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Apollo 13

Movie - Rating PG

Apollo 13 connects to the Astronomy unit.

Summary- Astronauts Lovell, Haise and Swigert were scheduled to fly Apollo 14, but are moved up to 13 because Mattingly was exposed to the measles.  Due to the scheduled date of the mission, they had little time to prepare for this mission itself.

The purpose of this 13th Apollo mission was to land on Fra Mauro (highland area of the moon). There was also a planned walk on the moon as well.

The mission was aborted due to various issues as the engines burned longer than expected and when the crew stirred the oxygen tanks it set off an explosion release oxygen into space. Due to the lack of oxygen in the Odyssey, the crew moved to the lunar module (developed to land on the moon) however the lunar module only supports two crew members with oxygen. The crew developed to filter to reduce the carbon dioxide and were told from mission control to abort landing on the moon. Eventually, they went back into the Odyssey, powered it up through specific sequences and separated from the service module. The crew arrived safely after several minutes of terror for reentry as the control module landed in the Pacific Ocean

During and after watching this movie, students will be able to:

1. Identify the various values in exploring space, even though it comes with risks to humans.

2. Analyze why specific procedures in science are important in collecting data.

3. Recall the various features on the surface of the moon (craters, highlands, maria, etc).

4. Infer why the moon’s gravity provided “energy” for the module to return to Earth.

5. Interpret the differences in the temperatures on the moon and therefore other planets as well.

6. Discuss how being responsible, being respectful, and being ready to learn helped the crew in connection with mission control turn this possible disaster into a success.

Students will answer a variety of questions related to the above learning targets.

PowerStandards - 6th grade science

Standard 12 F

Learning Targets

-Investigate how technology is used for the study of space exploration,

specifically rock samples and telescopes

-Identify the sun, planets, and moon

Standard 12 F #3

Learning Targets

-Investigate the relative positions of how the Earth, moon, and sun interact

within our solar system.

- Understand that the speed of planets/ moons rotations is one cause of the

daily variation in temperature on its surface.

Essential Questions

How has technology expanded our knowledge of the universe?

What predictable patterns occur as a results of the interaction between the Earth, Sun, and Moon?

Why do inner and outer planets vary based on specific characteristics observed through NASA, scientists, and early civilization

Why is our calendar driven by Earth's rotation, revolution, and phases of the moon?