Anytime Expeditions are a package of content ready for teachers to use. 

They include: content guides ready for instructional use, hands-on experiments, and artifact immersions.  

The expeditions are free and can be downloaded at anytime, anywhere. 

Each expedition is aligned with learning standards including: Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) and Virginia's Standard of Learning (VA SOL). 

Expedition Options: 

Social Studies

Living Through History

Grades: 1-8

What does air and space have to do with pandemics and protests? Explore connections between student experiences at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and astronaut experiences during space exploration.

Standards: 

  • C3: D2.Geo.4.6-8; D2.His.4.6-8; D2.Civ.10.K-2; D2.His.4.6-8; D2.His.7.9-12; D2.His.6.6-8
  • CCSS: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6-8.1.C; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6-8.1.D; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7, CSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.4; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1d
  • Health: 1.2.1; 1.5.1; 1.8.1; 1.12.3
  • NGSS: ESS3.c; MS-ESS3-3

Content Guide

Learn about how astronauts experience quarantine and isolation during long term space travel and ways that NASA mitigates the associated biological and psychological impacts.  

Hands-On Activity

Using the astronaut hygiene and personal preference kits as models make your own personal preference kit.

*Can be done in the classroom or at home

Artifact Immersion

Examine what quarantine, isolation, and protests around Apollo 11 looked like using artifacts in the Museum's collection. Make connections to today.

Class-wide Activity

Participate in the COVID-19 from Space virtual breakout room to first learn more about satellites and what their images can tell us, and then answer three questions using satellite images from the dashboard to study night lights, water quality, and air quality.  

Engineering and Design

Paper Airplane Design

Grades: 3-8

Paper airplanes are a great way to experiment with aircraft design. This expedition uses paper airplanes and the scientific method to explore the relationship between an airplanes center of gravity and flight stability.

Standards: 

  • NGSS: 3-5.Engineering Design, MS.Engineering Design,  3-PS2.A, 5-PS2.A, MS-PS2-2
     

Content Guide

Explore the relationship between an airplane's center of gravity and flight stability and how control surfaces affect how an aircraft flies.

Hands-On Activity

Participate in the Drag Challenge and Control Surfaces Challenge to experiment with the center of gravity on a paper airplane and collect data. Make conclusions about aircraft stability and manipulate control surfaces to get paper airplane to meet several challenges.  

Artifact Immersion

Explore aircraft in the Museum's collection and how their wing design contributed to their functionality.

Social Studies

World War II

Grades: 3-8

Explore the history of World War II, pioneering events during this period, and the legacy of the people that served.

Standards: 

  • NGSS: MS.Engineering Design and 3-5.Engineering Design
  • VA SOL: USII.1-a, USII.1-c, USII.1-d, USII.7-c

Content Guide

Learn about the contributions women and African Americans made to the Army Air Force, and how they impacted the development of the armed forces for the future.  

Hands-On Activity

Students recreate Triple Nickle jumps, figuring out the best method for their “paratrooping potato” to land safely on target.

Artifact Immersion

Examine aircraft in the Museum's collection and how their design contributed to their role in World War II.

Human Spaceflight

Living and Working in Space

Grades: 3-12

While living in space might appear to be nothing but fun; some of the known and unknown effects of space can spoil the party. This expedition will provide a glimpse into astronauts' daily lives while in space and the impact on the human body.

Standards: 

  • NGSS: 3-LS1-1, 3-LS4-1, 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4, 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2, 4-ESS3-2, 5-PS1-1, 5-PS2-1, 5-PS3-1, MS-LS1-1, MS-LS1-3, MS-LS1-7, MS-LS4-5, MS-ETS1-1, HS-PS3-1, HS-LS2-7

Content Guide

Learn about the number of biological and psychological hazards astronauts encounter that can impact the success of the mission as well as the long term health of the astronaut.  

Hands-On Activity

Engage in two hands-on activities: Build your own space suit, then do a science experiment that mimics the effects of microgravity on the body.

*Can be done in the classroom or at home

Artifact Immersion

Examine spacesuits in the Museum's collection and how they keep astronauts safe in space.

Earth Science and Planetary Science

Weathering and Erosion

Grades: 3-12

Mars’ mysteries are slowly being uncovered as weathering and erosion takes its toll. Hidden ice caps and moving boulders are slowly telling the story of Mars’ existence. Explore the processes of weathering, erosion, and deposition and how they appear on Earth and Mars.

Standards: 

  • NGSS: 3-ESS2-1, 4-ESS2-1, 4-ESS1-1,  4-ESS2-2,  MS-LS2-5, MS-ESS2-2,HS-ESS1-6, HS-ESS2-1, HS-ESS1-2, HS-ESS1-6, HS-ESS2-2, HS-ESS3-2, HS-ESS2-5
  • VA SOL: 4.9, 6.7, 6.8. 6.9, ES.5, ES.7, ES.8, ES.11

Content Guide

Apply what you know about the processes of weathering, erosion, and deposition and how it creates soil on Earth and use it to understand the geologic history of Mars.

