<Flash Module animation>
(The
NASA logo appears and below it appears the following disclaimer)
Note: The following information is collected for research purposes only.
Your name is used within this activity only. The other information entered will
be used only by NASA Office of Education to evaluate this product.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration presents:
(The
Astro-Venture logo sweeps onto the screen letter-by-letter)
(Astro Ferret zooms onto
screen riding his scooter and introduces himself and the Astro-Venture Atmosphere
Training module.)
Astro Ferret:
Congratulations! You have been accepted as a Junior Atmospheric Scientist at
the Astro-Venture academy. I’m Astro Ferret and I’ll be your guide.
So, what is an atmospheric scientist?
Atmospheric scientists study the blanket of air covering our Earth and the way
it affects the planet.
(Astro
appears next to planet Earth and drops a “blanket” of air over it)
There are many different types of atmospheric scientists. Some study rainfall,
wind, sunshine, and temperature in specific areas.
(Astro
stands on the Earth and is rained on, wind blown, becomes very hot and then
very cold. The word “Climatologist” appears on the screen.)
Others study the different gases of our atmosphere and how they interact with
each other.
(Astro stands on the Earth
and molecules of nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, ozone, and carbon dioxide pop
onto the screen. The word “Atmospheric Chemist” appears.)
And still others study and predict the weather for our weather reports.
(Astro stands next to a map
of the United States and throws rain cloud and suns onto the map like a weather
report. The word “Meteorologist” appears.)
Here, during Astro-Venture Atmospheric Science training, you will learn about
the important characteristics of the Earth’s atmosphere how those features
help make our planet habitable!
So let’s get started with Astro-Venture Atmospheric Science training!
(Astro zooms across the screen
towards the left.)
(New screen, the following
text appears:)
Welcome to Astro-Venture's Atmosphere Training Module! As a Junior Atmospheric
Scientist, your job is to change the levels of gases in Earth's atmosphere and
observe the effects on Earth. You will also explore how these gases work together
to help make a planet habitable to humans.
Please enter the names of all members of your team, or a team name in the text
box. When you're finished, click the Enter button to get started!
(Text box appears. Enter
names into the text box. When you’re done, press the Enter button.)
(New screen. The interface
appears and an introductory animation is playing. The animation shows a view
of Earth rotating and zoom in. It displays a view of Earth’s atmospheric
layers, including labels and altitude up to 100 km. The animation zooms into
a magnified view of Earth’s surface, troposphere, and most of the stratosphere
(up to 50 km). Five
molecules are “tossed in” from the left. The molecules in the troposphere
are labeled as follows: nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. An
ozone molecule is labeled in the stratosphere.)
(A step-by-step tutorial
shows students how to use the interface for the Atmosphere Training module.)
Astro Ferret:
First, you will choose a feature from the menu.
(Click on a main menu button—Water
Vapor, Carbon Dioxide, Ozone, Oxygen, Nitrogen)
Then, you’ll choose a type of feature to cause a change on Earth.
(Sub menu choices are:
Water Vapor—none, medium, high
Carbon Dioxide—none, low, medium, high
Ozone—none, high
Oxygen—none, medium, high
Nitrogen—none, high)
You’ll then click Play to see the effect on Earth.
(Click the Play button and
animation will play.)
If you want to see the effect again, click the Replay button. If not, enter
your observation into your Astro Journal and then click Enter. Be sure to take
good notes. You’ll need them later!
(Enter observation into text
box. After you have pressed the Enter key, a box pops up that gives feedback
on what other scientists have observed for this same cause and effect.)
Want to know more? Check out the Astro-Facts!
(Explore background information
in Astro-Facts.)
Great! Now click a new feature and continue your training!
(Each animation starts with
a standard scene containing two cows, a small pond with a fish, trees, UV sensitive
plants, grassy hills, clouds in the sky, and mountains in the background. To
the left of the scene is a thermometer.)
(When each animation ends,
enter your observation into the Astro Journal and press Enter. After entering
your observation, you will receive Scientist Feedback on what happened.)
Summary
of animations and Astro-Facts for each category follows:
Animations: Water Vapor
Water
Vapor, none (0%-0.0001%):
The water and clouds disappear. The thermometer goes down. The cows, fish, plants,
grass and trees die without water.
Scientist Feedback: No water vapor in the atmosphere is a sign that there is
no liquid water on the surface to support life. Also, Earth’s temperature
would decrease.
Water Vapor, medium (0.0001%-20%):
The cows are grazing and the fish is swimming. Everything is fine and Earth’s
temperature is normal.
Scientist Feedback: Medium levels of water vapor would absorb enough heat energy
to warm Earth’s surface air to a comfortable temperature for life.
