrades 6-12

INTRODUCTIONIn 1969, Americans landed two men on the Moon on the Apollo 11 mission. This epic achievement was the result of decades of scientific advancement and hundreds of thousands of individuals’ efforts. It was also the culmination of more than twenty years of Cold War hostilities between America and the Soviet Union and a beacon of hope during a contentious decade in American history.

The lessons learned from the early space program and the conflicts, at home and abroad, led to cooperation both on and off Earth. International partnerships in space grew from the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, an American-Russian collaboration, to the International Space Station, a group effort from 15 countries that includes astronauts and experiments from many more.

Now America is on the cusp of another epic journey, this time to Moon and beyond to Mars. The Artemis program will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024 and will build on that achievement to allow humans to explore further in space than ever before. The American space program today stands on the shoulders of all those who worked to make those first footprints on the Moon.

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EXHIBIT GUIDEDevelopment of space programs in the United States and the Soviet Union began at the end of World War II, when each began building programs from the remains of the German V-2 program. Both countries scrambled to secure military and technological advantage over the other, fueling a Cold War between the two nations. The Space Race began in earnest with the launch of the Soviet’s Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite, in 1957.

THE BEEP HEARD ROUND THE WORLDAmid national shock and fear over the Soviet satellite, the United States rushed to catch up. America launched their own artificial Earth satellite, Explorer-I, January 31, 1958. Both countries applied their best minds and resources to developing the technology necessary to send humans to space, with the ultimate goal of landing humans on the Moon.

Diameter 22.8 inchesAntenna length 9.5 feetWeight 184 pounds

This is a 1:1 model of Sputnik. Its beep could be heard by tuning into the right radio wave frequency as it passed overhead in orbit.

THE POINT OF CONTENTIONIn October 1962, military tensions escalated between the Soviet Union and the United States. In response to American Jupiter ballistic missiles in Italy and Turkey capable of reaching the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union installed nuclear missiles in Cuba capable of reaching the United States. The Cuban Missile Crisis, a 13-day confrontation over the placement of these weapons, was the closest the United States and the Soviet Union came to nuclear war.

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A STRENGTHENED RESOLVEIn 1962, President Kennedy told the country that America would land humans on the Moon by the end of the decade. His assassination in 1963 spurred the nation on to fulfill his legacy.

These letters of achievement, grief, and hope between Wernher von Braun and Jacqueline Kennedy were exchanged only three months after President Kennedy’s assassination.

Length/Height 95.5 inchesWidth 65 inchesWeight 900 poundsMaterials Ceramic ablative coating and stainless steel

This nose cone is an unused flight-like test article of a U.S. Jupiter Missile.

TRANSCRIPTSWernher von Braun February 1, 1964

Mrs. John F. KennedyWashington, D.C.Dear Mrs. Kennedy:

In our elation over the successful launch of the SA-5 last Wednesday—the fifth in a successful string of launchings of the Saturn I rockets, but the first capable of going into orbit—I must tell you how happy and grateful we are that this test came off so well. All of us connected with this undertaking know only too well how eagerly the late President had been looking forward to this launching, which would at last establish the log awaited American lead in the capability of orbiting heavy payloads.

The trust he had placed in us, and his confidence that we could succeed, offered great encouragement but placed on us an even greater sense of obligation. I am enclosing a picture taken in front of the towering SA-5 rocket at Cape Kennedy on November 16th. The model at the left depicts the upper part of the rocket which is now orbiting the earth once every 94 minutes. The unit in orbit has a length of 83 feet and a weight of 37,800 lbs.

You have been overwhelmed with condolences from all over the world at the tragic death of your beloved husband. Like for so many, the sad news from Dallas was a personal blow to me. We do not know a better way of mourning the late President than to do our very best to make his dream and determination come true that “America must learn to sail on this new ocean of space and be in a position second to none.”

With deepest sympathy—Wernher von Braun

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Mrs. John F. KennedyFebruary 11, 1964

Dear Dr von Braun

I do thank you for your letter - about the Saturn – and about my husband.What a wonderful world it was for a few years – with men like you to help realize his dreams for this country – And you with a President who admired and understood you - so that together you changed the way the world looked at America – and made us proud again-

Please do me one favor – sometimes when you are making an announcement about some spectacular new success – say something about President Kennedy and how helped to turn the tide – so people won’t forget.

