MESSENGER Education Modules:
Comparative Planetology
The Module’s goal is to understand the planets as individual worlds and as part of a larger family of the Solar System by studying their similarities and differences. The Module offers a look at what we know about our family of planets, and what we do not know. It also addresses what is currently known about the formation and evolution of the Solar System.
Exploring Ice in the Solar System
Voyage
The Voyage education unit uses the remarkable power of models to provide an understanding of Earth’s place in the Solar System and the Sun’s place among the stars. The unit was developed by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education to help bring the excitement of the Voyage: a Journey Through Our Solar System exhibition to classrooms around the world. The programming and lessons associated with the Voyage exhibition are delivered through the Center’s Journey through the Universe program. The Voyage Education Module page provides an overview of the Module, overviews of each grade level unit, descriptions of all lessons, as well as downloadable PDF files of the lessons. Click on the lessons below for direct links to the lesson PDFs.
The Voyage Continues
The Voyage Continues education unit continues the exploration of the Solar System using the power of models to take a closer look into Solar System objects and phenomena. These lessons were developed by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education to help bring the excitement of the Voyage: a Journey Through Our Solar System exhibition to classrooms around the world. The programming and lessons associated with the Voyage exhibition are delivered through the Center’s Journey through the Universe program. The Voyage Education Module page provides an overview of the Module, overviews of each grade level unit, descriptions of all lessons, as well as downloadable PDF files of the lessons. Click on the lessons below for direct links to the lesson PDFs.
The grade 5-8 component of Voyage Continues includes:
Exploring Ice in the Solar System
The Exploring Ice in the Solar System education unit examines the importance of water in the form of ice in the Solar System. From hands-on experiences with ice, the unit moves on to investigating ice in everyday life, in polar regions on Earth, and throughout the Solar System. The unit was developed by the Carnegie Institution of Washington Carnegie Academy for Science Education as part of their astrobiology program.