Gravity Simulator
Is gravity the same everywhere? Experiment with how the ball reacts in each of the Solar System locations by dropping or throwing the ball. How similar or different is each location to Earth?
The 'Space Age' Calculator
Every year, the Earth completes one orbit of the Sun, and every year, you have a birthday! And during the year, the Earth rotates 365 times on its axis, and we experience 365 sunrises and sunsets.
Astronomical Influencers Quiz
Test your astronomy knowledge while learning about the who's who of ancient to present day astronomy!
Order the Orbit
These orbit maps of the inner Solar System are in the wrong places on the calendar! Can you rearrange them so each image is on the correct date?
Anu Ojha
Early Life
Anu grew up in the 1970's and was captivated by the early crewed missions to space. As a teenager he saved his pocket money and cash from his paper round to buy a telescope. His memory of seeing Saturn's rings for the first time still makes him feel emotional. Anu didn't know what he wanted to be when he grew up, but knew he wanted to keep on learning.
Research Areas: Education, Skills, Human Spaceflight, Exploration Science
"Space is a topic that captures the imagination, and I use it as a vehicle to deliver education."
Junichiro Kawaguchi
Early Life
Junichiro was born in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. He studied for a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Kyoto University and completed a PhD in Aeronautics at the University of Tokyo.
Year born: 1955
Research Areas: Engineering, Planetary Exploration
"the most important thing is creativity - not repeating the same way of doing things but finding completely new methods."
Ursula Marvin
Early Life
Ursula Marvin was born in Vermont, and grew up in New Hampshire, USA. She loved being outdoors but did not discover her passion for geology until she went to university to study history. She asked to change her degree major to Geology, but her professor refused and told her she should learn how to cook. Instead, Ursula took extra geology, maths and physics courses and went on to earn a PhD in Geology from Harvard University.
Year born: 1921
Research Areas: Meteorites, Moon Rocks
Gerard Kuiper
Early Life
Gerard was born in the Netherlands and loved stargazing from an early age. He had extraordinary eyesight that let him see stars four times fainter than most people could see. He studied astronomy at Leiden University and then moved to California, USA to work at the Lick Observatory.
Year born: 1905
Research Areas: Atmospheres and Moons
Claudia Alexander
Early Life
Claudia was born in Vancouver, Canada and grew up in California, USA. She wanted to be a historian, but her parents wanted her to be an engineer. Claudia discovered her love of planetary science during an internship at NASA’s Ames Research Centre. She was meant to be concentrating on engineering but kept sneaking off to the science section. Claudia studied for a degree in geophysics and a master’s in geophysics and space physics. She was awarded a PhD in space physics from the University of Michigan.
Year born: 1959
Research Areas: Jupiter’s Moons, Comets
"I feel like a modern-day explorer; the last frontier is space"
Exploring
Planetary science also includes doing experiments on Earth in laboratories. Scientists can study rocks brought back by space missions or meteorites that have landed on Earth. They can also test places on Earth that are like Mars or an Icy Moon and try to create those environments in labs.
If you love to explore, astronomy and space science could be the place for you.