Water Vapor, high (greater than 20%):
The thermometer increases as the temperature rises. Water evaporates. The cows,
fish, plants, trees, and grass die without water and because it is so hot.
Scientist Feedback: High levels of water vapor would absorb more heat energy
causing Earth to become to hot to sustain life.
Astro-Facts
for Water Vapor:
What makes water vapor so important to us?
Water vapor is one of the greenhouse gases that absorbs heat energy in our atmosphere
and helps to warm our planet. Water vapor is also the source of all clouds,
rain and snow. It is an important influence on weather and climate.
What does water vapor tell us about a planet?
If a scientist found water vapor in the atmosphere of another planet, it would
be a good sign that there might be liquid water on its surface. Water is the
most important ingredient for life on Earth, so another planet with water on
it would be an exciting place to look for life!
What is the coldest, driest, and windiest place on Earth?
Antarctica receives less than 5 centimeters of precipitation a year and its
average temperature ranges from -4ºF to -94ºF. The freezing temperatures and
the absence of water vapor are similar to the conditions on Mars. A lot of scientific
research is conducted in Antarctica’s Dry Valleys that will help future
astronauts search for life on Mars.
Animations:
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Dioxide, none (0%-0.001%):
Thermometer decreases. Pond freezes over and ice-covered scene appears. Fish
dies in the frozen pond. Plants are dead and buried with snow. Dead tree limbs
poke out. Mountains in the background are snowy. Cows are buried in the snow
and die.
Scientist Feedback: No carbon dioxide would cause Earth to become very cold
because less heat would be absorbed in the atmosphere.
Carbon Dioxide, low (0.001%-0.03%):
The cows are grazing and the fish is swimming. Everything is fine and Earth’s
temperature is normal.
Scientist Feedback: Low levels of carbon dioxide would allow Earth to maintain
a comfortable temperature for life.
Carbon Dioxide, medium (3%-5%):
Thermometer reading increases. Water evaporates. As things get hotter, the scene
turns to a dry desert scene. Cows lie down and die. The pond dries up and the
fish dies. All the plants, grass, and trees die because it is so hot.
Scientist Feedback: High levels of carbon dioxide would absorb more heat energy
and increase Earth’s temperature making it too hot and dry to support life.
Carbon Dioxide, high (greater
than 10%):
The cows are gasping and cannot breathe. The fish and the cows die quickly.
Then the thermometer increases and the plants, grass, and trees die. The scene
becomes very dry and hot.
Scientist Feedback: High levels of carbon dioxide are poisonous. Animals would
have trouble breathing and die quickly. Eventually, Earth’s temperature
would rise.
Astro-Facts
for Carbon Dioxide
What is the greenhouse effect?
Carbon dioxide is a gas that helps to maintain our planet’s moderate temperature
by a process called the greenhouse effect. This is how it works: The Sun’s
rays send light energy to the Earth. The Earth’s surface absorbs this energy
(like black asphalt on a
hot day) and releases the energy as heat. When this heat rises and encounters
a greenhouse gas, like carbon dioxide or water vapor, the gas absorbs the heat.
Then the gas releases part of the heat back into space and releases the other
part back towards the Earth. The heat released toward the Earth warms our atmosphere
to a comfortable temperature. Our planet is between 30 to 40 degrees warmer
than it would be without the greenhouse effect. Without the greenhouse gases,
our planet would be much colder. Some scientists are worried that too much greenhouse
gas might increase the temperature and cause big climate problems. This is a
hot issue that is being debated by many scientists.
Do living things use carbon dioxide?
Plants need carbon dioxide and water to produce sugars used for energy. Oxygen
is released into the air as a result. This process is called photosynthesis.
Plants use sugar as food for energy and as a building block for growing. Animals
don’t really need carbon dioxide, but they do need the plants for food.
Has the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere always been the same?
The amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has changed throughout Earth’s
history. Earth was once a much warmer place with higher levels of carbon dioxide.
Algae and plants absorbed the carbon dioxide into their bodies. When they died,
their bodies were buried deep within the Earth and slowly turned to coal and
oil. Since the late 1800’s, humans have been burning coal and oil and have
been releasing carbon back into the atmosphere where it bonds with oxygen. When
it bonds with oxygen, it forms carbon dioxide again. As a result, about 3 billion
metric tons of carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere every year. This amount
is like adding 28,000 loaded school buses every hour. Some scientists think
this could eventually lead to a runaway greenhouse effect, which could affect
the climate of the Earth.
What’s a “runaway greenhouse effect”?
