The search for life on other worlds is one of the most fascinating contexts that science lessons can have. In this guide, several of the resources focus on practical experiments or investigations that link astrobiology to the science curriculum. In all cases, regular scientific concepts such as factors affecting...

In this set of six activities, pupils will investigate which factors affect plant growth, and relate these factors to growing plants in space. They will learn that plants need air, light, water, nutrients and a stable temperature to grow. Children will also observe what happens to plants when they vary some of...

In this set of activities, students will learn about the different components of plants. They will learn which parts of well-known plants are edible and learn the difference between a vegetable, a fruit and a seed. The students will have to imagine and draw the plant associated with the fruit/vegetable/ seed they...

This astronaut logbook introduces pupils to a typical week in the life of an astronaut. It enables pupils to compare an astronaut's diet, exercise, hobbies and clothing with their own. The logbook takes the form of a work book which pupils have to complete whilst learning about the International Space Station and...

This activity introduces the idea of remote sensing and some of the difficulties of obtaining images from orbit by asking students to match photographs taken from the ground with early astronaut photographs.

This activity includes a game-based approach to measuring reaction speed. Fast reflexes are vital to astronauts who may need to deal with rapidly escalating incidents and high-speed projectiles.

The effect of distraction on reaction speed is investigated – students collect multiple readings and take averages...

This footage, from Footagevault, documents the locomotion of humans on the Moon under reduced gravity conditions. It can be used with key stage three and four students to start discussions about forces. This clip shows Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan leaping towards the camera with great big kangaroo hops.

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This vertiginous video clip , from Footagevault, shows an astronaut emerging from the Quest airlock on board the International Space Station. Further views recorded from a small camera mounted on the astronaut's helmet show the astronaut-eye view of his spacewalk, looking around the outside of the Space Station and...

This Catalyst article looks at Thomas Read, a secondary school student from Swindon who explains how he won an award at the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition 2012. Thomas was introduced to astronomy at a school club. He decided to enter his photo of the Sunflower Galaxy, taken using a robotic telescope...

This Catalyst article investigates possible careers in astronomy and space science. It provides some information on a number of academic courses leading to an exciting career in astronomy; the article also lists places to visit for those with general interest in astronomy.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE...

Since ancient times, humans have gazed at the stars and tried to understand the night sky. This process continues today with observations still made by the naked eye but also with sophisticated telescopes and instruments that look at infra-red, ultraviolet, microwave and other wavelengths. This collection contains...

This activity, aimed at primary level, is designed to help children picture the size of our solar system. Children use representations of the planets and place them on a chalked out football pitch to show their relative distances from the sun. It contains tables showing relative distances from the Sun and follow up...

A 100 metres football field could serve as a venue to compare distances in our Solar System. Hopefully, this exercise from ESA will add perspective to the vastness of our part of the Universe and to the learning of astronomy.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has produced a set of resources presenting work-related learning in the context of how science is used in the pharmaceutical industry. It has a wealth of information about 'how science works' to support GCSE and A level science and applied science...