How Far Away Is Space?
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by: NASA|Published on: February 10, 2026
Activity - ClassroomScientist Reviewed
34567
Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This math activity from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory gives students structured practice using scale to model how high our atmosphere goes before it transitions to space, using everyday measurements.
- Students use scaled conversions to represent distances to space-related reference points, with an optional Los Angeles area map provided to support the activity.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics
Authors: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Region: Global, California
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Being able to use a map of their own city or state can help students feel more connected to the activity.
- The coins act as an excellent hands-on, three-dimensional representation of the distance to space.
Prerequisites
- Students should know how to measure in millimeters and should be able to figure out the scale of a map using the scale map feature.
- Teachers will need to print maps and have coins, washers, or something similar to use.
Differentiation & Implementation
- After students complete this activity, teachers can transition to a lesson discussing what makes up Earth’s atmosphere and how the atmosphere works to create the greenhouse effect. This video can help teachers make connections.
- This math activity can be used as a basis of understanding scale when introducing lessons on greenhouse gases, the effect of human acitivites on the Earth, or air pollution.
- Teachers may want to reference a familiar trail or location to spark their understanding of how far a mile or kilometer is.
- For another activity with maps and measurement, teachers can check out this one, where students will measure burn scars in California.
This activity helps students visualize and conceptualize how far away space, and different objects in it, are from the earth's surface. This is helpful because it can be hard to understand what the large distances really mean. A common add on to this activity is to also calculate and visualize how far each planet is from the earth or sun. The information presented is accurate and this resource is recommended for teaching
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
