Space Lab

Welcome to the Space Lab — six experiments you can run yourself. Change things, launch things, and watch what happens. Every real space scientist begins exactly this way: by testing an idea and seeing the result.

1. Rocket Launch Simulator

A rocket needs the right push. Too little fuel and it falls back. Just right and it reaches orbit. Far too much and it escapes into deep space! Move the slider and press Launch.

Fuel / thrust

Set the fuel and launch!

2. Orbit Speed Explorer

A satellite stays up not by hanging still, but by moving sideways fast. Too slow and it spirals down; too fast and it flies away. Find the speed that gives a steady circle.

Sideways speed

Choose a speed and release.

3. Weigh Yourself on Other Worlds

Your mass (how much stuff you are made of) never changes. But your weight depends on gravity. Type your weight on the Earth and see it change across the Solar System!

My weight on Earth (kg)

Bigger, heavier worlds pull harder, so you weigh more there.

4. Journey Planner: Earth to the Planets

Choose a place to visit, then pick how you travel. See the real distance, the speed you would need, and how long it would take. Space is big — prepare to be amazed!

Travel by

Pick a destination above.

Distances are approximate averages — planets are sometimes nearer and sometimes farther as they orbit the Sun. Real missions curve cleverly to save fuel, so they can take a different time from a straight-line trip.

5. How Far, and How Long?

Space is huge. Light is the fastest thing there is, yet even light takes time to cross it. Pick a place and see how long light takes — and how long a fast rocket would take.

Pick a destination above.

6. Build a Telescope

A telescope is really a giant light-bucket. The bigger its mirror, the more light it catches — so the fainter and farther the things it can see. Slide to change the mirror size!

Mirror size

7. How Big Are the Planets?

If the Earth were the size shown, how big would the others be? Tap a planet to compare it with the Earth. Jupiter is a giant!