You and your crew have been selected to be astronauts on the special mission, Kids in Space. You will be exploring the solar system to learn about the sun, the planets and the stars.

Each crew member will participate in all of the parts of the mission. These parts are listed at the left. There will be directions at each site when you click on it. You will need to keep a journal of your activities and mission assignments.

When you complete all the parts of this mission you should be able to :

Describe how the Earth spins and orbits the sun and how this creates night and day and the seasons.

Tell why the sun is important.

Identify and describe the nine planets in our solar system.

Identify at least five major constellations.

Choose an astronomer, astronaut, or other individual who has been important in space science and describe his/her contributions.

Now, get ready for blast off! Click on the first part of the mission, The Sun and the Earth.

Scoring Rubric

Astronaut Score	Missions Successfully Completed
4 Star Commander	Completed all five missions.  Written log in journal correctly identifies, illustrates, and gives data about the sun, all 9 planets and at least 5 constellations.  Completed a letter to an important space scientist and has identified his/her contributions. Collected all solar system trading cards
Lieutenant	Completed all five missions. Written log in journal correctly identifies, illustrates and gives data about the sun and most of the planets and 5 constellations. Some facts or pictures are missing or incorreect. The letter to a space scientist may need more editing. Collected all solar system trading cards.
Apprentice - in danger of being demoted to ship's dishwasher!	Completed two or more missions. Written log is not yet complete and pictures are not finished or the information contains too many mistakes. The letter to a scientist needs more editing or is not completed. Have not collected all solar system trading cards.
Alien Virus Stowaway! In danger of being ejected into space!	Browsed the missions, but has not completed the tasks. Not acting as a contributing team member.