Grade by Grade
E. Earth and Space Systems · Space

Technology for Exploring Space

E2.6 A2.2 A3.1 A3.3 A1.3About 50 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can identify technologies used to explore space, such as telescopes, satellites, rockets, rovers, robotic arms and spacesuits.
  • I can describe how new technologies have changed what we know about space.
  • I can describe Canada's contributions to space exploration.
  • I can name jobs, including skilled trades, that help explore space.

Words to know

telescope
A tool that gathers light (or other signals) to make faraway objects look brighter and clearer.
artificial satellite
A machine people put into orbit around Earth or another body.
rocket
A vehicle that pushes hot gas out the back very fast so it moves forward, strong enough to escape Earth's pull.
probe
A robotic spacecraft sent to explore another part of the solar system.
rover
A robotic vehicle that drives across the surface of another world.
infrared
A kind of light our eyes can't see, given off by warm objects. Some telescopes see infrared.

How do we know all this?

No person has ever visited Jupiter. Nobody has touched a comet. So how do we know what Jupiter's clouds are made of, or that Saturn has 274 known moons (NASA's 2025 count)? Technology! Each new invention has let us see farther, travel farther, and learn more.

A white observatory dome on a grassy hill at dusk, open to show a telescope inside.
The dome opens and turns so the telescope inside can point at any part of the sky. Telescopes let us see far beyond what our eyes can. AI-generated image
TechnologyWhat it doesWhat it helped us learn
Telescopes on Earthgather much more light than our eyesIn 1610, Galileo used an early telescope to discover four moons orbiting Jupiter. This showed that not everything orbits Earth.
Space telescopesobserve from above Earth's air, which blurs and blocks some lightthe Hubble Space Telescope (1990) and the James Webb Space Telescope (2021) have shown distant galaxies and the birth of stars
Artificial satellitesorbit Earth to study it, send signals and take measurementsweather, Earth's changing climate, and the upper atmosphere
Rocketscarry satellites, probes and people into spacemade all space travel possible
Probes and roverstravel to other worlds and send back pictures and datawhat Mars rocks are like, and close-up views of every planet
Space stationsplaces where astronauts live and do experiments for monthshow the human body changes in space
Robotic armsgrab, move and fix things in spacemade it possible to build the International Space Station
Spacesuitsgive astronauts air, pressure and protection outside a spacecraftlet people walk on the Moon and work outside the space station
Technologies for exploring space.

Canada in space

Canada is famous for space robotics and has made many important contributions.

  • 1962: Alouette 1 is launched on September 29. Canada becomes the third nation, after the Soviet Union and the United States, to design and build its own satellite. It studied the upper atmosphere.
  • 1981: the Canadarm, a 15-metre robotic arm, is first used in space on November 13, on the space shuttle Columbia. It flew 90 times before it retired in 2011.
  • 1984: Marc Garneau becomes the first Canadian astronaut in space (October 5 to 13).
  • 1992: Roberta Bondar becomes the first Canadian woman in space and the world's first neurologist (brain doctor) in space (January 22 to 30).
  • 2001: Canadarm2, 17 metres long, is launched to the International Space Station. On the same mission, Chris Hadfield becomes the first Canadian to walk in space.
  • 2008: Dextre, a two-armed Canadian robot "handyman", is added to the space station.
  • 2013: Chris Hadfield becomes the first Canadian to command a spaceship, the International Space Station.
  • 2021: the James Webb Space Telescope launches on December 25, carrying two Canadian parts: the Fine Guidance Sensor, which helps it point precisely, and a science instrument called NIRISS.
  • 2026: Jeremy Hansen flies on Artemis II (April 1 to 10) and becomes the first Canadian to travel to the Moon. The crew flew around the Moon and back. Canada became only the second country to send an astronaut on a lunar mission.
Some Canadian firsts in space1962Alouette 1satellite1981Canadarmin space1984MarcGarneau1992RobertaBondar2001Canadarm2;Hadfield walks2008Dextrerobot2013Hadfieldcommands ISS2021Webbtelescope2026Hansento the Moonnot to scale: the dots are evenly spaced
Canada's space story from the list above, in order. Notice how many firsts are about robotics (Canadarm, Canadarm2, Dextre).

Coding and new technologies (A2.2)

Much of space exploration runs on code.

  • Radio signals take minutes to travel between Earth and Mars, so a Mars rover cannot be driven like a remote-control car. Engineers write code so the rover can do some tasks on its own, like checking for rocks in its path.
  • Satellites run code to point their cameras and send data to Earth.
  • Scientists use computers and code to sort through millions of telescope images. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence can help find patterns in all that data.

These same kinds of technology are used here on Earth too: in GPS on phones, in weather forecasts and in robots in factories and hospitals.

EarthMarsradio signal: about 3 to 22 minutes ONE way(it depends on where Earth and Mars are in their orbits)“Stop! A rock!”Too slow to steer live!The rover's own codespots rocks by itself.
A message to Mars takes minutes to arrive, so nobody can steer a rover "live" like a remote-control car. That is why rovers run code that lets them avoid rocks on their own.

Who works in space exploration? (A3.1)

It takes thousands of people to launch one mission. Not all of them are astronauts!

