NickNac is a space pioneer. He had a prosperous year farming rocks on the Moon. NickNac saved enough money to pursue his dream of exploring the solar system.

NickNac owns a SpaceyWagon. The SpaceyWagon is not a top model spacecraft, but it has never left him stranded in space.

NickNac is counting on your math skills to help him plan his vacation. Click an interplanetary activity in the list below to get started.

» Distance Data

» Passenger Questions

» Navigator Questions

Name the nine planets in the solar system and find the distance (in km) from each planet to the Sun.

1. Print out a Distance Data Table .

2. Click the picture of a planet in the Planet Chart below to go to a page about that planet.

3. On the page, find the name of that planet and its distance from the Sun. Record this information on your Distance Data Table.

4. Click the Back button on your browser to come back here.
   
   
5. Repeat Steps 2 through 4 to find the distances for the other planets.

Planet Chart 1    2    3 4    5    6 7    8    9

Use your completed Distance Data Table to answer the Passenger and Navigator questions.

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NickNac wants to take some friends with him on his vacation. But he only wants to take friends who know some basic facts about the solar system. Could you be one of NickNac's passengers?

Use your completed Distance Data Table to find the answers to these questions. (You can write the answers to these questions on the back of your Distance Data Table.)

1. How many planets are there in our solar system?

2. Which planet is the closest to the Sun?

3. Which planet is the farthest from the Sun?

4. Which two planets are closest to Earth?

5. Which planet is the farthest from Earth?

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Navigator Questions

NickNac is a great rock farmer, but he gets lost in his own neighborhood. To travel the solar system, NickNac needs a good navigator. Could you be NickNac's navigator?

Use your completed Distance Data Table and problem-solving skills to find the answers to these questions. (You can write the answers to these questions on the back of your Distance Data Table.)

NickNac can fly 2,000,000,000 km without refueling.

1. What is the farthest planet that NickNac can reach from Earth without refueling? (Don't forget he also needs to return back home to Earth.)

2. Which planets can he visit if he starts his trip from Earth and refuels only 3 times? (Remember he needs to get back to Earth, too).

3. What is the maximum number of planets that NickNac can visit before returning back to Earth if he refuels exactly 5 times? What are the names of those planets?

4. How many times can NickNac fly between Earth and Mars covering the same number of kms that it takes to fly from Earth to Pluto?

    

5. If the SpaceyWagon flies 1,000,000 km per hour, how long will it take NickNac to fly to Pluto from Earth?

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