"When I orbited the Earth in a spaceship, I saw for the first time how beautiful our planet is. Mankind, let us preserve and increase this beauty, and not destroy it!"
- Yuri Gagarin, Russian Cosmonaut
This is a factual rather than a sci-fi based session. Hope you like it.
Begin by asking, who likes to look at the night sky?
Who follows news stories about space travel?
What memories stand out about spacecraft & spacemen?
Idioms
Complete these well known phrases together ...
Space, the final FRONTIER
Out of this WORLD
Reach for the STARS
Living on another PLANET
Stars in your EYES
Star crossed LOVERS
Make hay while the sun SHINES
Little ray of SUNSHINE
Once in a blue MOON
Many moons AGO
It's not rocket SCIENCE
Everything under the SUN
A waste of SPACE
Blast OFF
Reach for the STARS
Come back down to EARTH
We have lift OFF
Can you name the rhyme from the first picture?
You could say this rhyme together ...
Round 1. The Sun & Moon
 | How old is the sun?: a. 45 million years b. 450 million years c. 4.5 billion years (Humans or Homo Sapiens are 200,000 years old.) |
 | Where does the sun rise (in terms of a compass) & set? |
 | Which vitamin does the sun give us? How else does it help us? |
 | What is an 'equinox'? |
 | What is a 'solstice'? |
 | When do our clocks 'spring forward' & 'fall back' an hour? |
 | What are the four phases of the moon? |
 | When was the last total solar eclipse in the UK? When is the next?: a. 2030 b. 2060 c. 2090 |
 | What is a lunar eclipse? |
 | Which is highest, a spring or neap tide? |
 | Which horror character is associated with the full moon? |
Song break. 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart', Bonnie Tyler - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcOxhH8N3Bo
Round 2. The Planets & People
Name the nine planets in our solar system (one is now defined as a 'micro-planet')?
Who composed 'The Planets Suite' in 1916?
Name this 'Sky At Night' TV presenter?
Name this physicist who further developed quantum theory about black holes?
Who is this 'unofficial face of space' in the UK & which pop band did he front?
What is this place in London called, where you can go to see various aspects of space?
Name this astronaut & what is he famous for?
Round 3. The Night Sky
 | Complete this well known phrase ... "Red sky at night ..."? (Is there any truth in it?) |
 | What are these called & what is their proper name? |
 | Name this constellation & what is its proper name? |
 | What's the art or science (?) of reading the stars called? Name the twelve signs of the zodiac? |
 |  |
Name him? | Name her? |
 | Name this comet & have a guess at when it will next visit earth? a. 2031 b. 2041 c. 2061 |
 | What creatures are thought to have been wiped out by the Chicxulub comet which impacted in Mexico? |
 | What do the initials 'U.F.O.' stand for? |
 | Where is 'Area 51'? (Do you believe in aliens?) |
Song break. 'Northern Lights', Renaissance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rarW1JycOE
Round 4. Space Travel
 | What does the acronym 'N.A.S.A.' stand for? |
 | What was the name of the first satellite launched into space by Russia in 1957? |
 | What was the name of the dog launched into space by Russia in 1957? |
 | What was the name of the first (Russian) man to journey in outer space (12th April 1961)? |
 | Where are rockets launched from in the USA? |
 | Which mission was the first to successfully land on the moon on 20th July 1969 & name the astronauts? Here is a clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOcDftgR5UQ |
 | Which mission nearly ended in disaster in April 1970? |
 | What was the name of the reusable spacecraft that launched into outer space from 1981-2011? Can anyone remember any of the five names? |
 | Name this spacecraft that orbits the earth at 17,500 miles an hour & how many crew are on board? |
 | Which company sponsored Felix Baumgartner's fall from space on 14th October 2012? (The jump itself was just 09m 03slong, from a height of 36.529m or 13.5 miles.) |
 | Which American billionaire has launched a 'STARLINK' satellite train into space (for worldwide access to the internet)? (Has anyone seen it?) |
 | Which British billionaire has developed the 'Virgin Galactic' programme, which will allow civilians to travel in space? (Who fancies taking a ride into space?) |
Song break (ask members to choose) ...
'Space Oddity', David Bowie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYYRH4apXDo
'Rocket Man', Elton John - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtVBCG6ThDk
'Star Man', David Bowie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOKWF3IHu0I
Round 5. Music Round
You could play this as a 'Name That Tune' round ...
