MESSENGER: A Mission to Mercury
Below you will find Science NetLinks resources related to the planet Mercury and, in particular, the MESSENGER mission to the planet currently underway. (MESSENGER stands for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging.) In addition to the mission-related interactives and information found on the Science NetLinks MESSENGER page, the lessons and tools below were designed to provide teachers with information for students so they can better understand MESSENGER as it progresses toward its ultimate goal of entering the orbit of Mercury to collect comprehensive planetary data.
Many of these resources use interactives created in collaboration with the MESSENGER project.
| MESSENGER Mercury Insertion Schedule, Events, and Live Webcasts |
| Orbit Insertion | Thursday, March 17, 8:45 p.m. EDT (March 18, 12:45 a.m. UTC) |
|
Pre-Insertion Web Chat |
Wednesday, March 16, 10-11 a.m. EDT. (The chat window opens at 9:30 a.m.) |
| Live Event Webcast |
Thursday, March 17, 7:55 p.m. EDT |
| Instrumentation Check | Thursday, March 24 |
| Science Phase Begins | Monday, April 4 |
Science NetLinks Resources
Lessons Tools Science Updates
Other Resources
Lessons
Cooler in the Shadows
Grade Band: K-2
Description: In this lesson, students will explore how the amount of sunlight and heat change in areas that are shaded.
Sensing Energy
Grade Band: 3-5
Description: This lesson will help students identify different forms of energy produced by the sun.
GeoHunter
Grade Band: 6-8
Description: This lesson explores the geological history of Mercury and the other terrestrial planets, Venus, Earth, and Mars and to form hypotheses about them.
Make a Mission
Grade Band: 6-8
Description: This lesson revolves around the MESSENGER spacecraft mission to Mercury. The focus of the lesson is technology, not only how it allows humans to collect scientific data and information on a faraway terrestrial planet, but also the constraints involved in designing the spacecraft to carry this technology.
Mercury
Grade Band: 6-8
Description: This lesson will introduce students to the planet Mercury and help them develop an understanding of the planet’s composition, geology, and other important characteristics.
My Angle on Cooling: Effects of Distance and Inclination
Grade Band: 6-8
Description: In this lesson, students will examine how distance and inclination affect the amount of heat received from a heat source.
Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment
Grade Band: 6-8
Description: In this lesson, students will reproduce a version of William Herschel’s original experiment of 1800 that discovered the existence of infrared radiation.
Snow Goggles
Grade Band: 6-8
Description: This lesson illustrates how the use of the scientific method can solve different kinds of problems, like blocking unwanted sunlight.
Exploring the Solar System
Grade Band: 6-8
Description: This lesson will introduce students to earth's moon and the eight other planets in our solar system. Students will learn about the geology, composition, and orbits of other planets by planning a trip to another planet.
Behind the Mission to Mercury
Grade Band: 9-12
Description:In this lesson, students assess the goals, benefits, success, and limitations of technology (instruments) on a space mission.
Dangers of Radiation Exposure
Grade Band: 9-12
Description: In this lessons, students will learn about sources of high-energy radiation and calculate student exposure to ionizing radiation over the past year.
Star Power! Discovering the Power of Sunlight
Grade Band: 9-12
Description: This lesson will help students estimate the energy output of the sun and how much power sunlight provides to the earth.
Tools
GeoHunter
Grade Band: 6-8
Description: This interactive tool can be used to provide students with data about the geological structure of the planet Mercury.
Advanced Fast Fact Challenge
Grade Band: 6-12
Description: The Fast Fact Challenge tests students' knowledge about the solar system in general and Mercury in particular. In the Challenge's animation, students "search the stars" for questions, which appear as assemblies of letters in space.
Day on Mercury
Grade Band: 6-12
Description: By studying other planets like Mercury, students can add to their knowledge base about the solar system, its formation, and evolution. This animation can be used in the classroom to enhance a lesson on comparative planetology, where students compare Earth to Mercury.
Fact Challenge
Grade Band: 6-12
Description: This animation challenges students with questions about Mercury. You can use this resource in the classroom to help assess student understanding about what you may have covered in a lesson about Mercury.
Going around the Sun
Grade Band: 6-12
Description: Going Around the Sun presents a graphic representation of Mercury's orbit around the sun. This interactive moves the planet through its orbit; by watching two points on the planet's surface, students can watch the changes in their positions relative to the sun.
Gravity Assist Simulator
Grade Band: 6-12
Description: The Gravity Assist Simulator takes students through a series of simulated collisions to show how the New Horizon and Messenger spacecraft will use planned collisions to extend their missions.
Make a Mission
Grade Band: 6-12
Description: This interactive tool can be used to explore the purpose and constraints of technology by preparing a spacecraft for a mission to Mercury.
Orbit and Rotation
Grade Band: 6-12
Description: This tool can be used to enhance the study of the nine planets in the classroom. It is a good resource for observing the orbit of a planet around the sun and it can help students understand how the different planets in our solar system have varying orbital and rotational periods causing their solar days to be long or short.
Places in the Sun
Grade Band: 6-12
Description: By studying other planets like Mercury, students can add to their knowledge base about the solar system, its formation, and evolution. This animation can be used in the classroom to enhance a lesson on comparative planetology, where students compare Earth to Mercury.
Planet Mass Comparison
Grade Band: 6-12
Description: The Planet Mass Comparison interactive helps students visualize the differences between any two of these objects by putting them side by side on an old-fashioned balance scale. The scale tips toward the object with greater mass.
Planet Size Comparison
Grade Band: 6-12
Description: Planet Size Comparison can be used to enhance students' understanding of our solar system and to help them gain a better appreciation for the sizes of the nine planets, plus the sun and the earth's moon. This animation would be useful when addressing the Physical Setting benchmarks that focus on the universe.
Science Updates
Spotlight on Space Exploration
Grade Band: 6-12
Description: This collection of audio podcasts from Science Update offers students the opportunity to hear from NASA and its partners, as they explore worlds both near and far.
Other Resources
MESSENGER
Grade Band: 3-12
Description: The mission homepage gives a timeline and history of the project, offers educational resources for teachers and students, and provides the most recent information on the mission.
MESSENGER Mercury Orbit Insertion
Grade Band: 3-12
Description: This page for the Mercury Orbit Insertion offers details relating to MESSENGER's March 2011 insertion into Mercury's orbit and includes animations, images, and a press kit with a bounty of information.
Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum
Grade Band: 3-12
Description: The Adler Planetarium provides exciting hands-on learning for students of all ages. Educators will find easy access to student-friendly resources here.
The Nine Eight Planets
Grade Band: 6-12
Description: The Nine Eight Planets site, created by astronomer Bill Arnett, is a comprehensive overview and often-detailed discussion of the planets in our solar system, their related satellites, and other, small, local bodies, with accompanying graphics and photos to enhance any learner's understanding.
