Year 7 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 18
Extension · Master Worksheet
Learning Goals
Extension · optional
Most of the history of space exploration goes further than Year 7 asks for and is here for interest, not assessment. One part does count, so do not skip it: this unit asks you to investigate how a recent advance in science increased what we know about the Universe, and a present-day mission is a fair choice for that (Question 3).
True or false? Fix the false ones
Circle T or F. If a statement is false, correct it on the line.
1. Sputnik 1 carried the first person into orbit.
Correct it:
2. Only twelve years passed between the first artificial satellite and the first Moon landing.
Correct it:
3. Honeysuckle Creek, near Canberra, received the very first minutes of the Moon-walk pictures.
Correct it:
4. All three Apollo 11 astronauts walked on the Moon.
Correct it:
5. The Australian Space Agency was set up in 1969 to help with Apollo 11.
Correct it:
6. Old satellites and bits of rocket orbiting the Earth can crash into working spacecraft.
Correct it:
1. Name the four reasons the lesson gives for why travelling deep into space is so difficult.
2. Evaluate this claim: “Australia has only ever watched space exploration from the sidelines.” Use two Australian examples from different times as evidence.
3. Choose one present-day example from the lesson: the International Space Station, Mars rovers such as Perseverance, or space telescopes. Explain what it does and what it helps us learn that we could not learn as well from the ground.
Read the data: a class survey
Scenario: is it worth the cost?
Thirty Year 7 students were asked, “Is space exploration worth the cost?” Each student answered yes or no and gave their one main reason.
| Answer | Main reason given | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Inventions made for space help people on Earth | 8 |
| Yes | Satellites give us weather forecasts, GPS and internet links | 6 |
| Yes | We learn about other worlds and our own planet | 5 |
| No | The money should go to problems here on Earth | 7 |
| No | Space junk is a growing danger | 4 |
Source: made-up sample survey.
4. What percentage of the students answered yes? Give your answer to the nearest whole number.
Answered yes %
5. Zara says: “Most of the class said yes, so this survey proves that space exploration is worth the cost.” Evaluate Zara’s conclusion.
6. A newspaper runs a debate. One writer says: “Space exploration is a waste of money. Spend it on hospitals and schools.” Another says: “Space exploration gives us new technology, useful satellites and new knowledge.” Write your own conclusion to the debate.
True or false
1. False: Sputnik 1 carried no one; Yuri Gagarin was first, in 1961. 2. True. 3. True. 4. False: Michael Collins stayed in orbit above. 5. False: it was set up in 2018, based in Adelaide. 6. True.
Question 1
Distance, radiation, time, supplies. All four = 2; two or three = 1. [2 marks]
Question 2
The claim is wrong (1). In 1969 Honeysuckle Creek and Parkes (Murriyang) received and relayed the Moon-walk pictures to the world (1). Today Tidbinbilla still talks to distant spacecraft for NASA, or the Australian Space Agency (2018) grows space science and industry (1). [3 marks]
Question 3
What it does (1), what it teaches (1), why space beats the ground (1). ISS: astronauts from many countries live on board and run experiments in orbit. Perseverance: tests Mars rocks for signs of past life, where no person can yet go. Space telescopes: above the atmosphere, far sharper pictures of distant galaxies. [3 marks]
Read the data: Question 4
8 + 6 + 5 = 19 yes; 19 ÷ 30 × 100 (1) = 63% (1). [2 marks]
Question 5
A survey shows opinions, not proof (1). Some reasons can be checked against evidence, such as satellites giving GPS and forecasts, but 11 of 30 raised fair concerns (1). One class is a small sample, and deciding needs benefits and costs weighed, not a vote (1). [3 marks]
Question 6
Marking guide: 1 each for two benefits (new technology that helps on Earth, e.g. water-cleaning systems; satellites for weather, GPS and internet; new knowledge); 1 each for two concerns (high cost that could go to problems on Earth; space junk that can hit working spacecraft); 1 clear judgement; 1 justified by weighing both sides. [6 marks]
Model answer: Inventions made for space, such as water-cleaning systems, help people on Earth, and satellites give us forecasts and GPS. But missions are expensive, and space junk threatens working spacecraft. On balance it is worth it: the technology and knowledge help everyone, if agencies also deal with the junk.
Common error: treating a majority vote as proof.