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Activity 1: Weather in KidSat

How does Weather Impact Targeting for the KidSat Camera? 

Note: This activity can be done at any time, whether or not a shuttle mission is currently taking place.
 
1 First, have your students look at the map which shows average cloud cover. Explain to your students that these maps show averages over a three-month time frame. Make sure they understand how the scale works, with a range from clear to cloudy. Mark the northernmost and southernmost ranges (51 degrees N and S latitude) which will be covered by the KidSat missions. Ask them to find the areas most likely to be clear, within this area. Then ask them to find the areas most likely to be cloudy. 

2 Have your students download and examine the current satellite image from the world showing actual cloud clover. If they were to request pictures from the KidSat camera, where would be good locations for clear skies? Where would be good locations for pictures or interesting weather (such as strong storms, hurricanes or other interesting cloud patterns)?

3 Have them cross-reference the weather map with an orbital track. If you have printed world weather map, then have them draw a single orbital track onto the weather map. If you don't have a print out, then you can set up your slider map for any sample orbit, or put a plastic overlay on top of the computer screen and use markers on the overlay to show the orbital track. Have your students first look for five or ten places under the orbital track which they would like to photograph because clear skies make the land visible-mark these with L (for land). Then have your students look under the orbital track for interesting weather that they would like to photograph - mark these locations with W (for weather).

During the mission, of course, other factors also need to be considered. Half of the orbit will be at night, so no pictures can be taken of that part of the world. Also, weather changes, with storms developing and moving over time, so the actual location of a storm system may change between the time that targeting is decided to the time the actual picture is taken. Nevertheless, this activity gives your students valuable experiences in thinking about the impact of clouds on weather.

Teachers' Guide                                                          Page 8.31