HESSI, TYPES OF WAVES, AND ROCKETRY

Teaching Kids about HESSI and Waves with RocketryBy

Ariel Nachtigal AS101HMSpring 2005

What is HESSI?

• HESSI is a High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager.

• Used to image Solar Flares in the X-Ray through Gamma Ray.

• Creates images using rotating grids that allow for certain portions of the flare to be seen at one point or another

How to Make HESSI Relevant?

• HESSI can be used to explain about different types of Waves.

• HESSI was launched by a PEGASUS IV rockets, can be used to show how model rocketry is associated with the Space program.

• Building a model PEGASUS rocket and a model of HESSI.

How To Show different Waves

Experiment 1Goals

• Using a Slinky how can we show that there are different waves?

• What other waves can been seen or heard in everyday life?

What you need.

• At least two willing students.

• One metal Slinky

• Enough room to stretch Slinky out

• Paper and Pencils to record results

The SlinkyPart 1

• Student #1 will hold the Slinky still while the Student #2 stretches it out.

• Student #2 will then “pluck” the slinky.

• Observer how the slinky moves and record what is seen.

The SlinkyPart 2

• Choose two new students to take the slinky and have them stretch it out.

• Have one of those students take the slinky and shake it vigorously.

• Observe the waves it makes and record results.

Conclusion for The Slinky

• Depending how the slinky was moved there were different types of Waves produced.

• This difference in the waves shows the different ways a wave can travel and be seen visually.

Experiment #2

Goals

• Can Sound waves be seen?

• How do we prove that there are Sound waves?

What you need.

• A Whistle.

• A Large Field.

• A bucket of water.

• A Tuning Fork

• A teacher assistant would be helpful

Sound Waves and Doppler EffectPart 1

• Have your students sit at a midpoint on the field and have them sit there (this is where you need the Assistant).

• Take the whistle and go to one end of the field.• Blow the whistle and while blowing it run past

the students.• Have then note the Change in the sound as you

pass. Also ask if they know of anything else that does this. (i.e. their own model rockets)

Sound Waves and Doppler EffectPart 2

• Now that they have heard the sound waves and how they change its time to show them.

• Take a bucket and fill it with water.

• Take tuning fork and strike it against a hard surface.

• Ask the student if they can see the sound waves.

Part 2 continued

• After they have seen the waves show them the wave.

• Again strike the tuning fork against a hard surface.

• Now place tuning fork in the water.

• Notice the result of the waves moving out and everywhere from the tuning fork

• Record Resluts

After Experiments

• Ask the students if they know of anything else that emits waves.

• You can talk about how X-rays are used to image a human being for broken bones, or how micro waves are used to heat up food.

• You can also talk about how the visible light we can see is only a small fraction of the total waves lenghts.

Rockets

• Now that Waves have been described and show to the student we can move on to how HESSI work and how we can use it.

• These experiment are planned for after the student have had a chance to launch their first rocket.

• This is because they can associate the launch to the Doppler effect experiment, because their rockets have a Doppler shift when they launch.

Pegasus IV

• PEGASUS IV is the rocket that launched HESSI into its low Earth orbit.

• Explain to the students that rockets can be used to carry payloads into space.

• Can show them how bigger model rockets can take small instruments up as well.

• You can build a paper cut out of the PEGASUS Rocket that can be found at

• http://www.orbital.com/spacelaunch/pegasus/

Showing How HESSI IMAGEThe finger Grid

• The Way HESSI uses grids to capture the solar flares are similar to how our fingers work.

• Have students take one of their hands and hold it with their finger spread out and pointing up.

• Take other hand and have them pointing to the left an d have them over lap hands

The Finger Grid

• Have them look through the space between their fingers and have them tell you what they see.

• Then have them rotate both sets of fingers and again have them tell you what they see.

• Each time they will only see a portion of what they are looking at. Just like HESSI

Showing HESSI

• If you have access to a computer lab or a classroom computer you can go to the HESSI web site and show them what HESSI looks like.

• http://hesperia.gsfc.nasa.gov/hessi

• At this web site you can see how HESSI images Solar Flares just like they imaged their fellow students with their fingers.

Showing HESSI

• To connect it to the sound waves you can hear how HESSI gets it images if you go to the Listen to HESSI link

• At this website you can download a model of HESSI that can be built by the class or each individual student depending on how much time you have

• http://hesperia.gsfc.nasa.gov/hessi/outreach.htm

Closing

• With these series of experiments you can explore what the different wave types are, as well as show the students some of them.

• You can associate the model rocket work that they are doing can be related to various space programs that are currently going on.