International Space StationInternational Space Station

In this mission, you will join the crew of the International Space Station, a research laboratory that orbits the Earth. It's the largest structure that humans have ever put into space! While aboard, you and your crew members will conduct many scientific experiments in biology, physics, astronomy, and more. You will collect huge amounts of data, including very large and very small numbers. You will need to use your knowledge of scientific notation to help analyze and communicate your findings. Grab a pencil and paper for calculations, and get ready for an out-of-this-world adventure!

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Begin Training
You arrive at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, ready to train in an International Space Station (ISS) model that sits at the bottom of a pool. The pool helps astronauts experience how it feels to be weightless while moving about and working on the ISS in space. The pool holds 22,700,000 liters of water. Express this quantity in scientific notation.
  1. 7 x 2.2710
  2. 227 + 105
  3. 2.27 x 107
  4. 7 + 2.2710
That’s not correct.
Check your calculations and try again.
That is the correct answer. Well done!
Answer: C
Hint: Remember to move the decimal point until the coefficient is greater than or equal to 1 but less than 10. Multiply that coefficient by a power of 10. The power is the number of times the decimal point moved.
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Zero-Gravity Training

Your mission in space orbiting the earth is planned to last 186 days, or 1.60704 x 107 seconds, from launch to return. During your training, you spend time in the "Weightless Wonder," a plane that gives you experience with 2.5 x 101 seconds of microgravity (often called "zero gravity," in which people and objects seem weightless and float in air).

How many times longer will you have to bear microgravity in space than during your time in the Weightless Wonder?

  1. 6.42816 x 105
  2. 4.0176 x 108
  3. 0.642816 x 106
  4. 4.10704 x 108
That’s not correct.
Check your calculations and try again.
That is the correct answer. Well done!
Answer: A
Hint:

Recall that when you divide powers of 10, you can simply subtract their exponents.

Also, remember to adjust if the coefficient is less than 1 or greater than or equal to 10.

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Gene Research
One of your mission goals is to study how microgravity influences genes. To do this, you and your team will conduct experiments with yeast cells, which measure 0.0000036 meters in diameter. Express this length in scientific notation.
  1. 3.6 x 106
  2. 36 x 10-5
  3. .36 x 107
  4. 3.6 x 10-6
That’s not correct.
Check your calculations and try again.
That is the correct answer. Well done!
Answer: D
Hint: Remember that the power of 10 for numbers less than 1 should be negative.
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Travel Distance
The International Space Station travels 2.88 x 104 kilometers per hour in its orbit around Earth. How many kilometers will you travel during your entire mission of 186 days?
  1. 5.3568 x 106
  2. 12.85632 x 107
  3. 1.285632 x 108
  4. 2.232 x 105
That’s not correct.
Check your calculations and try again.
That is the correct answer. Well done!
Answer: C
Hint: Remember to convert the number of days of your mission (186) into hours.
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Leaving the International Space Station
You are about to return to Earth, whose mass is 5.9723 x 1024 kilograms and which causes a great gravitational pull. It's time to say good-bye to the International Space Station, whose mass is about 7.03 x 10–20 times the size of Earth. This results in a much weaker gravitational pull. What is the approximate mass, in kilograms, of the International Space Station?
  1. 1.1771 x 104
  2. 4.2 x 105
  3. 1.30023 x 105
  4. 8.49545 x 103
That’s not correct.
Check your calculations and try again.
That is the correct answer. Well done!
Answer: B
Hint:

Remember that when you multiply powers of 10, you can simply add their exponents.

Also, remember to adjust if the coefficient is less than 1 or greater than or equal to 10.

Congratulations! You've Succeeded in Your Mission!