How to Create a Space Station in the Classroom

A classroom space station will transport students to the stars. Using actual International Space Station components as a guide for your model will give the installation authenticity. It is impossible to incorporate every mechanical part from a complex space station, so focus on the larger sections. The final product can be a location for interactive science lessons or a space-themed play area for younger children.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard boxes
• Scissors
• Ruler
• White paint
• Paintbrushes
• Empty wrapping-paper, paper-towel and toilet-paper tubes
• Aluminum foil
• Wire
• Pliers
• Screwdriver
• Staple gun
• Glue

Instructions

Create a Plan

1. Make a list of space station components. References listing components of the ISS are published online (see Resources). Use the list as a guide for your build.

2. Use the large sections as decoration. The inside of a space station includes concave walls that you can recreate in your classroom using cardboard. A simplified version of the exterior of the ISS includes photovoltaic arrays; these are the mirrored devices that extend from each side of the station like wings.

3. Choose a select group of smaller components to set out on a table for students to handle. Smaller components inside the ISS are innumerable. Instead of modeling every bolt, build miniature versions of larger components, such as the various nodes, modules and mating adapters.

Make the Larger Components

1. Cut the corners of the boxes until the cardboard lies flat. Paint one side of each box white. Lay these aside to dry. Set aside two unpainted boxes for building the photovoltaic arrays.

2. Cover empty wrapping-paper tubes with aluminum foil by laying each tube on pieces of foil and wrapping the foil around the tube. Fold the loose ends of the foil over themselves to hold it in place, and press the foil fold flat against the tube. Use a screwdriver to poke two holes perpendicularly through the foil-covered tube. Poke a set of holes about 2 inches away from each end of the tube. Poke another set of two holes directly through the center. Cut a 24-inch piece of wire and thread it perpendicularly through one set of holes. Thread two more 24-inch pieces of wire through the other two sets of holes. Leave the ends of the wires free.

3. Cut the unpainted boxes into strips. You will need six cardboard photovoltaic arrays for each tube. Each strip should be about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide. Cover the pieces in aluminum foil. Insert the exposed wire protruding from the foil-covered tubes into a long end of each cardboard piece.

4. Build the interior of the space station. Designate one wall of your classroom as the space station. Choose a wall with a bulletin board that allows you to insert staples; you will use a staple gun to secure the cardboard to the wall. Use a selection of boxes from step 1 for the top and bottom of the station.

5. Lay the boxes flat on the ground while you insert wire pieces into the flaps. Most cardboard is constructed with two layers that allow for a small space in between. Insert the wire into this space, running parallel to the construction of the cardboard. The wire should not be visible once it is inserted. The wire will give the cardboard structural integrity without losing its flexibility.

6. Attach the bottom boxes with the white painted side facing the classroom. Use a staple gun to secure the boxes to the wall. Bend the flaps of the boxes up; this will create a curved effect. The wire will hold the flaps in place. Continue building upward. Layer the boxes as you build upward. The jagged effect of the layering will give the illusion of layered metal. Attach the top boxes with wire inserted in the flaps. Bend the top flaps down. The completed effect is one-half of the concave interior of a space station. Touch up any exposed cardboard with the white paint.

7. Attach the photovoltaic arrays to either side of the station with your staple gun. Staple into the edges of the array's "wings." Avoid the center of the array because you may run into a metal wire with your staple.

Make the Smaller Components

1. Use your list of ISS components to select smaller pieces for modeling. Consider choosing large structures from the ISS that you can build in miniature. Many of the larger exterior components of the space station have a tubular shape that you can simulate with toilet-paper tubes and wrapping-paper tubes.

2. Build miniature nodes and modules. Nodes and modules have various functions on the ISS, for example, the habitation module or the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). However, the basic shapes of nodes and modules are the same. Paint the toilet-paper tubes white. Trim off the ends of some toilet-paper tubes to create various sizes.

3. Label each piece. Write the name of each component, such as the "European Lab -- Columbus Orbital Facility" or the "Multipurpose Logistics Module," over the white paint using a marker.

4. Add details to each small component using scrap cardboard. While some of these components have a smooth outside finish, others have small details that set them apart. The Japanese Experiment Module sports three square pieces that protrude from its surface and another experimental module that attaches to the top. Use glue to secure the scrap cardboard details to each node.

Tips & Warnings

• Allow students to design and build their own space station components.

• Consider using wire hangers instead of store-bought wire to secure the cardboard pieces. Use pliers to pull the hangers apart.

References

• Public Broadcasting Service: Space Station Components
• NASA: Station Structure
• Public Broadcasting Service: What are the Different Components of the Space Station?
• Space Reference: International Space Station Familiarization

Resources

• NASA: Home Page
• Space Reference: International Space Station Familiarization