Bringing Space Rocks Home
Students learn why scientists bring samples of other worlds back to Earth, comparing Apollo Moon rocks with the asteroid samples returned by Hayabusa from Itokawa, Hayabusa2 from Ryugu and OSIRIS-REx from Bennu (landed September 2023), and discover what laboratory study reveals that telescopes cannot.
Grades 5-8About 15 minutes of narrated flight, plus discussion stops8 stops
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What students will see and do
Students fly to the Moon, Earth, the asteroids Itokawa and Ryugu, back to Earth for the Ryugu capsule, to Bennu, to Earth for the Utah landing, and finally to the asteroid Apophis. Aetherion pauses for discussion at the Moon (why save samples for the future), at Earth (telescope versus laboratory) and at Bennu (the surprisingly loose surface and how engineers adapt).
Learning objectives
- Explain what laboratory study of a returned sample can reveal that telescope observations cannot.
- Describe the main events of the Hayabusa, Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx missions.
- Compare Apollo Moon samples with asteroid samples in amount, origin and what they taught scientists.
- Identify why finding amino acids and other life ingredients in asteroid samples does not mean life exists there.
NGSS connections
| MS-ESS1-3 | Students compare the sizes, shapes and makeup of the Moon, Itokawa, Ryugu, Bennu and Apophis using mission data and returned samples. |
|---|---|
| MS-ETS1-1 | Students define the engineering problems of collecting and returning samples, such as weak gravity, loose surfaces and contamination. |
| MS-ETS1-2 | Students evaluate how mission teams changed their designs and plans after problems like Hayabusa's troubles and OSIRIS-REx's stuck lid. |
Stops on this journey
- The First Space Rocks (discussion stop)
- Why Not Just Use a Telescope? (discussion stop)
- Hayabusa at Itokawa
- Hayabusa Two at Ryugu
- A Gift from Ryugu
- OSIRIS REx Touches Bennu (discussion stop)
- Landing in Utah
- The Next Adventures
Vocabulary
- sample return
- asteroid
- rubble pile
- capsule
- contamination
- amino acid
- meteorite
- clean room