Name these sun & moon songs ...
- Frank Sinatra
- The Marcels
- The Animals
- The Beatles
- The Fifth Dimension
- Katrina & The Waves
- The Police
- Neil Young
- Mike Oldfield
& name the albums ...
- Pink Floyd
- David Bowie
- Wings
Here is your playlist ...
Round 6. Refreshments
What was the advertising slogan for 'Mars Bars'?
What did 'Starburst' used to be called?
Who 'stars' in the new 'Galaxy' advert? Here it is (line it up) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYWv1oD3dv8
What was the advertising slogan for 'Milky Way'?
Singalong
Singalong. 'Vincent', Don McLean (lyric video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxHnRfhDmrk
Round 1
The sun is 4.5 billion years old
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west
The sun provides us with vitamin D. It also gives us and the planet life
An equinox is a day with equal day and night (vernal equinox is the start of spring, usually 21st March & autumnal equinox, usually 21st December, is the start of winter)
A solstice is the shortest day (in the winter, usually 21st December) and longest day (in the summer, usually 21st June)
The clocks spring forward an hour (British Summer Time) on last Sunday in March & fall back an hour (Daylight Saving or Greenwich Meantime) on last Sunday in October
The four main phases of the moon are new - waxing - full - waning
The last total eclipse of the sun in the UK was 11 mins past 11am on 11th August 1999. The next is 2090
A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun casts earth's shadow onto a full moon (the next total lunar eclipse will occur on 7th September 2025)
Spring tides (springing forward) are highest high tides which occur twice a month. Neap tides are lowest high tides
'An American WEREWOLF In London', 1981
Round 2
Name the nine planets in our solar system (one is now defined as a 'micro-planet')?
MERCURY, VENUS, EARTH, MARS, JUPITER, SATURN, URANUS, NEPTUNE, PLUTO
Who composed 'The Planets Suite' in 1916?
GUSTAV HOLST
Name this 'Sky At Night' TV presenter?
SIR PATRICK MOORE
Name this physicist who further developed quantum theory about black holes?
STEPHEN HAWKING
Who is this 'unofficial face of space' in the UK & which pop band did he front?
PROF BRIAN COX / 'D.REAM'
What is this place in London called, where you can go to see various aspects of space?
THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY 'PLANETARIUM'
Name this astronaut & what is he famous for?
TIM PEAKE WAS THE FIRST BRITISH ASTRONAUT TO ENTER THE 'INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION' & THE FIRST TO WALK IN SPACE IN 2016
Round 3
"Red sky at night, shepherd's delight; Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning"
Northern Lights / Aurora Borealis
Astrology / Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces
Russell Grant & Mystic Meg
Dinosaurs
Unidentified Flying Object
Nevada
Round 4
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
'Sputnik'
Laika
Uri Gagarin
'Cape Canaveral' in Florida
'Apollo 11' / Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin & Neil Armstrong
'Apollo 13' (also a 1995 movie starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon & Bill Paxton)
'The Space Shuttle' - 'Enterprise' (never entered outer space & was a test craft), 'Columbia', 'Challenger' (exploded on take off 28th January 1986), 'Discovery', 'Atlantis' & 'Endeavour' (making a total of 135 missions & retired in 2011)
'International Space Station' / 7 crew & more on changeover
'Red Bull Stratos'
Elon Musk (he also owns 'Tesla' & 'Twitter')
Sir Richard Branson (he also runs planes & trains)
Round 5
- Frank Sinatra - 'Fly Me To The Moon'
- The Marcels - 'Blue Moon'
- The Animals - 'House Of The Rising Sun'
- The Beatles - 'Here Comes The Sun'
- The Fifth Dimension - 'Let The Sunshine In'
- Katrina & The Waves - 'Walking On Sunshine'
- The Police - 'Walking On The Moon'
- Neil Young - 'Harvest Moon'
- Mike Oldfield - 'Moonlight Shadow'
- Pink Floyd - 'Dark Side Of The Moon'
- David Bowie - 'The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars'
- Wings - 'Venus And Mars'
Round 6
What was the advertising slogan for 'Mars Bars'? "A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play."
What did 'Starburst' used to be called? 'Opal Fruits'
Who 'stars' in the new 'Galaxy' advert? Here it is (line it up) - Audrey Hepburn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYWv1oD3dv8
What was the advertising slogan for 'Milky Way'? "The sweet you can eat between meals."