Hands-On Activity

Engage in the hands-on activity Soil Erosion Lab.* 

Students can also complete NASA’s Mars Helicopter Coding Challenge.

*Can be done in the classroom or at home

Artifact Immersion

Explore artifacts in the Museum's collection and their connections to weathering and erosion. Discover how NASA uses satellites and rovers to capture evidence of landscape changes.

Class-wide Activity

In this virtual breakout room, crack the code and learn about how NASA detects changes in landscapes on Earth, Mars, and beyond. Solve codes from the different NASA missions to gain the final passcode for the final breakout!

Astronomy

Earth and Its Place in the Universe

Grades: 5-12

What is in our universe, and what is Earth’s place within it? Investigate the tools, objects, and phenomena that teach us more about the Universe and explore a variety of readings sharing different peoples’ experiences observing the sky.

Standards: 

  • NGSS: 5-ESS1-1, 5-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-1, MS-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-3, MS-ETS1-2
  • VA SOL: 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 6.8, ES.5, ES.13
     

Content Guide

Learn about the history and uses of navigational technology while determining imaging most helpful in locating a fallen drone.

Hands-On Activity

Learn about GIS maps and engage in a hands-on challenge to create their own GIS map inspired by a flipbook of their own neighborhoods.

Artifact Immersion

How do you plan a trip? Explore different ways to navigate journeys through items highlighted from the Museum's collection and contribute to our ability to understand and navigate the world around us.

Geography and GIS

Finding Our Way

Grades: 6-8

How do we know where we are? Through this expedition, students will better understand maps as rich visual resources. 

Standards: 

  • C3: D2.Geo.2.6-8., D2.Geo.1.6-8.  
  • CCSS: D4.1
  • DCPS: 6.1.6; 6.1.8; 6.1.9; 6.1.10
     

Content Guide

Learn about Earth and its place in the universe through a meteorite exploration and engage in a sorting activity that challenges students’ knowledge of size, distance, and age of different objects in our universe.

Hands-On Activity

Compare Earth rocks with meteorites and engage in a hands-on cratering activity.*

Students can also complete the Cosmic Survey sorting activity.

*Can be done in the classroom or at home

Artifact Immersion

Explore astronomy tools in the Museum's collection and their contribution to our understanding of the universe.

Astronomy

To the Moon and Beyond

Grades: 3-12

Explore the science of landing humans on the Moon and its lifeless environment.  Content explains how the Moon affects us here on Earth, NASA’s fight for first place in the space race, and today’s journey to produce future missions to explore the Moon and Mars.

Standards: 

  • NGSS: 4-ESS2-1, 5-ESS1-2, 5-ESS1-1, 5-PS2-1, MS-ESS1-1,  MS-LS2-2, HS-ESS1-6, HS-ESS3-1
  • VA SOL: Science 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, ES.3

Content Guide

Explore the phases of the Moon, its relationship to Earth, and the story of the Apollo missions.

Hands-On Activity

Create a Lunar Rover.*

Complete NASA’s Lunar Rover Coding Challenge.

*Can be done in the classroom or at home

Artifact Immersion

Examine artifacts in the Museum's collection and their role in getting us to the Moon.

Class-wide Activity

Participate in a virtual breakout room to crack the code and learn about the first human journeys into space. 

Geology and Planetary Science

Mission to Mars

Grades: 6-12

For over 60 years, humans have been on a mission to learn more about the red planet. Explore the climate and geology of Mars, along with the challenges of robotic exploration in space.

Standards: 

  • CCSS: MATH.CONTENT.6.NS.C.5, MATH.CONTENT.5.G.A.1, MATH.CONTENT.6.NS.C.6
  • NGSS: MS-ESS2.C, MS-ESS2.D, MS-ESS1.B, MS-ESS1.A, MS-ETS1-1, HS-ESS1-4, HS-ESS2-2, HS-ESS2-5, HS-ETS1-1
  • VA SOL: Science 4.6, 4.7, 4.9, 6.2, 6.3, 6.5, 6.6, 6.8, ES.3, ES.7, ES.11, ES.12, PH.4. PH.5

Content Guide

Explore the climate and geology of Mars, along with the challenges of robotic exploration in space.  

Hands-On Activity

Participate in Marsbound and Explore Mars with Scratch hands-on activities.

*Can be done in the classroom or at home 

Artifact Immersion

Explore spacecraft in the Museum's collection that show the evolution of the technology we have used to explore Mars. Discover how design adapts to each mission's objectives.

Anytime Expeditions are made possible by the generous support of Barron Hilton and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the Hillside Foundation - Allan and Shelley Holt.