gravity
Activity
Future flight
In this activity, students explore how flight has developed over time with discussion about trends and future possibilities. By the end of this activity, students should...
Activity
Birds and planes
In this activity, students explore the importance of wing shape and size and how this determines the flight capabilities of birds and planes. By the end...
Article
CAPSTONE – returning humans to the Moon
On 20 July 1969, around 600 million people stopped to watch humans first set foot on the Moon. The words, “That’s one small step for man,...
Activity
Tracking E7
In this activity, students explore the incredible flight of a special bird known as E7 to learn about the migratory flight of bar-tailed godwits from New...
Activity
Kites
In this activity, students will learn about some kite history and how kites fly before making and flying a kite themselves. By the end of this...
Activity
Making digital space debris clean-up games
Space debris is leftover rocket parts and non-functional satellites and any other machinery or debris left by humans. Humans have been launching rockets into space since...
Activity
Making a glider
In this activity, students handcraft a glider from balsa wood. In the process, they learn about aerofoil wing shape, glider parts and terminology. They experiment with...
Activity
Aerofoils and paper planes
In this activity, students learn how to make an aerofoil and to make and fly paper planes. In the process, they learn about aerofoil wing shape...
Activity
What flies?
In this activity, students discuss what things can fly and how this happens. They work towards identifying some key characteristics of flight. By the end of...
Article
Falling, floating, flying
All flying objects have some things in common. For some things, it is easy to decide if they are flying or not – a bird, a...
Article
Feathers and flight
A bird is designed for flight. The combination of light weight, strength and shape, as well as precision control, is largely responsible for giving birds their...
Article
Hang-gliders
Hang-gliders are unpowered aircraft. They maintain flight by employing a flying surface (wing) called an aerofoil. While powered aircraft use their own power source (motor and...
Article
Gliders and kites
Gliders and kites both have wings to generate lift. A glider’s wings are aerofoils. Well made kites are also aerofoil wings, which gives them lift. Gliders...
Article
People in flight history
People have always tried to imitate birds. People in legends and fairytales have been able to magically fly, and ancient Chinese, Persians, Romans, Arabs, monks, scholars,...
Article
Flight mythology
People have long had an obsession with flight. Characters from legends and fairy tales often have the surprising ability to take off from the solid Earth...
Article
How birds fly
One of the requirements for heavier-than-air flying machines is a structure that combines strength with light weight. This is true for birds as well as planes....
Article
Wing aspect ratio
Wing shapes and sizes of both birds and planes determine how they might perform or what they might be capable of (for example, gliding, sustained high...
Article
Wing loading
You can tell a great deal about how a bird lives or what a plane has been designed for just from its wing shape and size....
Article
Wings and lift
For a plane or bird to fly, its wings must produce enough lift to equal its weight. Most wings used in flight are a special shape...
Article
Principles of flight
For thousands of years, people have wanted to fly. Our legends and fairy tales are full of humans and animals that can fly – effortlessly gliding...
Article
Investigating flight – introduction
Have you ever wanted to fly? To soar above valleys and mountains, cities and oceans, feeling the wind whipping against your face? Flight has fascinated humans...
Article
Alternative conceptions about gravity
Educational research has shown that students develop intuitive ideas and beliefs about natural phenomena. As students learn more about their physical environment, they tend to interpret...
Activity
Satellite web hunt
In this activity, students use Science Learning Hub resources and the internet to answer questions about various satellite missions and orbits and to explore some of...
Article
Kiwis in space
This Connected article explores the science and technology behind the amazing achievements of Rocket Lab. From New Zealand’s first launch of a rocket into space in...