Meteors, Orbits, and Gravity | New Visions for Public Schools
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Physics Unit 4

Meteors, Orbits, and Gravity

OpenSciEd Physics Adapted by New Visions for NYSSLS

4 weeks

Unit Overview

How have collisions with objects from space changed Earth in the past, and how could they affect our future?

This unit uses the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor as a context for exploring how and why objects from space collide with Earth. Students study gravity, orbital motion, energy transfer, and Earth’s history to understand past impacts and potential future risks.

*This performance expectation is developed across multiple units.
†This performance expectation is developed across multiple courses.

Performance Expectations:

HS-PS2-4†, HS-PS3-1 (NYSSLS), HS-PS3-2†, HS-ESS1-4, †

Coming Soon

Coming Soon!

We are putting the finishing touches on this unit! Fully aligned adapted materials—crafted specifically for NYCPS and NY State standards—will be ready in late-September. Make sure you’ve registered for an account, and we’ll email you when the links are live.

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Lesson Set 1:

What causes collisions between Earth and objects in space?

Lesson 1:

Why is stuff falling from the sky?

Lesson 2:

How far does Earth’s gravity extend into space?

Lesson 3:

How does gravity cause only some objects to orbit?

Lesson 4:

Why do objects sometimes collide in space?

Lesson 5:

How do objects travel within their orbit paths?

Lesson 6:

How can force interactions in space change the orbital path of a space object?

Lesson: 7

What can we do if an orbiting object poses a significant risk for Earth?

Lesson Set 2:

How can we know if Earth is at risk for future large-scale, high-energy collisions?

Lesson 8:

What is the probability of a future or past meteor event impacting Earth?

Lesson 9:

What happened to all the meteors that reached Earth over its history?

Lesson 10:

What determines the size of the crater made on impact?

Lesson 11:

What happens to the thousands of objects the size of the Chelyabinsk meteor and smaller that enter Earth’s atmosphere every year?