Where in the Air? Classroom Activity

Educator Guide

www.nasa.gov
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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OVERVIEW

In this lesson, students learn about the layers of the atmosphere (the air around Earth) and what things can be found in each layer.

Students Will Be Able To:

• Name the layers of the atmosphere and know where each one sits compared to the others
• Figure out which layer of the atmosphere different objects belong in

Standards

Next Generation Science Standards

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• MS-ESS2 Earth's systems

Crosscutting Concepts

• Systems and system models

Science and Engineering Practices

• Developing and using models

Preparation

• Print a worksheet for each student.
• Print enough information sheets so every student gets a copy describing their group's object.
• The information sheets are written at different levels, so all students can read one that fits them.

Materials

• Worksheet – one per student
• Information sheets – one per group or student

Other Resources

"Earth's Atmospheric Layers" diagram, available at:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/science/atmosphere-layers2.html

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Steps

1. Start with a warm-up activity to teach (or review) the layers of the atmosphere. You can search online for videos or activities to get students interested. You could also connect this to Earth's other systems, like the cryosphere (ice), hydrosphere (water), and biosphere (living things).

1. Split students into groups of two or three. Depending on your class, students could also work alone.

1. Give each group an object to research so they can become "experts" on it. Hand out a copy of the information sheet (found in the student guide) that describes their object to each group member. If a group finishes early, give them a second object. Students can also use a digital copy of the student guide.

1. In Part 1 of the worksheet, students collect facts about their assigned object. They will share these facts with the class later. Groups should fill this out while reading their information sheet(s).

1. In Part 2, each group presents what they learned about their object to the class. While one group presents, everyone else writes down the information on their own worksheet.

1. Once Part 2 is done, students will have all the facts they need to fill in the atmosphere diagram in Part 3.

1. Each student completes Part 3 on their own, using everything they learned from their classmates.

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"Where in the Air?" Student Worksheet

PART 1

Answers will vary.

PART 2

Now that you've learned about one object in Earth's atmosphere, it's time to learn about the others! Other groups have been studying different objects. As they share what they found, write it down on your worksheet. Don't forget to fill in the information about your own object too! Some objects on the list might not get covered.

OBJECT	ALTITUDE	LAYER OF THE ATMOSPHERE	WHAT IS IT? WHAT DOES IT DO?
1. Armstrong Line	62,000 ft (19 km)	Stratosphere	This is the height where liquids would boil at human body temperature. A full pressure suit is needed this high up.
2. Birds	500–29,000 ft (0.15–8.8 km)	Troposphere	Birds fly at different heights depending on their size and where they're going.
3. Clouds	0–60,000 ft (0–18 km)	Troposphere & Lower Stratosphere	Clouds are made of tiny drops of water or ice floating in the air. Different types of clouds form at different heights.
4. Commercial Jetliner	32,000–39,000 ft (9.8–11.4 km)	Troposphere	These planes carry passengers and cargo long distances. They fly so high that people need oxygen to breathe.
5. Communication Satellite	100–22,000 miles (160–36,000 km)	Thermosphere & Exosphere	These satellites receive, boost, and send electronic signals so people can communicate over long distances.
6. ER-2	65,000–70,000 ft (20–21 km)	Stratosphere	This aircraft flies slow and high, making it a great platform for science missions.
7. Fighter Aircraft (F-35)	60,000 ft (18 km)	Stratosphere	These planes are very fast and can turn quickly. Pilots wear special g-suits to handle the strong forces they feel.
8. Hang Glider	12,000–15,000 ft (3.7–4.6 km)	Troposphere	These are aircraft without engines that let people glide long distances.
9. Helicopter	0–25,000 ft (0–7.6 km)	Troposphere	Helicopters use spinning wings called rotors to lift off. They can take off and land straight up and down.
10. Hot Air Balloon	1,200–2,000 ft (0.4–0.6 km)	Troposphere	These balloons are filled with hot air, which is lighter than cool air. This makes them rise and carry passengers.
11. Hubble Space Telescope	340 miles (450 km)	Thermosphere	This powerful telescope orbits Earth and studies objects out in space.
12. International Space Station	250 miles (400 km)	Thermosphere	This space station has astronauts living on board doing scientific research while it orbits Earth.
13. James Webb Space Telescope	930,000 miles (1,500,000 km)	Beyond Exosphere	Set to launch in 2021, this telescope will be able to see objects very far away in space.
14. Lunar Gateway	239,000 miles (384,000 km)	Beyond Exosphere	The Gateway will orbit the Moon and act as a stopping point for missions heading to the Moon's surface.
15. Meteors (Shooting Stars)	40–60 miles (65–97 km)	Mesosphere	Meteors are small pieces of asteroids or comets, called meteoroids, entering Earth's atmosphere.
16. Model Rockets	190–1,000 ft (0.06–0.3 km)	Troposphere	These are small rockets that people can build and launch themselves.
17. Mount Everest	29,029 ft (8.8 km)	Troposphere	This is the highest point on Earth's surface.
18. Ozone Layer	10–30 miles (15–50 km)	Stratosphere	Found in the stratosphere, this layer soaks up some of the Sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.
19. Parachutist	13,000 ft (4 km)	Troposphere	The highest parachute jumps have reached 135,908 ft (41.1 km), which is actually in the mesosphere. Parachutes use air resistance to slow down falling people or objects.
20. Small Airplane (Cessna)	2,500–9,500 ft (0.8–2.9 km)	Troposphere	These small planes only carry a few passengers at a time.
21. Small UAV	400 ft (0.1 km)	Troposphere	Drones and other small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) fly below 400 feet and can do many jobs, like delivering packages or taking aerial photos.
22. Sounding Rocket	75 miles (12 km)	Thermosphere	These rockets don't go all the way into orbit. They're built to carry science experiments.
23. Weather	0–9 miles (0–14 km)	Troposphere	Weather describes the conditions in the atmosphere at a certain place and time.
24. Weather Balloon	25 miles (40 km)	Stratosphere	After launch, these balloons collect weather data as they rise. Eventually they pop and fall back to Earth.
25. X-57 Maxwell	8,000–14,000 ft (2.4–4.3 km)	Troposphere	This battery-powered plane was built by NASA to test whether electric power can work for flight.
26. X-59 QueSST	55,000 ft (16.8 km)	Stratosphere	This NASA plane will test whether aircraft can break the sound barrier without making a loud, damaging boom.

