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    Home » Space Station Activities – Docking with the ISS

    Space Station Activities – Docking with the ISS

    February 1, 2016 By Emma Vanstone Leave a Comment

    I think my children wondered what on earth I was doing when I pulled out this activity, but actually they really enjoyed it and ended up working really well together to solve the problem.

    On a personal note, while my love of science stems from a fascination with viruses I have always found space travel and exploration to be incredibly inspiring. We visited Kennedy Space Centre last year and I found myself shedding  a tear or two as the story of the Shuttle unfolded. It’s just such an amazing example of what hard work, bravery and determination can achieve.

    Here in the UK, we’ve been following Tim Peake’s experience aboard the ISS very enthusiastically and have lots of fun space themed activities and experiments planned over the new few months. There are some fantastic Rocket Science resources availble from STEM Learning and did you know Tim Peake has seeds aboard the ISS that will be grown by schools in the UK when he returns?

    Docking with the ISS – Background

    When a spacecraft like the Soyuz docks with the ISS a probe is guided into a cone, a latch closes and the probe retracts to pull the spacecraft together.

    Back in December Commander Yuri Malenchenko had to take over manual control at the last minute to dock safely.  After backing away and assessing the ship’s alignment and control, he guided the craft in safely.

    We’ve devised a little activity to give a bit of insight into this tricky process.

    What you need

    String/Rope

    A small rocket made from LEGO, cardboard, plastic etc. We used a Lego plane.

    A box with a hole

    Paper cup

    Two volunteers

    docking activity

    The Mission – dock with the ISS

    To manoeuvre the rocket into the paper cup without knocking it over. Start with the box for a bit of practice.

    Method

    Tie the string around the waist of your volunteers and tie a smaller piece of string around the centre with your rocket attached.

    Place the box with the hole between the volunteers and ask them to guide the rocket into the hole in the box ( the docking station ) without touching the rope.

    Repeat the activity using the paper cup – don’t knock it over and remember NO HANDS!

    docking activity

    Top tips for a successful docking

    Try moving backwards and forwards, closer together, bend knees. Which works the best?

    Is it easier with a shorter string?

    DSC_2533

    Why is it so hard for a spacecraft to dock with a space station?

    There are three principles that need to be considered to understand how objects move in space. These are Newton’s Laws of Motion.  For young children it’s not too important to understand these yet, but the basic principles can be fun to introduce.

    Newton’s Laws of Motion

    Objects at rest stay at rest and objects in motion will continue to move in a straight line unless acted upon by a force.

    Imagine a toy car on the ground. It won’t move until a force is applied to push it forwards and will keep going straight unless a directional force is applied.

    Force is equal to mass times acceleration.

    Think about kicking a light plastic football and a heavy leather football. It takes a lot more force to move the heavier ball the same distance as the lighter ball.

    For every action there is always an opposite and equal reaction.

    Newtons Third Law seems very obvious when you think about a space rocket taking off. The rocket’s action is to push down on the ground with the force of it’s engines, the equal upwards force pushes the rocket up.

    If you think about air coming out of a balloon, the air is being forced downwards yet the balloon will fly upwards.

    Last Updated on July 20, 2019 by Emma Vanstone

    « Moving Ninjas and Minions
    Science activity ideas for improving fine motor skills »

    Safety Notice

    Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

    These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

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