  • Engineers design rockets, robots and satellites.
  • Skilled trades build and test them: machinists make precise metal parts, welders join metal, electricians and electronics technicians wire the systems, and millwrights install and maintain machines.
  • Computer programmers write the code.
  • Scientists plan experiments and study the data.
  • Doctors keep astronauts healthy.
  • Technicians and mission controllers watch over the mission from the ground.
Worked example

Let's connect a technology to a discovery

Explain how the telescope changed what people understood about space.

  1. Before: people could only use their eyes. Many believed everything in the sky moved around Earth.
  2. The technology: in 1610, Galileo pointed an early telescope at Jupiter.
  3. What it showed: four small points of light that moved around Jupiter from night to night. They were moons orbiting Jupiter.
  4. Why it mattered: this proved that some objects orbit something other than Earth, which supported the idea that Earth and the planets orbit the Sun.
  5. Since then: bigger telescopes, and telescopes in space like Hubble and Webb, have let us see much fainter and more distant objects.

The telescope let people see things too faint or small for their eyes, like Jupiter's moons, and this changed our idea of Earth's place in the solar system.

Just for fun

Why did Dextre, the space station's robot handyman, never lose its tools?

It kept everything within arm's reach. (Lucky for Dextre, it has two arms!)

Hands-on activity

Design and build a robotic grabber arm

You need: 4 to 6 strips of stiff cardboard (about 3 cm × 25 cm), paper fasteners (split pins) or brass brads, a clothespin, string, tape, a sharpened pencil for poking holes, and a grown-up helper.

  1. The problem (A1.3): astronauts need a tool that can reach and grab objects without going outside. Design an arm that can pick up a scrunched-up paper ball from 30 cm away.
  2. Join cardboard strips with paper fasteners to make joints like a shoulder and elbow. (Ask a grown-up to poke the holes.)
  3. Tape a clothespin at the end as the "hand". Tie string to it so you can squeeze it from the other end, or use your fingers on a long lever.
  4. Test: can it pick up the paper ball? A small plastic cup? Count successful grabs out of 5 tries.
  5. Improve: change one thing (add a joint, make the hand wider, add tape for grip) and test again.
  6. Think like Canadarm's team: what skilled trades would be needed to build the real version?

What to look for: a working design can bend at its joints and grip without dropping the object. Improvements should be tested fairly, with the same objects and the same number of tries. Real robotic arms are built by engineers, machinists, electricians and technicians working together.

Safety: paper fastener points and the pencil tip are sharp; let a grown-up make the holes. Keep small parts away from young children.

Your turn

1

Name four technologies used to explore space.

2

What did Galileo discover with his telescope in 1610?

3

What was Alouette 1, and why is it important?

4

Who was the first Canadian in space?

5

What is the Canadarm, and when was it first used?

6

Why do Mars rovers need code to do some tasks on their own?

7

Name two skilled trades that help build spacecraft.

More practice: warm-up

1

Who was the first Canadian woman in space?

2

What is a rover?

3

Who was the first Canadian to walk in space?

4

What is Dextre?

5

Which Canadian astronaut flew on Artemis II in 2026?

More practice: on your own

1

Why do scientists put some telescopes in space instead of on the ground?

2

How did the Canadarm and Canadarm2 help build the International Space Station?

3

Put in order: Garneau's first flight, Alouette 1, Hansen's Moon flight, Canadarm's first use.

4

Name one way space technology helps you in daily life.

5

What did Canada contribute to the James Webb Space Telescope?

Challenge

1

Choose one technology and explain how an improvement to it changed our understanding of space.

2

Why do you think Canada became known for space robotics? Use evidence from the timeline.

3

An engineer designs a new rover wheel. Describe how at least three different jobs would be needed to turn the design into a working wheel on Mars.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

What did Galileo see with his telescope in 1610?

2.

Alouette 1 (1962) made Canada...

3.

The Canadarm is...

4.

Who was the first Canadian astronaut in space?

5.

Why are some telescopes placed in space?

6.

In 2026, Jeremy Hansen became the first Canadian to...

7.

Which is a skilled trade that helps build spacecraft?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (E2.6): identify technologies used in space exploration and describe how innovations have improved our understanding of space. The lesson also covers impacts of coding and emerging technologies (A2.2), occupations including skilled trades (A3.1), and contributions from Canadian scientists, engineers and astronauts (A3.3). The grabber arm practises the engineering design process (A1.3).

How to help: the Canadian Space Agency website (asc-csa.gc.ca) has photos, videos and astronaut biographies. Talk about the many jobs behind one launch, including the skilled trades.

Common difficulties:

  • Thinking only astronauts work in space exploration. Most of the work happens on the ground.
  • Mixing up natural and artificial satellites. The Moon is natural; Alouette 1 is artificial.

Safety: supervise poking holes in cardboard.

Sources for dates: Canadian Space Agency (Alouette 1, Garneau, Bondar, Hadfield, James Webb Space Telescope, Artemis II launch news release of April 1, 2026); The Canadian Encyclopedia (Canadarm, Canadarm2, Dextre); Global News (Artemis II splashdown, April 10, 2026); NASA (Galileo, 1610; Saturn's moons, 2025 count).