Carbon dioxide in a planet’s atmosphere helps to warm temperatures. If
there was too much carbon dioxide, it might increase the temperature so much
that all the water would evaporate into the air. Water vapor is a powerful greenhouse
gas. If it was added to the atmosphere along with the carbon dioxide, they might
work together and increase the temperature even more. Scientists think this
is what may have happened to Venus, where it’s so hot it can melt lead!
Animations:
Ozone
Ozone, none (0-80
Dobson Units [DU]):
The Sun is sending out ultraviolet rays that head towards Earth. They enter
Earth’s atmosphere and reach the surface. The cows become sunburned and
cancerous. The UV sensitive plants, cows, and the fish die. The temperature
remains at a normal level.
Scientist Feedback: Low levels of ozone would result in harmful ultraviolet
rays hitting Earth and causing cancer in animals and damage in some plants.
Ozone, high (greater
than 80 DU):
The Sun is sending out ultraviolet rays that head towards Earth. When they enter
Earth’s atmosphere, most are blocked by the ozone layer. The cows are grazing
and the fish is swimming. Everything is fine and Earth’s temperature is
normal.
Scientist Feedback: High levels of ozone result in protection from harmful ultraviolet
rays allowing life to exist as we know it today.
Astro-Facts
for Ozone
What makes ozone so great?
The ozone layer, which is located in the stratosphere, is important to life
because it protects us from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. Ultraviolet
radiation can cause skin cancer and cataracts in animals and can stunt the growth
of many plants.
What is a Dobson Unit (DU)?
A Dobson Unit is a way to measure how much ozone is in our stratosphere. The
average ozone levels are 300 DU. If this amount was brought down to the surface
of the Earth, it would be equal to a layer 3 millimeters thick covering the
entire planet.
What happens if ozone is close to the Earth’s surface?
Ozone that collects at the Earth’s surface (usually
by pollution)
can get taken in through the leaves of plants and inhaled by animals. The ozone
reacts with the lungs of animals and can trigger asthmatic attacks or block
lung capacity. Plants can also be damaged by ozone at Earth’s surface.
Animations:
Oxygen
Oxygen, none (0%-10%):
The cows become dizzy and fall down. The fish gasps for air. The cows and the
fish die. The thermometer stays at normal levels.
Scientist Feedback: Without oxygen, living things that need oxygen couldn’t
breathe. Also, no ozone would be produced.
Oxygen, medium (15%-30%):
The cows are grazing and the fish is swimming. Everything is fine and Earth’s
temperature is normal.
Scientist Feedback: Medium levels of oxygen support life as we know it because
there would be enough oxygen for animals to breathe.
Oxygen, high (greater
than 30%):
Everything on the surface of Earth is burning. Plants and animals cannot survive
in such a fiery environment.
Scientist Feedback: Since oxygen is very flammable, high levels would cause
fires to burn across the planet.
Astro-Facts
for Oxygen
Why would a scientist be interested to find oxygen on another planet?
Plants and some other living things (such
as algae) produce the large amount of oxygen in the air. Scientists have
not been able to find any other way to have so much oxygen in an atmosphere.
Discovering a lot of oxygen on another planet would be a good clue that there
may be life there!
What is the relationship between oxygen and ozone?
Ozone is made of three molecules of oxygen. Without oxygen, ozone could not
exist. Ozone and oxygen are both important to life on Earth.
Fascinating Facts
In each breath you take, one fifth of the molecules are oxygen!
Animations:
Nitrogen
Nitrogen, none (0%-5%):
The fish dies. Then the trees die. Finally the cows die. The thermometer stays
at a normal level.
Scientist Feedback: A lack of nitrogen would stop the cycle that provides proteins
for life. Microbes and aquatic life would die first, followed by plants and
animals.
Nitrogen, high (greater
than 5%):
The cows are grazing and the fish is swimming. Everything is fine and Earth’s
temperature is normal.
Scientist Feedback: High levels of nitrogen would allow life to exist because
nitrogen provides proteins and other important building blocks for life.
Astro-Facts
for Nitrogen
What makes nitrogen so important?
Nitrogen is a big part of Earth’s atmosphere. In fact, nitrogen makes up
78 percent of our air. Nitrogen is extremely important in living things. It
forms the building blocks of proteins. We need proteins because they make up
our skin and hair. Proteins also help us digest food. We get our nitrogen from
plants, and plants get it from bacteria in the soil. Our atmosphere provides
life with the nitrogen it needs.
How does nitrogen get to plants and animals from the air?
The nitrogen cycle is one of the important systems for living things. Bacteria
take nitrogen out of the air and change it into nutrients in the soil. Those
nutrients help plants grow. When animals eat plants, they also eat the nitrogen
inside the plants. The animals return nitrogen to the soil through their waste.
Plants and animals also return nitrogen into the soil with their bodies when
they die. The cycle is completed when other bacteria process the plant and animal
material and release nitrogen back into the soil and air.
What is the relationship between nitrogen and pressure?
Nitrogen not only provides valuable nutrients for life, it also serves another
very important purpose. There is so much nitrogen in our atmosphere that it
adds extra mass to the air. When you add more mass to the atmosphere, it increases
the pressure the same way that adding extra air to a bicycle tire increases
the pressure inside the tube. Too much or too little pressure can have a serious
effect on us if we are unprotected. Deep sea divers, like oil rig workers, experience
high amounts of pressure when they are deep in the ocean. The surrounding water
squeezes their bodies and they must wear special suits to protect themselves
from getting squashed. Astronauts in space must also wear special suits. In
space, there is so little pressure around them that the air in their lungs would
rush out and their bodies would puff up like a balloon.
(After viewing and submitting
observations for all animations, Astro prompts you to take the Astro-Challenge.)
Astro-Ferret:
Excellent! You have completed your training. Click on me to take the Astro-Challenge.
(After clicking on Astro
Ferret, a new screen appears.)
Hello there! Welcome to the Astro-Challenge! Now it is time to see what you
have learned. Above my head, a question will appear. On the right side you’ll
have several options to choose from. Click on the correct answer. Feel free
to check your Astro Journal notes in the scroll bar below. Good luck!
Question 1.
If plants and animals are being damaged by too much ultraviolet radiation, which
upper atmosphere gas is needed to protect them?
A. Oxygen
B. Carbon Dioxide
C. Water Vapor
D. Nitrogen
E. Ozone
(Correct answer: Ozone)
Question 2.
Too much of this gas would cause uncontrollable fires to rage across the land.
A. Oxygen
B. Carbon Dioxide
C. Water Vapor
D. Nitrogen
E. Ozone
(Correct answer: Oxygen)
Question 3.
Which scene would result if our atmosphere contained no carbon dioxide?
A. Dry desert scene
B. Lush, grassy, watery scene
C. Snowy cold scene
D. Fiery scene
(Correct answer: Snowy cold
scene)
Question 4.
Without this important gas, our planet would become very dry and very cold.
A. Oxygen
B. Carbon Dioxide
C. Water Vapor
D. Nitrogen
E. Ozone
(Correct answer: Water Vapor)
Question 5.
This gas is transformed into vital nutrients in the soil.
A. Oxygen
B. Carbon Dioxide
C. Water Vapor
D. Nitrogen
E. Ozone
(Correct answer: Nitrogen)
Question 6.
If you had too much of this gas, it would be hard to breathe and it would be
very hot!
A. Oxygen
B. Carbon Dioxide
C. Water Vapor
D. Nitrogen
E. Ozone
(Correct answer: Carbon Dioxide)
Question 7.
Choose which one is NOT a function of our atmosphere.
A. It protects us from certain types of solar radiation.
B. It holds heat in like a blanket.
C. It blocks most visible light.
D. It provides gases for plants and animals.
(Correct answer: It blocks
most visible light.)
Upon completion of Astro-Challenge, screen reads:
Congratulations! You have successfully completed the Astro Challenge. Now you
can print your Astro-Journal notes and your Certificate!
Astro Ferret:
Congratulations! You have successfully completed the Astro-Challenge! Now you
can print your Astro Journal notes and Certificate!
(New screen displays certificate
with all names that were entered in the beginning of the module. There are three
buttons:
The button on the left says, “Print Certificate.” .If you click on
the left one, it will print the Certificate.
The button in the middle says, “Print Astro-Journal.” If you click
on the middle one, it will print the Astro Journal.
The button on the right says: “Don’t Print Anything.” If you
click on the right one, a warning screen appears that reads:
“WARNING! If you don’t print your Astro-Journal or your Certificate
now, you not be able to print them later!”
Two buttons appear. The button on the left says, “Go back to the print
page.” The button on the right says, “I really don’t want to
print.”
Follow the instructions and choose the buttons that suit your needs. When you’re
finished, you will go to the Exit screen.)
Exit screen reads:
Congratulations!
Astro Ferret:
Congratulations! You’ve been promoted to Senior Atmospheric Scientist!
Click here to go back to the main page and explore more Astro-Venture.
(The Astro-Venture logo is
on the screen. Two buttons appear. Astro Ferret stands in the left bottom corner
and is pointing the top big button.
The big button on the top says: “Continue your Astro-Venture Training.”
Clicking on this page will take you back to the Astro-Venture main page http://astroventure.arc.nasa.gov
The bottom button says: “Back to the print page.” Clicking on this
button will take you to back to the Print page.)
<end Flash module>