PART 3

On the atmosphere diagram below, label each layer of the atmosphere in the blanks. Then write in the names of the objects you learned about from your classmates. Make sure each object is placed in the correct layer. If you have time, draw a picture for each object too!

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Layer of the Atmosphere Information Sheets

Troposphere

Altitude: Sea level to 5 miles (8 kilometers) — this changes depending on weather and season

• This is the most complicated layer because so many different things affect it at once.
• Temperatures change due to seasons, weather, and the uneven way Earth's surface heats and cools.
• Air gets colder as you go up in height.
• Temperature, pressure, and air thickness (density) are all connected to each other.
• All the water vapor in the atmosphere is found in the troposphere.
• The height of the troposphere changes with weather and seasons — it stretches higher in summer and lower in winter.
• It's made up of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and small amounts of other gases.
• As you go higher, air pressure drops because gravity pulls less and there's less air pushing down from above.
• This is the thickest, most packed layer of the atmosphere.
• About 75% of all the atmosphere's mass is in the troposphere.
• At sea level, air pressure is 14.7 pounds per square inch.

What Objects Are Found Here?
A. Birds
B. Clouds
C. Commercial Jetliner
D. Hang Glider
E. Helicopter
F. Hot Air Balloon
G. Model Rocket
H. Mount Everest
I. Parachutist
J. Small Airplane (Cessna)
K. Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
L. Weather
M. X-57 Maxwell

How Far From Earth's Surface Are They?
A. 500 feet (0.2 kilometers)
B. 0–20,000 feet (0–6 kilometers)
C. 32,000–39,000 feet (9.8–11.4 kilometers)
D. 5,000–10,000 feet (1.5–3 kilometers)
E. 11,000 feet (3.4 kilometers)
F. 2,000 feet (0.6 kilometers)
G. 1,000 feet (0.3 kilometers)
H. 29,029 feet (8.8 kilometers)
I. 13,000 feet (4 kilometers)
J. 9,500 feet (2.9 kilometers)
K. 400 feet (0.1 kilometers)
L. Throughout the troposphere
M. 8,000–14,000 feet (2.4–4.3 kilometers)

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Stratosphere

Altitude: 5–31 miles (8–50 kilometers)

• This layer contains the ozone layer (31,600–105,600 feet, or 6–20 miles), a part of the atmosphere with a lot of ozone gas.
• The ozone layer soaks up some of the Sun's ultraviolet-B rays, keeping them from reaching Earth's surface.
• Temperature rises as you go higher, because the ozone layer absorbs radiation from the Sun.
• The air here is very steady and calm, without turbulence (bumpy air).
• There are almost no clouds or weather in this layer.

What Objects Are Found Here?
A. Armstrong Limit
B. ER-2
C. Fighter Aircraft (F-35)
D. Ozone Layer
E. Weather Balloon
F. X-59 QueSST

How Far From Earth's Surface Are They?
A. 62,000 feet (19 kilometers)
B. 70,000 feet (21.3 kilometers)
C. 60,000 feet (18 kilometers)
D. 10–30 miles (24–48 kilometers)
E. 25 miles (40