Description
This bell ringer includes clips of the first NASA manned flight in 1961 and the first SpaceX manned flight in 2020, and directs students to reflect on the similarities and differences in the missions and the progress made in space exploration.
Bell Ringer Assignment
- In what ways do do the two launches appear the same? How do they appear different? (Think about the astronauts and their gear, support staff, the spacecraft, the footage as it's portrayed to the public, etc.)
- How were both of these space “firsts” important, and how do they reflect the progress made in space exploration over the past sixty years?
Additional Resources
- Video Clip: The SpaceX Crew Dragon Launch
- Video Clip: Reel America - "The Flight of Apollo 11"
- Video Clip: Brief History of the US Space Program
- Bell Ringer: History of the United States SKYLAB
- Bell Ringer: History of the International Space Station
- Lesson Plan: Becoming an Astronaut
- On This Day: Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
- On This Day: Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
- On This Day: Apollo 1 Disaster
- Bell Ringer: Creation of SpaceX and Tesla
Participants
Vocabulary
- Orbit
- Trajectory