In 1993 Marion High School (South Australia) started to run a unique space science course for 5 weeks each year for all year 8, 9 and 10 students. With the closure of Marion High at the end of 1996 the program has been relocated to Hamilton Secondary College. Most aspects of the program will be put in place at Hamilton, and exciting new projects are under way. Watch for our WEATHER PAGE soon! Hamilton has its own Satellite Dish and receives data from orbitting and geostationary satellites in real time. Our students download the satellite images, select sequences, and prepare animations. They email interesting pictures (cyclones etc.) to a school in the U.K.
In MAY this year ( as part of OZPROJECTS year 9 students will research answers to questions on Space Science ranging from Astronomy and Astronauts to Space Shuttles, Satellites and Space Probes.
Students perform an extensive range of practicals, use computer simulations, and view the latest videos and slide sets. They launch water rockets, and solid fuel model rockets, make model shuttle gliders and compete in a competition for the best flight. Year 8 students visit a portable planetarium based at the school.
The students use many resources now available at the school, courtesy of NASA and other Space Agencies, and of course the INTERNET, to research answers to questions from students R-12 from schools all over Australia.
CLICK on the YEAR 8, YEAR 9, or YEAR 10 headings BELOW for a LESSON BY LESSON program for 5 weeks. All resources can be found in the resource list or by contacting the author.
| Week One | Our place in Space | The Blue Planet |
| Week Two | The Solar System | Distance and Time in Space |
| Week Three | A Journey through Space | The Other Planets |
| Week Four | Astronomy | The Stars |
| Week Five | The Night Sky | A Planetarium Visit |
| Week One | The History of Flight | The Mechanics of Flight |
| Week Two | Aussat Communication Sattelite | History of Space Travel |
| Week Three | The Atmosphere, Air Pressure and Balloons | The ATLAS Series of Shuttle Missions |
| Week Four | Gravity and Zero Gravity | Life Support Systems for Astronauts |
| Week Five | Glider Building and Launching | Water Rocket Launch |
| Week One | Solar Energy | The Electromagnetic Spectrum |  |
| Week Two | Satellite Communication | The Australia Telescope | Nasa Deep Space Tracking Stations |
| Week Three | Landsat and Global Positioning Sensor Systems | Laboratories in Space | The Shuttle Program (Atlas, SLS, IML, and SRL) |
| Week Four | Rocketry | Newton's Laws in Space | Space Travel |
| Week Five | Building Model Rockets | Rocket Launch | |
Thank you to NASA for the pictures
If you would like further information about this program, contact
at Hamilton Secondary College now.
Copyright ©1997 J M Vincent (design), M Roach (content)
All Rights Reserved