EDUCATION USE OF SATELLITES

The Spacelink education payloads will be the first payloads solely designed for, and dedicated to, education. They will be carried on satellites operating in low-earth orbit and be capable of being manipulated and operated under instruction from schools via the Spacelink Operation Support Centre.

Until the launch of Spacelink education payloads, the Learning Service will exploit opportunities to use existing satellites to enhance school learning activities.

SPACELINK EDUCATION PAYLOADS IN SPACE

The purpose of having the payload remotely in space is to conduct experiments relating to education curricula. This will enable schools to utilise learning resources based on the reception of real-time data.

By bringing students and teachers into direct contact with some of the realities of our world and space, the opportunities within schools to perform experimental and investigative science will be substantially enhanced. The education payloads will also deliver tailored data streams which can be archived and provide a source of space artifacts for use in developing new learning resources.

Education payloads will either be carried in space on a dedicated education satellite or ‘hosted’ on other Earth-orbiting satellites. Both methods will be examined in the Spacelink programme.

SCHOOL USE OF SATELLITES

To participate in activities which involve direct interaction with Spacelink payloads on a ‘host’ satellite or a dedicated satellite, schools will need PCs and a purpose-designed receiving kit (requiring a one-off investment in the region of £500). Their students will be able to perform live, hands-on classroom, laboratory and field work involving the satellite as it passes overhead.

Some schools may wish to acquire additional equipment to extend the range of such activities, whilst schools without their own aerial and receiver will be able to participate indirectly through their web access and the Spacelink Operations Service Centre. Most satellite activities will be carried out in conjunction with the relevant Spacelink learning resource, and support to teachers for their use of the satellite will come from the Operations Centre via the web.

Accessing the satellite payloads via their school receiver equipment and/or other Spacelink facilities, pupils will have many opportunities to:

• Observe satellites moving in their orbit
  
  
• Make use of the radio and data signals received in various novel experiments
  
  
• Learn and demonstrate IT skills
  
  
• Make use of the equipment and cameras carried on board for experiments, space and Earth observations, plus a range of other activities
  
  
• Monitor the performance of certain systems within the satellite having educational value – e.g. the systems providing electrical power from sunlight, those using gravitational and magnetic forces for satellite orientation, or those providing communications and data processing.
  
  

POTENTIAL FOR A DEDICATED SATELLITE

Studies have shown the technical feasibility of establishing a dedicated education satellite, which would substantially extend the range of activities compared with having only a limited payload on a shared satellite.

Consideration of this option will be a key element of the later enhacement stages, after the Service is fully operational. If pursued, the satellite used would be of a well proven design, quite small (55-60Kgs), and travelling round the Earth at 1,200-1,300 Km altitude. It and future replacements could provide a very reliable, direct, additional range of services for schools through its radio signals, equipment and specially tailored data streams. Some of its equipment could be remotely reconfigurable to meet teachers' requirements and able to respond to students' uploaded computer programmes and up-link transmissions.

DIRECT USE OF EXISTING SATELLITES

It has always been foreseen that some schools may wish to supplement their use of Spacelink's educational services by using other satellites. For example teachers may wish to encourage students to directly collect data from low-altitude meteorological satellites to foster an interest in weather patterns, or to track amateur satellites as part of hobby activities.

Within certain technical and cost limits, provision for such activities will be included in the design of bespoke Spacelink receiving equipment and software, allowing interested schools to access Spacelink payloads and a range of other satellites, without having to purchase extra equipment.

EDUCATION AND SATELLITES - THE BENEFITS

The particular benefits to schools through having access to dedicated education payloads and live satellites will include:

• Helping teachers in achieving pupil motivation and challenge, and in bringing the reality of the outside world directly into the classroom
  
  
• Introducing new, cost effective classroom, laboratory, field and extra-curricular work which will aid important elements of prescribed learning
  
  
• The satellite materials accessed will best support the teaching of subjects such as science/physical processes, applications of mathematics, technology (especially ICT), geography and space.
  
  
• Ready access to archives of satellite transmissions, providing much data valuable for use in learning.
  
  

© 2005 Spacelink^TM Learning Foundation. All rights reserved.
Duplication only with the permission of the Spacelink Learning Foundation.

Last modified: 27. 12. 04