Which Way Is Up?

For teachers of secondary school science, this Astro-Pi physics resource looks at gravity, microgravity and weightlessness. Students learn the fundamentals of gravitational force and potential energy, and apply these ideas to projectiles and orbiting bodies - particularly the International Space Station (ISS).Using...

Principia mission - maths in space

On December 15th 2015 European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake launched on the six month Principia mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Principia was named after Isaac Newton’s Naturalis Principia Mathematica, describing the principal laws of motion and gravity.The education and inspiration of young...

Aerodynamicist

Steve analyses the flow of air over racing cars.  He studied aero-mechanical engineering at university and following a two week summer placement, at Lola cars, he was offered a position in the company.The video can be a useful resource for teachers to help bring the career to life as part of a lesson. It can also...

Space scientist and science communicator: Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE

This is a lovely film clip which will help a range of students to feel that they can choose a career in science.  Dr Aderin Pocock is a Space Scientist and a Science Communicator, but she explains how she moved around from school to school and was told that she probably wouldn't be able to do anything academic...

How to make your own hovercraft

This resource shows how you can successfully lift a person off the ground using two cordless leaf blowers, problem-solving skills and some STEM knowledge: the same knowledge and skills that are used to design hovercraft.Curriculum links include:forces - Balanced and unbalanced forces, forces measured in...

Closer but colder

Because of the shape of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, it is farther away from the Sun in July than it is in January. Still, we have colder days in January than in July. How is this possible? Through this mystery, students will investigate the orbit of the Earth around the Sun and its influence on solar energy here...

Maths in motion challenge

Using tried and tested ‘Cloud’ based software that simulates the setting up of a racing car, students, working in small teams, complete a series of STEM relevant tasks in an effort to produce the perfect car. This ‘virtual’ car is then entered into a competitive race in the hope of winning it. The Challenge also...

Eggnaut

In this resource from ESA, students' mission is to design and build a vehicle that will protect their Eggnaut from the perils of re-entry from space. The objective is to have your Eggnaut survive the fall without a crack. The project can be adpated for either primary or secondary students. The resource was produced by...

Space Math I - VI

This series of activities from NASA are based on a weekly series of space science problems distributed to teachers in the US, from 2004 to 2010. They were intended for students looking for additional challenges in the mathematics and physical science curriculum, from ages 9 to 19 years.The problems were created to be...

Solar Math

This series of activities from NASA take a mathematical approach to looking at the Sun-Earth system. They are intended as supplementary problems for students looking for additional challenges in mathematics and physical science from age 11 to 16 years.The problems were created to be authentic glimpses of modern...