The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth at an altitude of 612 km which would work out to about 380 statute miles. It moves at 28,000 kph around the Earth, which would be about 17,500 mph. To complete one orbit at that high speed and altitude the Hubble Space Telescope takes just 97 minutes.

Of the many beautiful photographs that the Hubble telescope has sent some have become pivotal  to understanding the world out in space. Some science experiments have born out the amazing details of galaxies and far away stars which were only guessed about before.

One of the reasons why the telescope is so much more effective is because it does not have to peep through the whole spectrum of Earth’s atmosphere. The atmosphere tends to distort our view of the stars and heavenly bodies. Preventing us from seeing the true picture so to say.

With the telescope being place out in space the view is much clearer. Plus the records come from all directions around the Earth. There are a number of interesting science projects that you can base on pictures of outer space. Even if you have your own little telescope you can make a map of the night sky from your back yard. That will make an interesting way to record the objects in the sky.

Have you ever considered how much preparation goes into any mission planned to go into space? The number of science projects and science experiments that have been conducted on every single piece of equipment that will be used? It is an industry where the smallest error can make the difference between life and death.

A malfunctioning bulb can actually kill you in outer space. That is why everything has to be perfect. This is not a place where you can sit back and say 80% is good enough. If it is not 100% good it can not be used. That is why you find most people checking and rechecking every fact that they can before any rocket launch.

It is also a place where constant innovation and improvements are needed. To find a better way to do something in a shorter time and more efficiently is a constant ongoing effort. That is why even you high school science project could help a rocket scientist team.

Of course the original project may need some working on, but you will get credit for the original idea. So if you want to really make a mark with your science project you can think of super specializing in the field that will help the next mission going in to space. Consider some part that can be improved and get to work on it.

The idea of making a science project based on huge rocks slamming into planets and leaving craters is exciting and scary from a child’s perspective. To explain how and why the craters are formed you can touch on concepts of atmosphere, gravity and vacuum of space.

To simplify the concepts for elementary school kids try to make your own craters in dough and flour.  Get a big baking pan and keep a mixing bowl handy. Also collect a number of things to make craters with. Get all sizes and shapes possible. Ping pong balls, golf balls, and even a tennis ball will do.  And of course get some flour and water to mix up the dough.

Now get set to make your own landscape. Get the baking pan out and add some dry flour to it in soft peaks. Make a basic landscape full of many rising “mountains”. Now get those balls out. Check out what kinds of craters they make in half the baking pan area. Compare shapes and depths of all the different objects.

Now mix up some flour with water and add that dough to the other half of the baking pan. Try and make craters in this part too. See how the same shapes make different sized craters in the dough. Try and explain the concept of density to them as well. Then you can graduate to more complex science projects.

The equipment and dress of the astronauts will come next. Talk about the kind of fibers that are used in such cases. How they can resist water and fire to some extent. If possible get some raincoats and pour water on them to demonstrate the water proof effect.

Getting kids excited about space is almost like an investment in the future of the planet. Just let them know a few facts while they have a whole lot of fun.

Star gazing can yield some really good science projects. What if you were to discover a whole new world through your little telescope in the garden? There are some who would be skeptical that scientists with more powerful instruments are also gazing at the stars. And they are more likely to find any new worlds out there.

That is not always the case, as these scientists are busy looking at specific areas that they are studying. They may very often miss a whole new world before them. And then they might not. As Dr David Charbonneau, from the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre will testify at the discovery of a new “Waterworld” located 40 light years away.

This planet is relatively close to Earth and is about six times the size of our planet. However its surface is also covered in water to the extent of 75% of the total surface area. This makes it all the more likely to have life. Although the astronomers are debating that Earth like life may not be able to develop there due to the heat.

The planet is orbiting a small red dwarf star and so has a surface temperature of 200 degrees Celsius. Yet it is the smallest, coolest and most Earth like planet in the known exoplanets and that makes it an exciting study opportunity. It maybe not as exciting but your science fair project could help lead to such important discoveries. You never know how it will shape up in the future.

Choosing a science fair project can be time consuming and exhausting thing. There is so much that you can do, and there are an equal number of restricting factors. The branch of science you pick to do your project in will be one restricting factor, the time and resources on your hands will be another. At the same time it is up to you to do what you want in the science fair, so let your imagination guide you.

The ideal science project will meet all you needs and still be a prize winner. I have stressed time and again that you do not need to have an expensive or highly elaborate project to win at the science fair. You need to have a project that will catch the interest and attention of the judges at the science fair. As long as you can get the judges and other teachers to remember what you made, there is a chance that you will win.

You can pick up a working model from Physics, which is what I find the best given my background. Or you can do spend some some on a Chemical process and formulate a project report based on your experiments. There is also the option of growing projects from the plant and animal kingdom that can be used from Biology. These will take longer to make so ensure you have the required time available.

If you are looking for ideas about science fair projects you may want to get some ideas at the website here. It may just be the starting point for a great project idea for your science fair.