You are an astronaut on a mission to another planet in our solar system. You will gather information about your destination. You will become an  expert about this planet. After exploring it, you will create a Power Point presentation to communicate your data to your fellow astronauts.

Your job is to collect data about your planet using the Internet.  You will need to show your data sheet to Mission Control (your teacher) before blasting off and creating your power point presentation.  

• *Namesake (Who is your planet named after?)

• *Where is your planet located from the sun?

• *Distance from the Sun (How many kilometers?)

• *Diameter (What is the distance across your planet?)

• *Period of revolution (How long is one year on your planet in Earth years?)

• *Rotation period (One day on your planet equals how many hours/days on Earth?)

• *Moons (How many? What are their names?)

• *Atmosphere (What gases are in the atmosphere?)

• *Temperature (How hot or cold is it?)

• *Composition (What is your planet made of?)

• *Other Interesting facts (Special features. Does it have volcanoes,  craters, rings, valleys, etc..?)

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Step II-- Creating

• Create a Power Point presentation about your planet

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Step III --Debriefing  

• Present your data (power point) to your peers and Mission Control.
   

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The Process

1.   *You will be assigned  a planet


 

2. *The data collection sheet will be handed out.

3.  

   *To do your research, click on the name of your planet 
    

   *Next, click on one of the Web Site links for your planet. Read      the information and take some notes .
    

   *When you have finished reading the first Web Site, view      another Web site link. Read the information and decide if there is any new information that should be added to your notes. 
    

   *Now you are ready to start your Power Point presentation.
    

   *Use the template that is located on the share drive. 
    

   *Select a background design for your presentation. 
    

   *Be sure to include animation and slide transition in your  presentation.

    

   *Remember to add pictures to your presentation.
    

   *When you are finished editing and proofreading, have your presentation checked by your teacher.
    

   *Finally, you will share the information you've collected about      your planet at a debriefing session back on Earth with your      peers and Mission Control.

    

   *Hand in all your work for evaluation.

    

    

   Click on your planet to begin your research.

   Mercury	Venus	Mars	Jupiter
   Saturn	Uranus	Neptune	Pluto
   *************************************************************** Check out these sites about your planet: Sun http://www.nineplanets.org/sol.html http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/sun/sun.html Comets http://www.solarviews.com/eng/comet.htm http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/comets/comets.html http://www.space.com/comets/ Asteroids      http://www.solarviews.com/eng/asteroid.htm http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/our_solar_system/asteroids.html To get the symbol for your planet use the site below  (you will need to crop the other symbols out) Symbols of Planets EXTRA SITES Windows to the Universe Trip Through The Solar System NASA's Solar System Exploration: Kids Planets - Zoom Astronomy Arty the Part-time Astronaut Windows to the Universe Interactive Solar System   Views of the Solar System   Your Weight On Other Worlds

   The Evaluation

   Your data sheets and power point presentation about your planet will be evaluated.  Check that you have completed all the steps.
   

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   The Conclusion

   Congratulations! You have just completed a research project on the planets. You are an expert on your planet and you have learned about the other planets.  Good job! But there is much more to learn about our Solar System. You may want to explore more sites about our solar system and learn more about space. Can you find other web sites that have more information about space?