I hope Iam not the only one to feel this way – It is my only consolation - that at least he was given time to do some great work on this earth, which now seems such a miserable and lonely place without him.

How much more he could have done – but I must not think about that.I do thank you for your letter

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Kennedy

After successfully launching satellites, both space programs began working in earnest to send humans to explore the new frontier of space. The Soviet Union and the United States developed programs to put small single-person spacecraft into orbit around the Earth. Again, the rockets for the job were evolved versions of military weapons. The next phase of the Space Race was to leap the technical hurdles required to take humans to the Moon. The United States and the Soviet Union had similar agendas: multi-person flights with spacewalks, long duration flights, and spacecraft tests. The Soviet space program beat Americans to major milestones including the first person in space, the first spacewalk, and the first two- and three-person crewed space flights.

THE FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTSWhile NASA worked to pull ahead in the Space Race, the United States struggled with political and social turmoil. The Civil Rights movement, begun in the 1940s, was at its peak through the 1960s. People seeking equality under the law and equality in society conducted sit-ins, marches, boycotts, and other means of protesting discrimination, spurring political reform. US involvement in the Vietnam War escalated through the 1960s. Many joined the war effort to support the spread of American democratic values to a country at risk of falling to communism. Some men were forced to join the war through conscription into the army. Anti-war sentiment and protests against American involvement in Vietnam gained momentum through the late 1960s. In 1973, the United States withdrew from Vietnam.

Stop Lynching, NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Founded February 12, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation’s foremost, largest, and most widely recognized civil rights organization.

NAACP works to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons. Among the Association’s top priorities was eradicating lynching of African- Americans.

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Kennedy/King

This pin-back button is in response to the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

Freedom Now CORE

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was founded in 1942 by a group of 50 activists, one third were black while the rest were white, to protest racial segregation in the United States. Their primary tactics were to employ non-violent civil disobedience as a means of protesting segregation. CORE was instrumental in organizing the freedom rides in the American South to protest segregated public transportation and assisted in many demonstrations throughout the 1960s.

The Apollo program began in 1961. A cabin fire during a prelaunch test that killed the 3-person Apollo 1 crew brought home the dangers of space exploration to the American public. A renewed focus on the importance of safety and precision in the American space program contrasted with the headlong rush to victory of the Soviets. Despite that, the Apollo program quickly outstripped the Soviet program.

STEADY AND READY TO GO

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A MONUMENTAL TEAM Over 400,000 individuals contributed to the success of the American space program. The best and brightest scientists, mathematicians, artists, custodians, engineers, writers, coders, doctors, and hundreds of other jobs worked for over a decade to send humans to the Moon and bring them safely home again.

The badges and hard hat belonged to employees of the Space Division of North American Rockwell Corporation and represent the thousands who worked behind the scenes on the Apollo team. North American Rockwell was primarily involved with the Apollo Command Module (capsule) and Service Module. The stickers on the hardhat are from the missions and spacecraft the owner worked. The badge provided access to Launch Control for Apollo 11.

Length/Height 4.5 inchesDiameter 2.75 inchesMaterial Inconel 718 and Inconel X-750 (nickel-chromium alloy)

This explosive device was part of the system that held the Apollo 11 Saturn V in place on the launch pad. This igniter set off a charge that opened the clamping mechanism, releasing the rocket during lift-off.

SOFTENING THE LANDINGOn July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first and second people to set foot on the Moon. Their achievement marked the end of the Space Race but not the end of space exploration.

This Lunar Module (LM) landing gear strut and footpad were part of the same type of assembly that allowed the Apollo 11 crew to land safely on the Moon. The main strut of the leg contained a crushable aluminum honeycomb cartridge that absorbed the impact of landing, and the mylar foil cover protected the materials beneath from the extreme temperatures of space, the lunar surface and the exhaust plume of the LM Descent Engine. The LM footpads were designed to be wide enough to support the module on the dusty, lunar surface.

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WORKING ON THE MOONApollo 11’s successful mission paved the way for the expansion of space exploration. Apollo missions 12 through 17 allowed for longer and more in-depth scientific exploration of the Moon with new technologies, like the lunar rover.

These Apollo A7L Extravehicular Activity (EVA) spacesuit gloves were used in training for the lunar missions. These Lunar Overshoes were early prototypes of boots for the Apollo lunar missions. Both the gloves and boots had to have more protections from being punctured or torn than earlier space suits because the Apollo astronauts would be exploring the lunar surface.

COLLABORATION IN SPACEThe Skylab program was the United States’ first functional space station, where astronauts lived and performed experiments in space for weeks to months at a time. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975 was the first international collaboration for living in space, followed by the Shuttle-Mir program in 1993 to 1998 between the United States and Russia. Shuttle-Mir enabled the construction of the International Space Station, which is an international collaboration between 15 international partners, that astronauts are still using to live and work in space today.

This is a 1:50 scale model of Shuttle-Mir. Mir was the first modular space station, and first continuously inhabited research station in space. The Shuttle-Mir program enabled American astronauts on the Shuttle to dock with the Mir Space Station and work alongside Russian cosmonauts. The Shuttle-Mir project tested methods of building a larger space station and proved that long-term international collaboration in space was possible, paving the way for the International Space Station.

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A NEW ROCKETNow, NASA plans to return Americans to the Moon by 2024, using the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft. The Artemis program, named for Apollo’s twin sister and goddess of the Moon, plans to use these new technologies to return to the Moon to create a sustained human presence and to prepare to go beyond to Mars. NASA is working with international and commercial partners on the innovative technologies that will be needed to achieve this goal, including reusable launch vehicles and a new lunar lander.

The Space Launch System (SLS) is a heavy-lift vehicle and will be NASA’s first lunar-capable rocket designed to carry humans since the Saturn V. More powerful than the Saturn V, SLS will launch farther and faster than ever before. Multiple configurations of the SLS will meet a variety of mission requirements, including sending humans, habitats and support systems to deep space destinations.

WHAT WILL BE NEXT? The face of space exploration is changing and will continue to change as space technology and missions include a growing list of nations, as well as private companies, engaged in exploration and commerce. With all the innovations and possibilities for exploring the Moon, and beyond, what do you think this generation’s journey back to the Moon will look like? What next giant leap will future explorers take?

Concept of Artemis astronaut on the Moon. Credit: NASA

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Lesson Plans

OFF THE EARTH, FOR THE EARTHGRADES 6-8

In 1970, Sister Mary Jucunda wrote Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, a NASA scientist, asking why spend resources to explore space, when they could be directed to address suffering on Earth. Dr. Stuhlinger responded with a letter titled “Why Explore Space?”

https://lettersofnote.com/2012/08/06/why-explore-space/

Directions • Read his letter and write a summary. What do you think is Dr. Stuhlinger’s

most compelling reason to have a space program? Do you think there is anything Dr. Stuhlinger did not include? Do you agree with him or disagree?

• Imagine that someone has written to you asking for justification of a space program. Do you think it is beneficial to have a space program? Using at least two sources, research the topic and write a letter explaining your position, listing at least three reasons to support your decision.

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DESIGNING THE ARTEMIS GENERATION GRADES 6-8

NASA wants to return to the Moon in 2024 with the Artemis program. You are a committee of engineers deciding what tools and science experiments the astronauts should take to the lunar surface. Research what experiments were performed on the lunar surface during the Apollo missions and design a new experiment that the Artemis astronauts could perform on the first mission back to the Moon.

