Space Science

Space science is the study of everything beyond Earth, from the Sun and the planets to the rocks that crash-land here from space. It also covers how we explore it: how spacecraft travel, how astronauts get home in one piece and whether life might exist elsewhere. A hands-on session swaps the textbook for real meteorites, experiments and a very special telescope.

A meteorite is a lump of rock or metal from space that survived the fiery trip through our atmosphere and landed on Earth. Out in space it's a meteoroid. The streak of light it makes on the way down is a meteor, better known as a shooting star. Most meteorites are stony, while others are mostly iron and nickel or a mix of the two. Many are older than any rock found on Earth, which really puts your age into perspective.

Coming home from space, a capsule is travelling so fast that it squashes the air in front of it, and squashed air gets seriously hot, hot enough to glow. The heat shield takes the hit. Some are designed to char and slowly wear away, carrying the heat with them, while the crew inside stays safe. Think of it as the world's most important oven glove.

Bigger than you think, and definitely bigger than the posters suggest. Try this: unroll a roll of toilet paper and let each sheet stand for a set distance. Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars huddle close to the Sun in the first few sheets. Then the gaps get silly, and the outer planets end up way off across the field. It's the cheapest scale model in the universe.

Nobody knows yet, but scientists are looking. Rovers on Mars test soil and rock samples for signs that life once existed there. Every living thing on Earth carries DNA, the instructions for building and running it, and you can draw DNA out of a sample with everyday ingredients until you see the strands for yourself. Mildly thrilling, slightly gross, totally worth it.

Perfect. No physics degree required, just curiosity and a willingness to ask the questions you've always wondered about. It's a brilliant session to do with friends, because you'll be quoting space facts at each other for the rest of the weekend.

You might also like Astronomy, Solar Light Science and Forensic Investigation.

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