NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The information in this document was accurate as of the original publication date.

Audience: Educators
Grades: 8-12


Before each space shuttle mission, projected data are compiled to assist in the shuttle launch to ensure safety and success during the ascent. To complete these data, flight design specialists consider a multitude of factors such as shuttle mass, propellant used, and mass of payload being carried to and from space. After running multiple tests, NASA compiles information in a data table showing what should happen each second of the ascent.

In this activity, students create scatter plots from data from space shuttle mission STS-121, which launched in July 2006. Students will describe and explain the correlations in terms of the problem, and then find the regression equations for these scatter plots. Because the first scatter plot is linear, the students will evaluate the meaning of slope and y-intercept. For the second scatter plot, students will identify the data as being quadratic to determine the regression. They will explain how the graph is quadratic rather than linear.

Space Shuttle Ascent teacher edition [272KB PDF file]
Space Shuttle Ascent student edition [156KB PDF file]


This problem is part of the Exploring Space Through Algebra series.
Other problems in this series include:
Next-Generation Spacecraft -- Orion
Weightless Wonder -- Reduced-Gravity Flight
Extension Activity -- Weightless Wonder