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Activity 6.1

Earth Model
Overview
Students will build a model of the Earth showing the relationship between the equator and the orbit of the shuttle. Before the students begin this activity, you might want to make one Earth model for demonstration purposes.

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Time
1-2 class periods

Materials
Basketball (1 per group)
Scissors
Florist Wire
Tape
4 large dot stickers (2 different colors)
2 different colors of construction paper with dimensions of at least 14 in x 14 in
1 classroom globe
Student Worksheet 6.1

Getting Ready
Prepare a classroom earth model and use it to demonstrate this activity.
Assign students in groups of three to four.

Procedure
1. Lead the classroom in a discussion of orbital planes. (Important points: the orbital plane passes through the center of the Earth at an inclination of 51.6°. This plane does not change during the flight.)
2. Use the classroom earth model to demonstrate what the students will be doing.
3. In small groups, students will create their own earth model using Student Worksheet 6.1.

Discussion
The equatorial plane is the plane which passes through the Equator, cutting the Earth into two hemispheres. The orbital plane contains the shuttle's orbit; the shuttle never leaves this plane. 
The inclination of the orbit is the angle that the orbital plane makes with the equatorial plane. For Mir docking flights, this angle is 51.6°. 
The nodes of an orbit are defined as the intersection of the orbital plane and the equatorial plane. The descending node is the node that occurs as the shuttle passes from the Northern hemisphere to the Southern hemisphere, and the ascending node is the node that occurs as the shuttle passes from the Southern hemisphere to the Northern hemisphere. (Remember in describing the shuttle's path, that the shuttle travels toward the East around the Earth.)

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Orbital Plane
Inclination

10/03/96 Page 6.20