Where students
reach for the stars.

Space35 brings astronomy, NASA history, space stations, and beyond into a structured, interactive curriculum built for every grade level.

Learn more

K–12 All grade levels

5+ Core subjects

100% Standards aligned

Curriculum updated for 2025–2026

What is Space35

Space science education, built for students and classrooms.

Space35 is an interactive learning platform designed for K–12 students. Through reading-based lessons, quick-check activities, and guided explorations, students develop a real understanding of our universe — from how the ISS works to why solar panels power deep-space missions.

Teachers get simple class management, progress tracking, and access to a growing library of standards-aligned content. No astronomy background required.

Grades K–2 Grades 3–5 Grades 6–8 Grades 9–12

What You'll Learn

Five core subject areas.
One focused platform.

Each subject unfolds across grade-appropriate lessons, from foundational concepts to advanced analysis.

Astronomy

The solar system, galaxies, black holes, stellar lifecycles, and how astronomers observe the universe.

K–5 6–8 9–12

NASA & Space History

Apollo missions, the Space Race, Mars rovers, the Hubble telescope, and today's Artemis program.

3–5 6–8 9–12

Space Stations

How the ISS works, why humans live in orbit, and what microgravity teaches us about science and medicine.

K–5 6–8 9–12

Solar Energy in Space

Why spacecraft rely on solar panels, how photovoltaic cells work, and the future of space-based power.

3–5 6–8 9–12

Deep Space Exploration

Voyager, James Webb, exoplanet discovery, and what we know — and don't know — about the edge of the cosmos.

6–8 9–12

How It Works

Simple for teachers.
Engaging for students.

Teacher creates a class

Set up a class in minutes. Choose your grade level, subject focus, and any pacing preferences. A class code is generated automatically.

Students join with a code

Students enter the class code on any device — no app download, no personal accounts. They're in within seconds.

Learn, read, and check understanding

Lessons include structured reading, interactive check-ins, and quick activities. Students move at a guided pace with feedback built in.

Join Your Class

Have a class code?

Your teacher will share a unique code with you. Enter it below to jump into your assigned lesson and start learning.

Class Code

Your teacher will give you the code before class begins.

Page 1 of 5

Chapter 1 · Introduction

What Is a Space Station?

Look up on a clear night and you might spot a bright, fast-moving dot crossing the sky. That's the International Space Station (ISS) — a laboratory the size of a football field, orbiting Earth at roughly 28,000 kilometers per hour, about 400 kilometers above your head.

A space station is a spacecraft large enough for humans to live and work aboard for extended periods. Unlike a rocket that blasts off and returns quickly, a station stays in orbit continuously. Crew members typically spend six months at a time living there, conducting experiments, monitoring Earth, and testing the technologies that will one day take us to Mars.

Fast fact: On a clear night, the ISS is often the brightest object in the sky after the Moon and Venus. You can see it with your naked eye — no telescope needed.

The ISS has been continuously inhabited since November 2, 2000, making it humanity's longest-running presence in space. It was built piece by piece over more than a decade, assembled by astronauts performing hundreds of spacewalks.

Chapter 2 · Science

Why Do Scientists Need Space?

Earth's gravity is powerful. Almost every experiment we do here is influenced by it — liquids settle, flames rise, and crystals grow in predictable ways. In space, microgravity changes all of that.

Microgravity doesn't mean there's no gravity — it means that everything in the station is in a continuous state of free-fall around Earth. The result is an environment where objects float, fluids form perfect spheres, and processes that are impossible to study on the ground become observable.

300+science experiments per year

100+countries collaborating

25 yrsof continuous research

Researchers use the ISS to study how muscles and bones weaken without gravity — findings that help doctors treat osteoporosis and muscle-wasting diseases on Earth. They grow protein crystals in space that can't form properly under gravity, helping design better medicines.

Real-world impact: Cancer research on the ISS has led to new drug delivery methods now used in hospitals on Earth. Space science helps people who never leave the ground.

Chapter 3 · Technology

How the ISS Stays Powered

A spacecraft 400 kilometers above Earth has no power lines. So how does the ISS run its computers, life-support systems, science labs, and communications equipment around the clock?

The answer is solar panels. The ISS has eight massive solar array wings, each stretching about 73 meters from tip to tip. Together they cover roughly the area of half a hectare and generate up to 120 kilowatts of electricity — enough to power about 40 average American homes.

The ISS orbits Earth once every 90 minutes, meaning it alternates between sunlight and the dark shadow of Earth throughout the day. When it's in sunlight, the solar panels generate power and also charge large nickel-hydrogen batteries. When the station passes into shadow, the batteries take over, ensuring continuous power without interruption.

Engineering insight: The solar arrays are angled by rotating joints throughout each orbit to track the Sun, maximizing energy collection — similar to how a sunflower rotates to face the light.

This solar-plus-battery system is a direct blueprint for how future deep-space habitats and spacecraft will be powered — making the ISS a working prototype for missions to the Moon and Mars.

Chapter 4 · Purpose

Why Space Organizations Need Stations

For agencies like NASA, ESA, JAXA, and Roscosmos, a space station is not just a prestige project — it's a strategic tool that makes deeper space exploration possible.

Before you can send humans to Mars (a 7-month journey each way), you need to understand exactly what six months in space does to the human body. The ISS gives researchers a controlled environment to study that — monitoring crew health, testing countermeasures like exercise equipment and nutrition protocols, and developing medical procedures that work without Earth's hospitals nearby.

Space stations also serve as technology testbeds. Water recycling, air purification, 3D printing in microgravity, closed-loop food systems — all of these have been trialed on the ISS. What works there gets refined into the systems that will support the Gateway lunar station and, eventually, a habitat on Mars.

16nations built the ISS

$150Btotal investment

270+crew members to date

Beyond exploration prep, stations let agencies maintain a continuous human presence in space — which is politically, scientifically, and strategically important. Being in orbit means being able to monitor Earth's climate, weather, and surface in real time, contributing data that benefits everyone on the planet.

Chapter 5 · Check for Understanding

Let's see what you remember.

Answer the question below. You can only select one answer.

Why are space stations important for long-duration missions like a trip to Mars?

Lesson complete!

You finished Space Stations — Why We Live in Orbit. Great work making it through all five sections.

Score: — / 1

In a real Space35 class, your progress would be saved and your teacher could see how you did.

Where studentsreach for the stars.

Space science education, built for students and classrooms.

Five core subject areas.One focused platform.

Astronomy

NASA & Space History

Space Stations

Solar Energy in Space

Deep Space Exploration

See Space35 in action.

Simple for teachers.Engaging for students.

Teacher creates a class

Students join with a code

Learn, read, and check understanding

Have a class code?

What Is a Space Station?

Why Do Scientists Need Space?

How the ISS Stays Powered

Why Space Organizations Need Stations

Let's see what you remember.

Lesson complete!

Where students
reach for the stars.

Five core subject areas.
One focused platform.

Simple for teachers.
Engaging for students.