Suggested Procedure

Background Activities - Objects in orbit around Earth are moving at tremendous velocities. Understanding motion and learning to recognize the difference between steady motion and accelerated motion based upon observation and measurements are essential for space travel.

Training Activities - Positioning the shuttle close to the ISS while orbiting the Earth at over 14,000 kilometers per hour can be pretty tricky. These training activities will give you a chance to learn how and why objects orbit the Earth. Make sure to check out the web-based orbital simulator during your training.

Docking Activities - Successfully docking the Shuttle with the ISS will require you to design a series of procedures to (1) successfully rendezvous the Shuttle with the ISS in the shortest time and with the fewest orbital rotations and (2) communicate instructions about position, direction of motion, and sequence of directed steps in order to successfully dock the shuttle to the ISS. Keep in mind what you learned during the Background and Training activities.