Mission to Space

1. Mission to Space Today you will embark upon an exciting journey through space. Travel to the planets of our solar system as you explore, ponder, and marvel over the wonders of the universe. Space Mission 5 – year 2011

2. Inner Planets References Click inside box to view Category Dwarf Planets Mars Mercury Earth Venus Outer Planets Ceres Pluto Eris Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Ms. Pfeiffenberger

3. Bibliography Page Daniel, Dr. Lucy H., Dr. Jay Hackett, Dr. Richard H. Moyer, Dr. JoAnne Vasquez. Science. New York: Macmillian/McGraw-Hill, 2005. Col, Jeananda. Enchanted Learning. http://www.EnchantedLearning.com 1996 http://edu.glogster.com/media/2/8/27/8/8270840.jpg http://aerospaceguide.net http://makkcraft.com/solar-system/gas_planet_size_comparisons/ http://universetoday.com http://makkcraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Inner-Planets.png http://nasa.gov http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/menu/solar-system http://toondoo.com http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=21136371 http://newworldencyclopedia.org http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=99706581 http://science.nationalgeographic.com http://www.videopediaworld.com/video/ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu

4. Commander Pfeiffenberger Name: Beth Pfeiffenberger Call Sign: Aurora Location: St. Ignatius Loyola School Rank: Commander of Classroom Experience: 10 years Age: Not able to reveal Gender: Female Education: Penn State University Likes: Music, swimming, sports Dislikes: Bugs, germs, Brussels sprouts Space Motto: “Negative Ghost Rider, Pattern is Full”

5. The Inner Planets Characteristics of the Inner Planets Warm and smaller than outer planets Solid, rocky crusts More dense than outer planets Geologically active Few moons, No rings Faster period of revolution Longer period of rotation Closest to the sun Mercury Venus Earth Mars Inner Planet Video Click on planet to view

6. Mercury Closest planet to the sun. Experiences extreme hot and cold temperatures (opposite sides)

7. Venus mi Hottest planet (900°F) Dense cloud cover that traps heat Rotates backwards Day longer than its year

8. Earth mi Able to support life Two thirds of surface covered with water Has one moon named Luna

9. Mars mi Known as the red planet Red dust and rocks on the surface Largest volcano – Olympus Mons

10. The Outer Planets Characteristics of the Outer planets Known as the “Gas Giants” Colder and larger than the inner planets Less dense than inner planets Many moons, many rings Slower period of revolution Shorter period of rotation Furthest from the sun Saturn Uranus Jupiter Neptune Outer Planet Video Click on planet to view

11. Jupiter LargestPlanet Fastest Spinner Giant “Red Spot” is a storm

12. Saturn “Lord of the Rings Less dense than water - it can float! Thousands of rings

13. Uranus The “tilted” planet Poles on the sides Pink spots – bright clouds

14. Neptune Strong whipping winds Smallest of the “gas” planets Surface gravity almost like Earth

15. Dwarf Planets Characteristics of Dwarf Planets Small in size Shares its orbit with other celestial bodies Not gravitationally dominate Eris Ceres Pluto Click on planet to view

16. Pluto Cold, icy dwarf planet Not yet visited by spacecraft View NASA video clip

17. Ceres Found in the Asteroid Belt Smallest of the Dwarf Planets

18. Eris Largest of the Dwarf Planets

19. What is the asteroid belt? The asteroid belt is a region of space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where most of the asteroids in our solar system are found orbiting the sun. The asteroid belt contains millions of asteroids. Astronomers think that the asteroid belt is made up of material that was never able to form into a planet, or of the remains of a planet which broke apart a very long time ago. The asteroids in the asteroid belt come in a variety of sizes. The largest asteroid is called Ceres. It is about one-quarter the size of our moon.

20. Luna, Earth’s Moon The moon is approximately 238,900 miles away from Earth. The dark regions of the moon are called Maria. Huge dents, or craters, are all over the surface of the moon. These were most likely caused by meteors. The Moon makes 1rotation and completes a revolution around the Earth every 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes.  That's about 28 days. Neil Armstrong, from the Apollo 11 Mission, was the first man to step on the moon. (July 1969) Video

21. No rings Closest to the sun Longer period of rotation Faster period of revolution More dense than outer planets Many rings Geologically active Many moons Warm and smaller Shorter period of rotation Few moons Known as the “Gas Giants Less dense than inner planets Slower period of revolution Furthest from the sun Colder and larger

22. Click here for even more fun facts about our amazing solar system “Out of this World” Booklist Our Solar System by Seymour Simon (William Morrow and Company, Inc.; 1992 DK Space Encyclopedia by Nigel Henbest and Heather Couper (Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc.; 1999) Planets by Nigel Henbest (Ladybird Books, 1997) Postcards From Pluto: A Tour of the Solar System by LoreenLeedy (Holiday House, Inc.; 1993)