Science Week 2007

Introduction

Key Stage 3 were introduced to Clive and Lisa from the Callington Space Centre who will be going through a number of missions and experiments during the day.

Mission to Europa

The group were introduced to the conditions that they would find on Europa if they were to visit it.

• The temperature is 55 times colder than ice cream!
• It would take a year and a half to get there
  • And a year and a half to get back after the mission
• You would have to carry everything you needed with you
  • food - enough for three years
  • water - enough for three years
  • lots of clothing
• There would be five people on the mission so the amounts would have to be multiplied by five!

Making a Cartesian Diver

You will need:

• paper clip
• a piece of straw - about 4cm long
• BluTak
• cup of water - for testing
• plastic water bottle with screw top full of water

Method:

• fold the straw in half to form a 'V' shape
• insert the paper clip in the open ends to keep the 'V' togther
• seal the open ends of the straw with 'small' amounts of BluTak
• test that the diver floats in the cup of water - if it does not make a new diver!
• if it does float put the diver into the bottle full of water and tighten the lid
• squeeze the bottle and the diver will sink to the bottom

Challenge:

• can you control the speed at which the diver descends?
• can you control the speed at which the diver ascends?
• can you stop the diver half way up or down?

The Planets

The group were then introduced to the planets within our solar system and in particular Mars and the expoloration of Mars by the 'Mars Rover'.

Lava Lamps

You will need:

• clear plastic bottle
• vegetable oil
• salt
• water
• food colouring

Method:

• two thirds fill the bottle with water
• add about a 2cm layer of vegetable oil
• add 20 drops of food colouring
• add about a teaspoon of salt to begin with and watch what happens
• add more salt when it stops moving

Fizzy Rockets

You will need:

• film cannister with its cap
• card
• scissors
• sticky tape
• alka-seltzer
• water

Method:

• wrap a piece of card around the film cannister and secure it with sticky tape
• cut a circle of card about 4cm in diameter
• make the circle of card into a nose cone by cutting into the centre and crossing over the two ends
• attach the nose cone to the rocket with sticky tape
• cut out triangle and add three fins to the rocket
• do the following OUTSIDE
  • remove the cannister and fill it with water
  • drop in half an alka-seltzer tablet and secure the lid
  • put the rocket over the cannister and place on the ground lid down
  • step back and wait!!