Lesson: Spacesuit Designer

Make observations from a video about astronauts.

• Share the image on page 8 of the magazine with students. Ask: What are these people wearing? Why do you think they’re wearing these clothes? Explain that the people in the photo are wearing spacesuits used by astronauts.

• Watch the video “Would You Like to Be an Astronaut?” Ask: Why do astronauts have to wear special clothes in space? (They need to be protected from the cold and make sure they have oxygen.) Discuss key ideas from the video.

Preview vocabulary and read an article about a spacesuit engineer.

• Project the magazine view and preview the article’s topic and bold-faced vocabulary. Read “Spacesuit Designer” aloud to students, pausing to discuss vocabulary as needed.

Describe the criteria for a spacesuit and how engineer Amy Ross met those criteria.

• Have students use the article to list criteria for spacesuits (the suits need to fit the astronauts, let the astronauts breathe, protect them from extreme cold or heat, etc.). Record these criteria so students can see them.

• Have students identify how Ross’s spacesuits meet those criteria. Record their responses next to the list of criteria.

• Ask students to analyze this quote from Ross: “You can think of a spacesuit as a human-shaped spaceship.” Share and discuss their ideas about what she meant. (A spacesuit does many of the same jobs as a spaceship. It protects astronauts from dangerous conditions such as high temperatures. However, it doesn’t blast off into space like a spaceship.)

Interpret data from a graph showing temperature extremes.

• Preview the skills sheet “Going to Extremes” with students. Discuss what the graph shows, including the difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit. Have students answer the questions. Discuss their answers.

• Remind students that Earth’s atmosphere blocks some rays from the sun, keeping Earth from getting too hot. It also holds in heat, keeping Earth from getting too cold. Ask: What part of a space suit also does this? (the layers of fabric)

Summarize and communicate key ideas about spacesuit engineering.

• Have students complete the “Cool STEAM Jobs Spotlight” skills sheet. Discuss their questions for Ross and ways to find the answers. Brainstorm additions or changes to a spacesuit that they think would be helpful to astronauts. They can draw and explain a prototype of their design, explaining what changes they made and why.

⇨ Learning Journey: Write an illustrated short story about what it feels like to explore the moon in Ross’s spacesuit!