Audience
Educators
Grade Levels
Grades 5-8, Grades 9-12
Subject
Engineering Design, Physical Science, Forces and Motion
Type
Lesson Plans / Activities, Videos
Did you know momentum plays a part in how astronauts appear weightless on the International Space Station? In this STEMonstration, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen explores the science involved in momentum and impulse and demonstrates how it relates to life on station! Get an insider look into the microgravity environment of the space station and how to measure mass using momentum with the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device. Additionally, explore momentum and impulse in the corresponding classroom connection, where students will perform a drop test with three different kinds of balls on three different types of surfaces.
STEMonstrations are short, 3–5-minute educational videos filmed by crew aboard the International Space Station. They use the unique microgravity environment on station to demonstrate popular K-12 STEM topics.
Classroom Connection: Momentum and Impulse
Grade Levels: 6 – 12
Time Required: 45 minutes
Next Generation Science Standards:
MS-PS2-1: Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.
HS-PS2-3: Apply science and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision.