Imagine Earth were a distant place you once called home but could never visit again. What would you remember most about the planet, and how would you describe it to your grandchildren?

Set on the surface of the Moon in the year 2081, a grandfather and granddaughter watch a solar eclipse from scenic cliffs overlooking their moon colony. Conversation leads to contrasts between the moon, the only home the granddaughter knows, and the Earth, where the grandfather has spent most of his life.

As they watch the Moon's shadow move across Earth, the grandfather tells stories of crashing asteroids, erupting volcanoes, roaring dinosaurs, electrifying lightning and booming thunder. Each experience begins with a telescope view of the dynamic Earth in stark contrast with the unchanging lunar landscape.

EARTH'S WILD RIDE is like many tales shared by grandparents over the centuries, except "the old country" is really another planet, always visible from the moon base, but totally unlike the granddaughter's world. While learning about eclipses, the ice age, Earth's water cycle and differences between the Earth and Moon, the audience is taken on a roller-coaster-like ride through canyons of raging rivers and hot flowing lava. Adventure and appreciation for home fill this 20-minute journey back to the Earth.

Produced in collaboration with Rice University, through NASA's Immersive Earth Project.

Additional Music by Shai Fishman - www.shaifishman.com

EARTH'S WILD RIDE was developed under the NASA "Immersive Earth" Cooperative Agreement with Rice University. Copyright MTPE, 2020.

• Quizzes

  The PRE and POST show quizzes are intended to serve as a measure of effectiveness of both the show itself and the supplemental material. Prior to any information about the show being provided to students they should take the pre-show quiz. This should serve as an accurate gauge of their prior knowledge.

  Upon completion of viewing the show and the activities on the following pages, students should be given the same quiz. By comparing the pre-show and post-show scores, the overall effectiveness of the program can be determined.
  
  · Elementary school level quizzes
  · Middle school level quizzes
  · Spanish quizzes
  

• Teacher's Guide

• Pre-trip Activities including:
  
  Activity 1: The Earth and Moon: How Big and How Far
  Activity 2: The Lunar Olympics — going to Earth — visiting asteroids
  Activity 3: Keeping Cool on the Moon
  Activity 4: Designing a liquid cooling garment (JGC)
  

• Post-trip Activities including:
  
  Activity 5: Designing a Lunar Colony
  Activity 6: The Effects of a Blanket of Air
  Activity 7: Keeping Warm or Ice Age
  Activity 8: Watching Mt. Etna
  Activity 9: IMPACT
  Activity 10: World of Water
  Activity 11: Following the Grand Canyon Activity 12: Picnic on the Moon
  

• Miscellaneous single page activities from the Young Astronaut Program
  
  · A Moon Outing
  · Becoming A Lunar Superkid
  · Designing A Liquid Cooling Garment
  · Effects Of A Blanket Of Air
  · Keeping Cool On The Moon
  · World Of Water

• Activities from our Earth Update software
  
  · EU01 : Five Faces of Hurricane Mitch
  · EU02 : Is The Sea Level?
  · EU03 : Coming Of The Ice
  · EU04 : Night Life
  · EU05 : Rising Waters
  · EU06 : Geo-Action
  · EU07 : Temperature vs CO2
  · EU08 : Change in Carbon Dioxide Levels
  · EU09 : Seasonal Vegetation Changes
  · EU10 : Ocean Temperatures
  · EU11 : Ocean Ups and Downs
  · EU12 : Polluting Populations
  · EU13 : Moving Continents

• Standards Alignment

  Details how this show aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards, including whether the standard is a primary focus, secondary focus, or ancillary material.

  ePlanetarium Show alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

  ePlanetarium Show alignment with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skill (TEKS)