What would the experiment seek to do or to discover? What kind of equipment would be needed to do that? Using the items in the box, design and create the experiment and tools astronauts would need. https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/apollo-to-the-moon/online/science/scientific-experiments.cfm Materials (per student or team) Construction Tools • Scissors • Tape Design Materials • Graph paper • Pencils • Sharpies/Colored Markers Building Materials (per student or team) • 1 small cardboard box • Carboard box pieces • 4 Wooden craft sticks • 4 Paper portion cups • 4 Thumb tacks • 2 Wooden dowels • 4 Paper plates • 2 Pieces of card stock

During its flight, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft returned images of the Earth and Moon. Separate images of the Earth and Moon were combined to generate this view Credit: NASA

Common Core Literacy Standards • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1 • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2 • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1 • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.2 • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.1 • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.2

• 4 Paper brads • 2 Bendable straws • 2 Plastic clear portion cups • 1 Small cardboard tube

Directions •Draw and design the experiment and tools: Each student receives a

piece of graph paper and pencil to draw and design their ideas. Allow 10 minutes of draw and design.

•After the design time has ended, discuss the designs among classmates. From the discussions, develop a final design for the experiment and tools.

•Using ALL the building materials (except the scissors and pencils), each student should build the experiment and the tools astronauts would need to complete the experiment.

Apollo 11 experiments: To the right of the astronaut- Passive Seismic Experiment Package; beyond it is the Laser Ranging Retro-Reflector (LR-3) Credit: NASA

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CURATING THE FUTURE GRADES 9-12

The Apollo 11 Moon landing was a momentous achievement for the United States. However, the success of the mission was only one of several historic moments happening in the country. The cultural and political context of the Apollo program included the Cold War, the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the Anti-War movement. The country that celebrated the success of the Apollo 11 mission was also struggling with conflict and change. This exhibit, Apollo: When We Went to the Moon addresses the Space Race as well as its broader historical context.

51 years after Apollo 11, the United States celebrate another historic launch. On May 30, 2020, the SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 (DM-2) mission launched two astronauts from American soil to the International Space Station for the first time in 9 years, the first commercial launch to the ISS, and was a historic moment, much like Apollo 11.

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/dm2/

Directions Imagine you are a curator in the year 2070 creating an exhibit about the DM-2 mission. Select three events/movements from 2020 to put the DM-2 mission in a broader historical context. How did those events impact the DM-2 mission? How do they help historians better understand how people might have felt about the space program and that mission specifically? Are there any parallels to events that happened during the Apollo 11?

Next Generation Science Standards • MS-ETS1-4

Common Core Literacy Standards • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.1 • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.2 • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.1 • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.4

Caption: SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 launch on May 30, 2020 Credit: NASA

ENGINEERING THE LUNAR ROVER GRADES 9-12

After extensive testing and redesigns, the NASA Lunar Rover was ready to go to the Moon. Its lightweight materials and precision construction had to withstand the violent shaking of launch, in addition to the rough terrain and extreme conditions on the Moon.

In this challenge, students build a rubber-band-powered rover that can scramble across the room. Students will design and build a rover out of cardboard, figure out how to use rubber bands to spin the wheels, and improve their design based on testing results. Materials (per rover) • Corrugated cardboard body- 6-inch square • 2 corrugated cardboard wheels- 5-inch square • 1 sharpened round pencil • 2 rubber bands • 2 round, hard candies with a hole in the middle • 1 plastic drinking straw Construction Materials • Ruler • Tape • Scissors

Directions • Make the rover body- Fold the cardboard into thirds. Each part will be

about two inches across. Fold along (not across) the corrugation (the tubes inside the piece of cardboard).

• Make the front wheels- On the two 5-inch cardboard squares, draw diagonal lines from corner to corner. Poke a small hole in the center (that’s where the lines cross). On the body, poke one hole close to the end of each side for the axle. Make sure the holes are directly across from each other and are big enough for the pencil to spin freely.

• Attach the front wheels- Slide the straw through the body’s axle holes. Push a wheel into each end. Secure with tape.

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• Make the rear- Tape the straw under the back end of the rover. Slip a candy onto each end. Bend and tape the axle to stop the candies from coming off.

• Attach the rubber band- Loop one end around the pencil. Cut small slits into the back end of the body. Slide the free end of the rubber bands into the slits.

• Test the rover and problem-solve any issues with rover performance.

Credit: U.S. Space & Rocket Center

Next Generation Science Standards • HS-ETS1-2

Lesson Plan Credit: Roving on the Moon, JPL/NASA

rocketcenter.com • RocketCenterUSA