The Earth seen from Space - What Astronauts and Satellites Teach us about our Home

In this guided tour, your pupils are shown around the exhibition To Space and Back. Through the tour, we explore why we send both satellites and astronauts into space, and how this helps us better understand Earth.

We begin by asking the question: Why do we engage in space travel? Here, we set the stage and show how space research is not only about traveling away from Earth, but also about looking back and gaining insights into climate, natural phenomena, and our own planet.

Students then encounter different types of satellites – from small cubesats built by Danish companies to the many thousands of satellites orbiting Earth. We examine what satellites can actually observe and how they are used for everything from weather forecasts and GPS to understanding climate change.

Along the way, we also look at the role of astronauts. Although much of space research is carried out by machines, astronauts remain important as scientists and technicians in space. Using examples from Andreas Mogensen’s missions, we see how human presence in space provides unique data and technological breakthroughs.

Finally, we connect it all to the students’ everyday lives through examples of so-called spin-off technologies – inventions originally developed for space travel that are now used on Earth, such as memory foam, golf balls, and cordless tools.

The tour encourages reflection and dialogue and is tailored for middle school students. Students gain an understanding of how space travel is not just about adventure in space, but largely about creating knowledge, technology, and solutions that are vital for life on Earth.

The tour is combined with a film of your choice in the Planetarium Dome.