NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

  Unit: Life Science -- The Body

  Grade Levels: 4-6 and 7-9

  Connection To Curriculum:
  Science and Mathematics

  Teacher Prep Time: 1 hour

  Lesson Time Needed: 3.5 hours

  Complexity: Moderate

  Keywords: bone loss, bone strength,
  microgravity, oxygen

Materials:

Flour (approx. 5kg)
Scale or balance
Large, zippered plastic bags
Marker
Science journal
Single-hole punch
Paper
Pen or pencil
Scissors
Calculator
Rotating chair
Blindfold
2-liter soda bottles
Flexible plastic tubing
Paper strips
Clear tape
Water
Large aquarium or plastic tub
Snack or 1-quart zip bags
Corn puff cereal
Heavy book
Broom and dustpan or vacuum
Measuring tape
Water-soluble marker

Description
This lesson integrates a series of activities to investigate the adaptations that humans must make during spaceflight.

Objectives
Students will:
• Demonstrate the effects of bone loss during spaceflight.
• Investigate the effects of bone loss on bone strength.
• Explore the effects of disorientation on humans.
• Explore the effects of microgravity on the human body.
• Discover the importance of the amount of oxygen needed for spacewalking.

Lesson Guide Space Adaptations Lesson [81KB PDF file]

Professional Development Training Module for This Lesson

› Launch Vomit Comet training module  → Note: Module may take a few minutes to load. Download Video

› Launch Holey Bones training module  → Note: Module may take a few minutes to load. Download Video

› Help me! I can't see the training module.

Lesson Activities and Sequence
The listed activities lead students to investigate the effects of spaceflight on different systems of the human body.

1. Vomit Comet
   Students will learn that motion can cause disorientation and understand why astronauts train to live and work in space. (Page 44)
   Keywords: motion, disorientation, swivel chair, orientation, spin


2. O₂ -- How Much?
   Students will discover their oxygen requirements during relaxation and during strenuous activity. Then they can determine how much air an average "student astronaut" would need on a 7-hour spacewalk.
   Keywords: spacesuit, exercise, oxygen requirements


3. Hole-y Bones
   Students will compare the amount of calcium needed by the body at different developmental stages and demonstrate the effect of calcium loss on bones.
   Keywords: calcium, developmental stages, osteoporosis, bone mass


4. Bag of Bones
   In this activity, students will be able to identify the effects of decreased bone mass (osteoporosis) and describe why healthy bones are important in space and on Earth (Full Guide).
   Keywords: gravity, microgravity, adapt, density, bone loss


5. Get a Leg Up
   During this activity, students will simulate the effects of spaceflight on the human body related to the shifting of fluids in microgravity.
   Teacher Guide
   Student Guide
   Keywords: body fluid, leg circumference, prop legs

National Standards: