NASA eClips™ Videos
Our World: Investigating Mars with the Phoenix Lander
Find out about the amazing discoveries made on Mars with the Phoenix Lander. See how Phoenix uncovered water ice on Mars. Learn about habitability and the difference between a day on Earth and a sol on Mars.
Our World: Meet the Orbiters
Join Orby, the Orbiter, as she shares some fun facts about NASA's space shuttles. Did you know the shuttles traveled more than 826 million kilometers? Or that each shuttle was named after an important sailing ship? Find out where the shuttles will find a home now that they have been retired.
Real World: 3-2-1 Testing!
NASA engineers used diameter, surface area, and drag forces to test their most recent inflatable concept. The Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment 3, or IRVE-3, provided a flight demonstration of inflatable technology. The successful flight test gave engineers new environmental data to improve existing models and simulations and design future inflatable vehicles.
Our World: Wind Tunnels in Action
Join NASA scientists and engineers at NASA Langley Research Center, one of the most extensive wind tunnel facilities in the world, as they study air flow around objects at different wind speeds. Learn what kinds of objects can be tested in the various kinds of wind tunnels.
Real World: Farewell to the Mars Phoenix Lander
See what tools were sent to Mars onboard the Phoenix Lander. Find out what scientists now know about Mars at the Phoenix Mars Lander website
Real World: Designing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
NASA is using new technology to design Unmanned Aerial Vehicles that collects data and tests experiments without putting pilots at risk. Learn about the mathematics involved in designing these airplanes.
Real World: Computer Simulations - Turning Complex Ideas Into Solvable Equations
How does NASA test ideas, like the Mars Helicopter, before they are even built? Find out more about this revolutionary helicopter and how NASA uses mathematical modeling to turn complex ideas into solvable equations that help shape future missions.
Launchpad: The Shuttle Experience
Only 355 humans have ever flown on the shuttle. Join NASA Astronaut Al Drew as he shares some personal experiences about his flights and what made the trips so memorable. See why the shuttle experience has such historical significance.
Real World: From Idea to Physical Prototype
At NASA everything begins with an idea. Physical models help NASA engineers and technicians test those ideas before building full-scale versions. Learn more about the important role physical modeling, building prototypes and mathematics play in engineering solutions.
Launchpad: Fluid Dynamics – What a Drag!
Learn about fluid dynamics with NASA engineers. See how NASA uses planes and a neutral buoyancy tank to train astronauts for spacewalks or how wind tunnels and ultrasonic welding techniques can be used to reduce drag for swimmers.
NASA eClips Educator Guides
Real World: Mathematics: Preparing for a Soft Landing
Students are introduced to the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and NASA’s plans to return to the Moon in this lesson. Thinking and acting like engineers, they design and build models representing Orion, calculating the speed and acceleration of the models.
NASA's Real World: Balloon Aerodynamics Challenge 1 and 2
Students design, measure, build, test, and re-design a neutrally buoyant helium balloon. Students demonstrate how different forces affect motion.
NASA's Launchpad: The Great Boomerang Challenge
Students design, build, test, and re-design a boomerang. Once the boomerang is built, students explain and demonstrate how different forces affect its flight.
Our World: Recycled Crew Exploration Vehicle
Students brainstorm required components for a CEV to carry human cargo to the Moon in the ENGAGE section of the lesson. Through the use of a NASA eClips video segment they learn about different propulsion systems for speedy and safe travel in space.
Activities
Make a Straw Rocket
Build Your Own Mars Helicopter Model
Make a Paper Mars Helicopter
Make a Straw Plane
Exploring Drag
Heavy Lifting Activity From NASA STEM: Forward to the Moon
Impact Craters
Create a paper rocket you can launch from a soda straw.
Build Your Own Mars Helicopter Model
Build a model of Ingenuity, the Mars helicopter.
Make a Paper Mars Helicopter
Experiment with the design of a paper helicopter to find the best version.
Make a Straw Plane
Make an airplane with a straw and paper airplane parts to help you control the flight
Exploring Drag
Explore the effect of drag on the motion of various objects of different weights, shapes and sizes.
Heavy Lifting Activity From NASA STEM: Forward to the Moon
Construct balloon-powered rockets to launch the largest payload possible.
Impact Craters
Make impact craters, measure its parts and experiment with what makes them different sizes and shapes.
- AXM Paper Space Shuttle Models. K-5, 6-8
- NASA 3D Models of Space Shuttle. K-5, 6-8, 9-12
- Arizona State University Getting Dirty on Mars. K-5
- NASA Eyes on the Solar System. K-5
- NASA Mars and Earth Science Learning Activities for Afterschool. K-5, 6-8
- NASA Mars for Educators. K-5, 6-8
NASA Spotlite Videos
Student-produced videos confronting misconceptions.
NASA Spotlite Why is Mars Red?Student producers from St. Margaret's Episcopal School confront the misconception that Mars is red because of its temperature. Learn how to collect evidence refuting this misconception.
NASA Spotlite Interactive Lessons
Evidence of Chemical Change (Teacher Packet)
In this lesson, students will address the common misconception that Mars is red because of its temperature. As students develop their understanding of chemical change in matter through explore activities, they will learn new vocabulary that applies to new concepts. Students will apply the vocabulary as they explain that Mars has a reddish tint due to the reaction of the rocks to its atmosphere.
NASA Spotlite Design Challenge
Design Challenge
Teams are challenged to produce a video to improve scientific literacy. The goal of the video is to engage other students in doing activities that can help change their misconceptions about a topic in science.
Join the NASA Spotlite Production Team!
Help others correct misconceptions about force and motion
Mathematics
- NASA Educator Guide: Sizing up Pluto. K-5, 6-8
- SpaceMath@NASA Planet Fractions and Scales. K-5
- Rice Space Institute Planet Math. K-5
- SpaceMath@NASA Year of the Solar System Math Guide. K-5
- SpaceMath@NASA Cassini: Exploring the Moons of Saturn. K-5
- SpaceMath@NASA Exploring Jupiter with Juno. K-5
- SpaceMath@NASA Exploring Planetary Moons. K-5
Science Inquiry
NASA Space Place's mission is to inspire and enrich upper-elementary-aged kids' learning of space and Earth science online through fun games, hands-on activities, informative articles and engaging short videos.
Online Interactives
- NASA Addition Blast Off. K-4
- NASA 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... Takeoff! Create Your Very Own X-Plane. K-5
- NASA Aeronautics Kid's Page. K-5, 6-8, 9-12
- NASA Aeronautics Module. K-5
- NASA Exploring Drag. K-5
- NASA Fan-tastic Forces. K-5, 6-8
- NASA Four Forces of Flight. K-5
- NASA Is Air Something? Lesson Plans. K-5, 6-8
- NASA Make a Straw Plane. K-5, 6-8
- NASA HIAD Game. 6-8
- NASA JPL Mission to Mars. K-5, 6-8
- NASA Space Place Explore Mars: A Mars Rover Game. K-5, 6-8
Background Information
- The Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics
- Aeronautics for Pre-K
- Four Forces of Flight
- What Is Aerodynamics? 5-8
- NASA Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators. 6-8
- NASA Space Technology Game Changing Development. 6-8
- NASA Education on the Space Shuttle. 9-12
- NASA Facts About the Space Shuttles. 9-12
- NASA Space Shuttle. 9-12
- NASA The Orbiter. 9-12
- NASA Toward a History of the Space Shuttle. 9-12
- NASA What Was the Space Shuttle?. 9-12
- NASA Education on the Space Shuttle. K-5, 6-8
- NASA HIAD Image Gallery. 6-8
Recent tweets from NASA eClips
