You are an astronaut on a mission to another planet in our solar system. You will join a crew to gather information about your destination. When you become experts, you will voyage to this planet. After exploring it, you will contact Mission Control on Earth by cyber postcard to communicate your impressions and data.

Your job as an astronaut is to collect data about your planet. Your crew of astronauts will work as a team to collect this scientific information. Print a data sheet to record facts during your journey. You will need to show your data sheet to Mission Control before blast off.

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Pre-flight requirements:

• Know your destination (planet)
• Name your mission and design a patch or badge. (patch directions)

Print out a planet data collection sheet to complete during your journey.

• * Create a Cyber Postcard using a virtual postcard site (contact Mission Control).
  * First you will need to compose a short report for your postcard on paper.
  * Remember to write the postcard paragraphs in complete sentences.
  * Be sure to spell correctly, and use capital letters and punctuation where appropriate.
  * Use peer conferencing.
  * Share some 'adventures' on your postcard, too.
  * When you are finished editing, you are ready to create your cyber postcard. Click this link to go the
virtual postcard site , follow the instructions, and send your message to Mission Control (your teacher's email account). Print a copy of your postcard for each crew member.

Debriefing session:

* Present your data as a crew to your peers and Mission Control.
* Print out and complete a self-evaluation sheet.

Mercury Mercury Profile Mercury Quest Exploring Mercury	Venus Venus Tour Venus Facts Exploring Venus	Earth Earth Tour Earth Profile Exploring Earth
Mars Mars Tour Mars Profile Exploring Mars	Jupiter Jupiter Tour Jupiter Profile Exploring Jupiter	Saturn Saturn Tour Saturn Profile Explore Saturn
Uranus Uranus Tour Uranus Profile Exploring Uranus	Neptune Neptune Tour Neptune Profile Exploring Neptune	Pluto Pluto Tour Pluto Profile Exploring Pluto

During your WebQuest, you have learned many facts about your planet, yet there is much more to learn about our Solar System. The vastness of space has given us many challenges and questions.

Does life exist elsewhere? What are some of the latest scientific findings? How can you use the information gathered in your WebQuest to help others? Check out some of the links below to learn more about space. Can you find other web sites that have interesting information about space?

Choose picture books, novels or poems in the science- fiction genre. Does this literature contain factual information? On what scientific facts has the author chosen to base his or her story? Why? Write a response to a selection in your Journal.

http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/Space/

http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/the-lab/space/default.html

http://www.artyastro.com/artyastro.htm

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/tour.cgi?link=/kids_space/kids_space.html