NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The information in this document was accurate as of the original publication date.

Audience: Educators
Grades: 6-8
Product Number: EP-2008-08-120-MSFC


Radiation biology is an interdisciplinary science -- biology, physics, astrophysics, planetary science and engineering -- that examines the effects of radiation on living systems. The Space Faring: The Radiation Challenge educator guide links these disciplines in the context of a lunar outpost by providing background, discussion and research questions, objectives, and inquiry-based activities to introduce radiation biology to middle school students. The guide includes a pretest, lessons, student sheets and answer keys.

The activities in the guide are:

• Radiation: Radiation Exposure on Earth
• Radiation Damage in Living Organisms: Modeling Radiation-Damaged DNA
• Protection From Radiation: Space Weather Forecasting

A section on Applications to Life on Earth: Radiation as a Tool is also included.

Space Faring: The Radiation Challenge Middle School Educator Guide [2.8MB PDF file]

The following videos supplement this guide:
Space Faring: The Radiation Challenge Act 1: What Is Radiation and Where Does It Come From?
Space Faring: The Radiation Challenge Act 2: Space Radiation and Human Health
Space Faring: The Radiation Challenge Act 3: Protection From Space Radiation


Space Faring: The Radiation Challenge Main Page