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Title
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Cooling Off
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Type
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Primary: Laboratory
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Operation
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Infinite Potential
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Mission:
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Mission 5: Energy Security
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Print Page
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95
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Subjects
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Physical science | Heat | Science as inquiry | Science process skills | Modeling | Science
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Grades
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5 | 6 | 7 | 8
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Keywords
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exterior, temperature, spacecraft, degrees, sun, internal, Constance Adams, fluid, design, absorb, transport, release, thermal energy, exchange, heat, conserve, energy, resource, heat, cool, space
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Duration
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01:30:00 (HH:MM:SS)
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Audience
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Teachers | Elementary Grades | Junior High
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Created On
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4/22/2009
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Copyright
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Photo: NASA
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From: Infinite Potential Mission 5: Energy Security (pp: 95) |
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Cooling Off In this activity, you will explore natural heating by the sun and investigate how a fluid-cooled system works. |
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Depending on which side is facing the sun, the exterior temperature of a spacecraft can vary by hundreds of degrees. This can affect the interior temperature of the spacecraft as well. Constance Adams uses her knowledge of energy transfer and transformation to help her design ways to best regulate the internal temperature and maintain livable conditions. To maintain a life-supporting temperature, Constance considers a design that uses fluid to absorb, transport, and release thermal energy. If she can use a natural exchange of thermal energy, she can conserve energy resources which would have been spent on heating and cooling the craft’s interior. In this activity, you will explore natural heating by the sun and investigate how a fluidcooled system works.
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| Materials |
| | - insulated container (such as a cooler)
- ice water
- plastic wrap
- plastic tubing
- 2 thermometers
- box
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| Lab Prep |
- Obtain the prepared box from your instructor. Insert tubing through the box, so that it extends from both holes. Use duct tape to seal around the area where the tubing enters and leaves the box.
- Place a thermometer in the box. Stretch plastic wrap over the box top, forming an air-tight enclosure. Secure the plastic to the outside box sides with duct tape.
- Fill the insulated container with ice water.
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| Make Observations |
- Take all materials outdoors. Measure the initial temperature inside the box as soon as you expose the box to sunlight.
- Monitor and record the temperature inside the box every five minutes until the temperature stops changing. Once the temperature stops changing, use the second thermometer to measure the temperature of the ice water solution.
- Fill the squeeze bottle with ice water. Make a prediction regarding how filling the plastic tubing with this ice water will affect the temperature inside the box.
- Upon your instructor’s signal, inject this ice water into the tube, stopping when water flows out the other side of the tubing. With the ice water in the tube, carefully observe and record the temperature inside the box at one-minute intervals. Stop recording the temperature in the box when the temperature starts to climb.
- Remove the water from the tube and collect it in the bowl. Measure the volume of this water and record its temperature.
- What variables can be changed to improve the efficiency of this setup? Discuss your ideas with your instructor, and then proceed with your investigation.
 | Journal Question
How might the concepts observed in this lab be applied to space heating and cooling? | |
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