The Space Elevator
This module is aimed at Year 7 students. It can be used in a general classroom or in a science club or gifted program where students are researching innovative technologies. The module is built around an assignment where students research the use of carbon nanotubes to build the space elevator, and then perform a science show based upon their findings.
Module Guide
Detailed directions on how best to implement the PowerPoint presentation and activities to teach this module are provided in the general guide.
Module Guide Word (66kb)
Module Presentation Powerpoint (2.4mb)
Space Elevator Animation
View the Space Elevator video on YouTube
Once students have been briefly introduced to the concept of the Space Elevator through viewing slides 1–7 of the module with their teachers, students should be shown the following animation to gain a better understanding of this amazing concept.
Activity 1: T-Chart
The class can then examine the Space Elevator concept further, and investigate the implications of such an idea on space exploration. Students can use the following T chart to compare current technologies with the Space Elevator.
Activity 1 Guide Word (57kb)
Activity 1 Word (57kb)
Activity 2: KWLH (Know, What, Learnt, How) Chart & Internet Research Templates
Next, students should start the process of researching the Space Elevator in preparation for a later performance activity. The KWLH chart and the internet research templates above have been provided to assist with this process, and to encourage students to avoid “reading and regurgitating disease’.
Activity 2 Word (57kb)
Individual Research Template Word (57kb)
Group Research Template Word (61kb)
Experiment 1: Investigating forms of carbon
Some groups of students will be able to consider the chemical and physical properties of carbon nanotubes, the material from which the Space Elevator is constructed. The following experiment has been provided to assist with this process; it allows students to examine the properties of carbon nanotubes and to compare them to other allotropes of carbon. This component complements the “research an element” requirement of year 8 science (Victorian curriculum).
Experiment 1 Guide Word (193kb)
Experiment 1 Word (66kb)
Activity 3: Space Elevator Performance
To consolidate their learning, students may also be asked to create a performance to teach others about the Space Elevator and Carbon Nanotubes. The activity has been designed to ensure that all students have a role. A rubric form to assess the participation of students in the performance is provided.
Activity 3 Guide Word (70kb)
Activity 3 Word (57kb)