Audience
Educators
Grade Levels
Grades 5-8, Grades 9-12
Subject
Technology, Communication, Space Station
Type
Lesson Plans / Activities, Videos
Ever wonder how astronauts communicate with people on Earth? In this STEMonstration United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi demonstrates how the crew on the International Space Station communicates with family, friends, and Mission Control. Back on Earth, Astronaut Megan McArthur answers Alneyadi’s call to demonstrate how two-way communication works between the space station and the ground!
Electromagnetic waves also aid communication with our satellites, the space station and rovers. Explore how we communicate with them, and how the distance between those objects and the Earth can cause a delay in communication!
STEMonstrations are short, 3–5-minute educational videos filmed by crewmembers aboard the International Space Station. They use the unique microgravity environment on station to demonstrate popular K-12 STEM topics.
For Corresponding Classroom Connection:
Visit the First Woman Camp Experience and checkout the second activity in the guide: Deep Space Communications
Grade Levels: 5 – 12
Time Required: 45 to 60 minutes
Next Generation Science Standards:
MS-PS4-2: Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
PS4.A Wave Properties: A simple wave has a repeating pattern with a specific wavelength, frequency, and amplitude.
PS4.B Electromagnetic Radiation: When light shines on an object, it is reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through the object depending on the object’s material and the frequency (color) of the light.