Mission Library

Encrypted Escape
Properties of Celestial Bodies
Grades 6-8

The Mission
30 min

Storyline

Using their knowledge of the properties of celestial bodies, the crew will figure out an encrypted code to save Dr. Zyla's research from the Crooked Snakes.

Dr. Zyla, one of the leading scientists in time travel has been hiding somewhere in the Princel Solar System, where she has been making life-changing discoveries about time travel in black holes. The Crooked Snakes are actively searching for her so that they can steal her findings. She has sent us an emergency evacuation request. Because of the potential for our communication to be intercepted by the Crooked Snakes, Dr. Zyla can’t send us her location directly. Instead, she is giving us cryptic questions about the Princel Solar System based on the properties and scale of celestial bodies that will help us to open her secure, encrypted file, which houses her location. We need to figure out the encrypted email before the Crooked Snakes do!

3-Dimensional Science

Phenomenon

Objects in the solar system have properties and scale that can be observed and measured.

Science and Engineering Practices

Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

  • Use mathematical representations to describe and/or support scientific conclusions and design solutions.

  • Create algorithms (a series of ordered steps) to solve a problem.

  • Apply mathematical concepts and/or processes (e.g., ratio, rate, percent, basic operations, simple algebra) to scientific and engineering questions and problems.

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

  • Construct, analyze, and/or interpret graphical displays of data and/or large data sets to identify linear and nonlinear relationships.

  • Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for phenomena.

Crosscutting Concepts

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

  • Students observe time, space, and energy phenomena at various scales using models to study systems that are too large or too small. They understand phenomena observed at one scale may not be observable at another scale, and the function of natural and designed systems may change with scale. They use proportional relationships (e.g., speed as the ratio of distance traveled to time taken) to gather information about the magnitude of properties and processes. They represent scientific relationships through the use of algebraic expressions and equations.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System

  • The solar system contains many varied objects held together by gravity. Solar system models explain and predict eclipses, lunar phases, and seasons.

ESS1.A: The Universe and Its Stars

  • Patterns of the apparent motion of the sun, the moon, and stars in the sky can be observed, described, predicted, and explained with models.

Resources
Targeted Standards
Timeline
Skills in Action