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INDEX :: K-12 Learning Center :: Satellites and Orbits: an Introduction


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Satellites and Orbits: an Introduction - Support Materials
by the Integrated Program Office Outreach Team.

An easy-to-use interactive, animated introduction to satellites and the forces which determine orbits. Highlights a short satellite history, non-mathematical review of basic orbital physics, orbital terminology and orbit types with a focus on Earth observation and environmental monitoring. Includes: reading assignment, classroom demonstration, student activity lab, quiz and lesson instructions.
Grades 8 through 10.
Approximately 1.25 hours.

View Classroom Presentation
(Requires Flash® player)


The classroom presentation Satellites and Orbits: an Introduction is a stand-alone component distributed in Macromedia Flash format. It is not necessary to download anything to view the classroom presentation. However, to take full advantage of the Satellites and Orbits course material you will want to download the five documents (Component 3 through Component 7) listed below. Optimum performance and offline access of the classroom presentation can be acheived by also downloading Component 1 and Component 2.

Download Instructions

  1. Within your current browser window, position the cursor over the link to the first component to download below, eg., Part 1.
  2. Using the browser's Right Click Menu (ctl+click for Mac) SELECT Save target as... or Save link as...
    Note: When saving, DO NOT CHANGE FILE NAMES. It is recommend you save these files into a new folder.
    Allow the download to complete.
  3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the remaining six parts.

Getting Started

  • Detailed teacher instructions for the course can be found in the file named teacher_instructions.doc.
  • To view your downloaded copy of the classroom presentation, navigate to the new folder and OPEN the file named satellitesAndOrbits.html using your browser.

Module 01 Components: Satellites & Orbits Intro

  1. Satellites and Orbits: an Introduction (Flash) - Classroom Presentation, satellitesAndOrbits.swf,  05-09-2005  [swf 1.7 MB]
  2. Satellites and Orbits: an Introduction (Quicktime) - Classroom Presentation, satellitesAndOrbits.mov,  05-09-2005  [mov 1.7 MB]
  3. Satellites and Orbits: an Introduction - (HTML) Classroom Presentation, satellitesAndOrbits.html,  05-09-2005  [html 1.5 KB]
  4. Satellites and Orbits: an Introduction - Classroom Demonstration, classroom_demonstration.doc,  05-09-2005  [doc 87 KB]
  5. Satellites and Orbits: an Introduction - Final Quiz, satellites_and_orbits_quiz.doc,  05-09-2005  [doc 24.5 KB]
  6. Satellites and Orbits: an Introduction - Glossary, satellites_and_orbits_glossary.doc,  05-09-2005  [doc 57 KB]
  7. Satellites and Orbits: an Introduction - Student Reading Assignment, student_reading_assignment.doc,  05-09-2005  [doc 27.5 KB]
  8. Satellites and Orbits: an Introduction - Teacher Instructions, teacher_instructions.doc,  05-09-2005  [doc 33 KB]





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