A Space Odyssey

2022 – A Sandy Space Odyssey

Year 10 Astronomy and Space Sciences students at Holloway Road experienced a range of different space-related activities during 2022. It was an educational and illuminating Space Odyssey.  We commenced the subject with the construction of a scale model of the solar system in the long corridor in the 30s block.  Later, the class enjoyed an enthralling evening observing the night sky at the Mt Burnett Observatory where a wonderful time was had by all.  To cap off the year, we had a live Teams link-up to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California and spent an hour chatting with a NASA Mars scientist.

1. A walk through our Solar System

In order to understand the distances between the planets of our solar system, students calculated the scaled distances from the Sun as they would fit in the 90-metre length of the 30s Wing at Holloway Road. Starting from the Sun (near the canteen end) and using a trundle wheel to measure distance in metres, students placed a poster of each planet at the appropriate scaled location all the way to Neptune at the far end.  The images of the planets are all scaled correctly relative to each other also.  These posters have since been upgraded into A3 laminated versions.  Everyone is invited to take a stroll along the corridor through our model Solar System and stop at each planet and view the poster.

1. A night-time visit to a working observatory

In early September we visited the Mt Burnett Observatory (MBO) near Cockatoo in the hills east of Melbourne.  Eager students in warm clothing all met at Holloway Road by 6:30pm in time for the one-hour bus trip to Mt Burnett.  Upon arrival at Mt Burnett, we were greeted by dark skies and the friendly MBO volunteers, who explained some astronomical facts to us, showed us all the equipment in the telescope dome (which used to belong to Monash University) and allowed us all to view the skies through their large 40cm telescope in the main observatory dome building.  Students were able to view the Moon, the rings of Saturn then the giant planet Jupiter and three of its largest moons Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. We also got to look through smaller telescopes at the observatory.  At the end of a wonderful night, we thanked our MBO hosts and boarded our bus for the tired but happy journey back to Holloway Rd by 11pm.

1. A live virtual visit to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Dr Halprin organised an online live link-up with a NASA Mars scientist working with the Mars rovers from NASA JPL in Pasadena, California.  We met with the delightful Dr Abigail Fraeman who gave us an hour of her time to talk with our students and answer their questions about Mars, planetary exploration and space in general.  Dr Fraeman later remarked that all the students’ questions were of a remarkably high quality.  Here is a report of the link-up with NASA as told by year 10 student, Madeleine Burnet: 

This term, we were lucky enough to speak live via MS Teams with Dr Abigail Fraeman, a researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.  This was an amazing experience for us, and we received some amazing insight into Dr Fraeman’s work with JPL, and her role in some of the Mars Rover missions, including Opportunity, and the focus of a new documentary featuring Dr Fraeman herself, Good Night Oppy.  After Dr Fraeman explained the Mars Rover missions to us, we had the opportunity to ask her our burning science questions in a Q&A, and it’s safe to say that everyone’s minds were blown.  Thank you so much to Dr Abigail Fraeman for taking the time to speak to us all the way from California, and a huge thank you to Dr Halprin for running the Astronomy class and providing us all this amazing experience.

We rounded out the year with a three-week module exploring all facets of Life in Space, including a scientific look at the possibility of alien life. 

I would also like to offer my appreciation to Dr Fraeman at JPL and the wonderful folks at Mt Burnett Observatory for the amazing experiences they gave our students.

Dr Len Halprin 

Year 10 Astronomy and Space Sciences.