Poster presented at GIFT-EGU2016 Conference. Mission to Stars: An Inquiry Project-Based Learning on Universe and astronomic research. Geophysical Research Abstracts, vol 18, EGU-2016. Domènech-Casal, J., Ruiz, N. This didactic activity proposes students to design a Spatial Research Mission. As a part of their Mission, they choose the research goals, design experiments, select targets (different kinds of celestial bodies) and calculate astronomic distances. For their mission, students construct a 3D model of an Orbital Telescope, selecting the necessary detectors, programming by Scratch its informatic routines and calculating the budget. The activity aims to develop scientific skills and attitudes, make students understand how astronomic research is developed, and to know the main elements (Exoplanets, Galaxies, Supernovas...), and the basic geography of the known Universe beyond the Kuipper Belt.

1. Mission to Stars:
An Inquiry Project-Based Learning
on Universe and astronomic research
Jordi Domènech-Casal 1,2*
, Neus Ruiz-España 1
* jdomen44@xtec.cat | @jdomenechca
1
INS Granollers (Barcelona), Spain.
2
Grup LIEC, Departament de Didàctica de les Matemàtiques i les Ciències
Experimentals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
This poster, the didactic
activity and more
informations are
available online at
http://wp.me/p25seH-nE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
FURTHER INFORMATION
We are grateful to the collaboration of students and teachers from Institut de Granollers and to the
European Geosciences Union for a GIFT grant conceeded to attend the EGU 2016 General Assembly. The
authors specially aknowledge the Science Teacher Gregori Moreno for his counseling on astronomy
topics. This activity methodologic approaches are part of the pedagogic efforts of the LIEC group from
the Department of Didactics of Mathematics and Experimental Sciences from UAB, financed by AGAUR
(2009SGR1543) and the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (EDU-2012-38022-C02-02).
#Orbital Telescope #Universe Geography #Inquiry #Exploratory Mission #PBL
#Programming #Milky Way #Designing Experiments #Laniakea #Role Playing
Inquiry
Project
Based
Learning
This #didactic activity proposes students to design a Spatial Research Mission. As a part of their Mission, they choose the research goals, design experiments, select
targets (different kinds of celestial bodies) and calculate astronomic distances. For their mission, students construct a 3D model of an Orbital Telescope, selecting the
necessary detectors, programming by Scratch its informatic routines and calculating the budget. The activity aims to develop scientific skills and attitudes, make students
understand how astronomic research is developed, and to know the main elements (Exoplanets, Galaxies, Supernovas...), and the basic geography of the known Universe
beyond the Kuipper Belt.
REFERENCES
●
Mission to stars: un proyecto de Ciencia y Tecnología alrededor de la astronomía, las misiones
espaciales y la investigación científica. Aplicación y evaluación. Revista Eureka sobre Enseñanza y
Divulgación de las Ciencias. [in evaluation]. N. Ruiz, J. Domènech-Casal.
●
Didactic tools and approaches are part of the C3 Science Education Project
https://sites.google.com/a/xtec.cat/c3/home
●
This activity is part of the Inquiry-PBL collection Astrono-Me:
https://sites.google.com/site/astrono2me/
● Developing scientific skills
● Understanding of the nature of Science.
● Empowering students to construct
scientific knowledge.
● Promoting scientific vocations.
∑
Informatic
programming
Students program the informatic
routines for their mission to drive
the orbital telescope through
Scratch program.
Localizing targets
Students localize in the Universe
the real celestial bodies that will be
part of their mission (Exoplanets,
Asteroids, Supernovas) on a map
of the known Universe and
calculates its distances.
Adjusting the
budget
Students calculate the cost of the
project and look for ways to make it
cheaper (changing targets,
collaborating with other teams...).
Choosing goals
Students are proposed to group in teams as a
crew with individual roles (Engineer,
Commander, Navigator, Communications
Officer ) and choose 3 goals from a list of
hypothetical goals, questions to answer,
related to the composition and nature of
several kinds of celestial bodies.
Communicating
the project
Students defend ther project and
communicate it in order to convince
a selection board to conceed the
budget for their mission.
Designing
experiments
Students stablish which celestial bodies
should compare and which data should
be otained to answer to each of the
chosen questions.
Constructing a model
of an orbital telescope
Students construct a 3D model of an orbital
telescope for their mission following the
requirements of the mission (detectors, solar
pannels, communication devices...)